More Sausage... Is There Anything Else?

[Mr Walleye]

My freezer was getting low so I decided to sneak away from work Friday afternoon to make sausage. I did 100 lbs of Kielbasa and 50 lbs of Semi-Dry Salami.

This was my first time using Kirby's larger mixer and I have to say it worked excellent. I usually mix in 25 lb batches which fits nicely in my 30 lb Kirby Canon. I have a decent 1/2 inch Dewalt drill but I have to say once you get the spices and cure in there and the sausage starts to stiffen it's definitely a work out for the drill. This of course is the large mixer. I think I will keep my eye open for a gear reduction drill. Like I said, the mixer worked excellent and Kirby is right on the money for mixing time, maybe just over a minute or so. That's fast!  8)

I quite often make sausage alone but this time my brother-in-law was over to help. We Mixed, Stuffed, and cleaned everything up in just under 4 hours for all 150 lbs. We timed the stuffing process using the Kirby Canon, it took 17 minutes per 25 lb load. That's fast! Or at least is is to me!  ;D

Sorry Kirby, everything went so efficiently that I never got a chance to take any pictures of the Mixer in action... although with just over a minute to mix it wasn't in action very long anyway.  :D

Here are a few pictures although I didn't have my camera so they are from my iPhone so they are not great pictures. The salami still has to be further dried for a week yet.


50 lbs in the smoker getting cozy...




50 more lbs of Kielbasa & 50 lbs of salami waiting there turn for the smoker...




My lovely assistant manning the hot water bath...  ;D




First 50 lbs blooming....




2nd 50 lbs blooming...




Little closer picture...




All packed up and ready for the freezer...








The Salami's turn in the smoker...




And last but not lease the 50 lbs of Salami ready to be dried for a week...








Thanks a lot Kirby! I getting my sausage making very fine turned!  ;D  8)

Mike

[Sailor]

Hog Dang.  That is a load for sure. Looks fantastic. One day I will have a big boy smoker.  Most I can do at a time is 20 pounds in the OBS.

[Keymaster]

WOW, Thats a bunch of Meat, Looks excellent!!

[Smoke some]

The Kielbasa and  Salami look excellent....You definitely have the mixing and stuffing down pat...4 hours and cleaned up
wow that's getting after it...... ;)

Question for you... when your poaching the sausage after the smoke, what temp do you keep the water at? 
Also what is the IT of the sausage when you pull it from the hot water bath?
Thanks for any info :)

[JZ]

WOW that's a lot of sausage and it looks DEEEEEELICIOUS!!!!

4 hrs - it takes me that long just to think about what sausage to make.  :)

[Mr Walleye]

The Kielbasa and  Salami look excellent....You definitely have the mixing and stuffing down pat...4 hours and cleaned up
wow that's getting after it...... ;)

Question for you... when your poaching the sausage after the smoke, what temp do you keep the water at? 
Also what is the IT of the sausage when you pull it from the hot water bath?
Thanks for any info :)

I usually apply 3 hours of smoke and continue on for another 1/2 to 1 hour at 160 degrees in the smoker. I mainly look for getting the color I want on the sausage before going into the hot water bath but they are usually around 132 to 135 degrees. I put 25 lbs at a time in the 160 degree water bath and take the IT of the sausage to 155 degrees. If I finish the sausage in the smoker I only take the IT to 152 degrees. The main reason I take it a little higher when using the hot water bath is simply how fast the temp rises in the sausage and I feel it's just safer to take it slightly higher.

Mike

[Smoke some]

Thanks for the info mike

[Mr Walleye]

I meant to add... You know how when you hang sausage over a stick and the sausage touches and it never picks up the color you want. The simple solution I have found is to hang your sausage on you sticks and take round tooth picks to stick into any of the sausage that are touching. It works perfect! It holds the sausage about an inch or an inch and a half from one another. You sausage won't have any of those light spots. I just buy big packages of round tooth picks at the dollar store.

Mike

[pensrock]

Everything looks great, nice job Mike.  :)

[Habanero Smoker]

...and I struggle for a whole day to make 10 lbs.

That is some great looking sausage. I don't see that much in the supermarkets at one time.

[mikecorn.1]

Nice work Mike. Good looking stuff!! 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SiFumar]

Holy moly that looks great!

[carnie1]

I'm with Hab, Everything looks great, nice job

[ghost9mm]

Now that is just plain awesome, well done my friend...

[NePaSmoKer]

Mike

Always top notch.  Looks great