Looks Like I Am Getting Into Making Sausages

[JZ]

After only one 15 lb batch of SS I got hooked.

I quickly discovered that my cheap grinder does not work worth crap as a stuffer and that I need a big pot, like the one I borrowed from my neighbor.

So here are the latest additions to the family: 1 big pot and an 11lb stuffer.

[CoreyMac]

Great equipment! I get the stuffer (obvious) but whats the gigantic pot for? Do you mix your meat in there?

[JZ]

The pot is to cook the sausage in after it has been smoked. From what I have read on this forum you can either i) smoke then cook in the smoker or ii) smoke then cook in a hot water bath. The second method is much faster and preferred by some members. I also just read a thread that indicated not to use the hot water bath if you use cloth bags or you will end up with mush.

The pot is huge because the Summer Sausage casing that I used the first time were 18" long and as such I needed something that was either 18" across or 18" deep. This is 18" across and is the same size as the one I borrowed from my neighbor, which worked great. This method saved my sausage because it was starting to fat out and if I continued to cook in the smoker I am convinced that I would have ruined the SS. But I have only done one batch so far and have a lot to learn.

I will try using the smoker for a full cook sometime but I think I will stick with the hot bath for now - at least for the big chubs.

[hybridcx]

sweet stuffer.. that thing looks huge.....

[mikecorn.1]

Man. That thing is HUGE. Where you find that thing? 


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[Mr Walleye]

Hahaha... Set the hook boys! We got another one on the line!  ;D

It doesn't take long to get hooked does it Corey. That pot looks exactly like the one I use. Mine is a 64 Litre pot which would be... 67.5 US Qts. I usually use about 10 gallons of water in it maintained at 160 degrees. Works perfect.

Congrats on the new equipment!  ;)

Mike

[JZ]

Mikecorn; not sure if you are talking about the stuffer or the pot. The stuffer came from Princess Auto. You should have seen the first one I brought home it was bigger (15lb). When I opened the box and put it on the counter I said woooohhh that is too big and back it went. The pot was hard to find but I got it at ----- are you ready ----- Canadian Tire. It was the last one they had and I got them to drop the price because the lid had a minor dent in it. Saved $20 that will go to more meat.

Mr Walleye (Mike); I think this is the same one you have. I can't recall if it was 64 liters or 64 quarts but it is big enough for anything I will do. And right you are ----- another one has been hooked. I just finished mixing up a batch of your recipe Kielbasa and stuffed into the hog casings. They are in the fridge waiting for tomorrows smoke and bath.

I really liked the stuffer. It worked waaaaaaay better than the cheapo grinder with a stuffer attachment. I loaded 10lbs of meat into it and started stuffing. It was a learning curve and the first few feet of sausage looked poor, you know thin then thick then air. I got it fixed and the rest just got better and easier.

Here's the pics of the sausage after stuffing. It is hard to tell but there are 4 links - one is short and the others are long. I will have to figure out how to hang them in the morning.




And here is a pic of the sausage that was left in the stuffer. Fried it up and it was very good. Can't wait to taste the final product after the smoke.

[Mr Walleye]

JZ

That's exactly where I bought mine as well!  ;)

I think the dents in the lid are standard equipment, mine had one too.  :D

Mike

[Sailor]

JZ, Looks like you are all set.  Now you need to get your wife to give up some cabinet space so you can store all your spices  ;D  Yep I would say the hook is set.  Once you start makin sausage you can never go back.  ;D

[JZ]

This is working out real well. The wife loves the sausage and helps me with the mixing and stuffing. The only part she doesn't like is washing all the equipment afterwards. Yesterday was kind of excessive since the stuffer and the pot had not been used yet and needed to be thoroughly cleaned. Especially the stuffer, there was some really thick coating on it. I have seen this stuff on other equipment that is shipped from China. I think they goop it on to prevent the metal from rusting on the journey across the ocean. Next time should be less work.

[NePaSmoKer]

Looks good.

What kind of sausage?

You did add cure?

[JZ]

Mike's recipe Kielbasa and I added 2 tsp of cure to what I thought was 10 lbs of meat. Turns out it was only 8.5 lbs. I guess I should have weighed it first and not relied on what was written on the package. Hopefully I don't die and if I do it will likely be with a smile on my face because it tastes good.

[NePaSmoKer]

Mike's recipe Kielbasa and I added 2 tsp of cure to what I thought was 10 lbs of meat. Turns out it was only 8.5 lbs. I guess I should have weighed it first and not relied on what was written on the package. Hopefully I don't die and if I do it will likely be with a smile on my face because it tastes good.

Your fine

[JZ]

Thanks NePa; maybe someday I will get this right. But even with the mistakes I made on the first batch it turned out very good. So I guess this is somewhat forgiving as long as I don't forget to use cure when I smoke.

[viper125]

Looks like another one bit the dust. Sausage is addicting! What other hobby can you eat your mistakes?