Embarking on some thing new and y'all's help

[Hopefull Romantic]

I am so jealous about continuing to read about all your achievements in jerky and sausage making that I decided to go ahead and start doing that.

However, I absolutely have no idea what equipment to buy and which brands would be best and that where you guys and gals come in. I would very much appreciate it if you could get me started in the right direction. Please remember that I have nothing in equipment but my spirit is in the right place and would love to start making these two things.

HR

[HawkeyeSmokes]

HR, get your feet wet by making whole muscle jerky. About the only equipment you need to make that is a good sharp knife to slice to the meat. Pick a recipe to marinate it and then use the Bradley to smoke and dry it. Play with it a few times and go from there.

[Up In Smoke]

HR,
i agree with Hawkeye, whole muscle is a good way to start.
my first batches of jerky were with an open country kit.
it includes spices and cure for 1 lb measurements.
the hot and spicy being the best of the choices they provide.(IMHO)
this gave me an opportunity to learn the process with less worries
about cure and other ingredients.
not much help i know but i am sure others with way more knowledge
will be along shortly.

[FLBentRider]

I make whole muscle all the time.

I use Hi mountain (NePas doesn't like it) cure and add my own flavorings.

I use eye round, cut the fat off and put it in the freezer for 2-4 hours to firm it up.

Onto the deli slicer - 1/8 inch is about right.

apply cure and seasonings (garlic and cracked pepper) to both sides.

put it in a zip top bag for at least 24 hours.

smoke (or not) for about an hour @ 150-180F.

continmue in the Bradley @ 180F vent wide open - rotate every hour or Put in the dehydrator(145F) or convection oven (190F) or regular oven.

dry until it bends but not breaks.

[Mr Walleye]

HR

If you want to try your hand at sausage making without putting out a bunch of cash on equipment such as a grinder, stuffer, etc, you can make casing-less sausage very easily and finish it in your smoker. You can just purchase your meat already ground. I originally started this way, in fact I even made my Kielbasa recipe this way at one time.

Certainly if are going to get into making sausage in a bigger way then you will want to get a grinder and a separate stuffer. You can stuff using some grinders but if you ever try doing it this way... you will usually order a stuffer right away. If you have a good butcher that will grind everything for you for a reasonable cost you may only want to buy a stuffer. As far as the stuffer goes... it depends on what size batches you plan on making. I have an 11 lb electric stuffer with a foot control which makes stuffing by yourself fairly easy but I do batches anywhere from 60 to 100 lbs at a time. A lot of members have the 5lb upright stuffer which is available in many stores. The 5lb is a nice size for making typical batches of 10 to 20 lbs.

Mike

[Hopefull Romantic]

Thank you guys for the advices and I truly appreciate it.

I stumbled upon this stuffer and I was wondering if I would get your feedback back on this issue.

http://www.dakotahsausagestuffer.com/store.htm

Let me what you think.

HR

[NePaSmoKer]

Thank you guys for the advices and I truly appreciate it.

I stumbled upon this stuffer and I was wondering if I would get your feedback back on this issue.

http://www.dakotahsausagestuffer.com/store.htm

Let me what you think.

HR

Great stuffer. Eldon and his wife have a great product there. I used to have one but it leaked badly. I do beleive they have improved on it greatly.

If you ever get a chance to chat with Eldon or his wife they are very nice people.

nepas

[Hopefull Romantic]

Great stuffer. Eldon and his wife have a great product there. I used to have one but it leaked badly. I do beleive they have improved on it greatly.

If you ever get a chance to chat with Eldon or his wife they are very nice people.

nepas
[/quote]

Nepas, I sent them an email today but expect they will not till tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

HR

[Mr Walleye]

HR

The only thing that concerns me with that stuffer is the fact you have to be near a sink in order to stuff. I know several people who set up a table in their garage to do their stuffing and with a water stuffer this may be a problem.

Mike

[HawkeyeSmokes]

HR

The only thing that concerns me with that stuffer is the fact you have to be near a sink in order to stuff. I know several people who set up a table in their garage to do their stuffing and with a water stuffer this may be a problem.

Mike

There are a couple ways around that Mike, use a water hose for the supply and a pail for the drain water. A little extra work but the volume of water would small. I have also heard of people adapting it to air and using a small air compressor for it. They regulate the pressure down to about 35 to 40 lbs. The only problem I see with that is when you want to stop stuffing some meat will continue to flow because of the compression of the air. And it is NOT recommend by the manufacturer.

[Hopefull Romantic]

HR

The only thing that concerns me with that stuffer is the fact you have to be near a sink in order to stuff. I know several people who set up a table in their garage to do their stuffing and with a water stuffer this may be a problem.

Mike

It should not be a problem. I can have that in both setups. I dont have a garage but I do have a big garden and I can hook it up to the garden hose.

HR