General sausage knowledge exchange

winemakers · February 19, 2008, 05:50:16 AM

two butts worth myself. 10 lbs conventional brats, the remaining ~6 lbs with 1 lb of xsharp chedder for a household favorite. Now, how to get them into the freezer before we eat them breakfast/lunch/dinner.

Stickbowcrafter · February 20, 2008, 10:42:20 AM

There's no faster way to "break" a sausage than the failure to keep the mixture cool.

I like to put the metal accessories (loading tray, cutting blade, plates, etc.) from my grinder into the freezer while I cut the meat. Assemble them just before grinding and this will help keep the meat cool.

I also like to put a bowl or plate full of ice under the platter or bowl I'm grinding into to keep things cool.

Grind the lean meat and fat/fatty meat separately.

-Brian

Mr Walleye · February 20, 2008, 10:54:59 AM

Quote from: Stickbowcrafter on February 20, 2008, 10:42:20 AM
I like to put the metal accessories (loading tray, cutting blade, plates, etc.) from my grinder into the freezer while I cut the meat. Assemble them just before grinding and this will help keep the meat cool.

Brian

I really like this idea and allthough I'm fairly new to the whole sausage thing I have started doing this and it does seem to help keeping things cooled down.

Mike

iceman · February 20, 2008, 12:57:56 PM

Gotta agree on the cold thing 100 %. I've even stuck the stripped (cut up) meat back in the freezer for a spell to "harden it up" so it doesn't smear when you grind it. I also am kind of a fanatic on keeping the grinding blade and plate honed so it cuts good. Always grew up with the 4 C's of sausage making.
CLEAN!... Keep every thing very clean when handling meat.
COLD!..... Keep all raw meat as cold as possible. Never leave the work station if you have raw meat on the counter.
CAREFUL!. Don't get careless or distracted when using knifes and grinders. It's nice to have all your fingers.
C0CKTAILS! Then once it's all stuffed and ready to smoke it's time for a cold one and relax. ;D ;)

winemakers · February 20, 2008, 04:36:55 PM

I have to guiltily admit that my wife loves when I make sausage, and no not for the reasons you gutter dwellers are considering.

While I cook 95% of our meals my cleaning skills are sometimes dependent on the dish fairy a fickle witch at best. However, before and after I make sausage, you could schedule your vasectomy in my kitchen without fear of cross contamination. The kitchen is never more spotless!

I have come to rely on sanitizing wipes available from everyones bleach maker. More expensive than bleach/water/rag but no laundry issue afterward!

Stickbowcrafter · February 20, 2008, 06:02:09 PM

Water and white vinegar make a great 50/50 solution for wiping everything down before and after. You can even wipe down the meat with a clean paper towel dipped in this solution before cutting it up to remove any surface bacteria. White vinegar is some powerful stuff and way safer than bleach.

-Brian

Mr Walleye · February 20, 2008, 06:50:07 PM

Not only that Stick... I use the same solution to clean the exterior of my boat. It does a fantastic job with hardwater scum lines, etc. I just have the mixture in a spray bottle and wipe it off with a towel. It only takes a few minutes to wipe the entire boat down even while on the road at tournaments. I go through tons of white vinegar.

Great stuff!

Mike

Gizmo · February 20, 2008, 08:43:22 PM

White vinegar even works on sunburns. ;)

coyote · February 20, 2008, 09:22:47 PM

How about snow blindness Giz? ???..........I just put my shovel away for the night..Whew :P

Coyote

Gizmo · February 20, 2008, 09:47:12 PM

Never tried on that. ;)

Now if you put some sugar water with food coloring in it, the kids may take care of it for you. :P
May have a few tongues to remove though.

dale_MT · May 13, 2008, 07:07:34 AM

I am new to this forum and am considering a Bradley smoker. My smoking experience has been limited to ribs, turkeys, etc in an electric vertical smoker...no temp control..what you get is what you get. I want to make andouille sausage which is cold smoked. From what I gather on the forum, temperature control is pretty critical for sausage. Am I correct that the old style Bradley requires the addition of some type of PID (which I gather is a digital temperature controller???) in order to achieve the narrow temperature band required? If that is the case, it seems the newer DBS is what I want.

Any input is really appreciated. I am getting tired of carrying andouille from Lafayette, LA to Montana in my suitcase (I live in constant fear that some TSA agent is going to decide those sausages might really be some form of explosive -other than gastro-ontestinal!). ;D

Lefty_Smoker · May 13, 2008, 07:32:19 AM

In a nutshell, the original Bradley has a slider type temp control. When the knob is slid all the way to the left, the unit is OFF, when the knob is slid all the way to the right, it is FULL ON. It is up to you to figure out where the slider knob needs to be to get your desired temp. As long as you aren't opening the door every 10 minutes, the original is plenty capable of maintaining stable enough temps to make sausage, you just have to play with it until the temps stabilize, then it is just a matter of keeping any eye on it and making small adjustments to the slider to maintain your desired temp.

The Digital uses the same heating element, it just has a thermostat built in that turns the heating element ON or OFF. Say you set the temp control for 220F, the unit will heat up, then once it hits 220F, it will shut off, it may overshoot 220F a bit on the way. Now that the heating element has switched off, the temp will begin to fall and then once again, the element will turn back ON when the temp drops a certain amount. So it still does vary as the heating element cycles on and off. Since you are essentially heating/cooking with a 500w light bulb, there is a bit of lag so the unit tends to overshoot/undershoot your programmed temp. Some people think it varies a bit too much, others are fine with the amount of fluctuation.

For the ultimate in temp control, many people have started using PID controllers which can maintain much tighter control of temps, but at added cost and complexity of course.

Mr Walleye · May 13, 2008, 02:28:09 PM

Welcome to the forum Dale!

Lefty did a great job explaining things. The only thing I would add is if your primary purpose will be for sausage, I would probably go with the OBS and a PID or the DIGIQ/Raptor by BBQ Guru. I have a DBS and have since added a PID which works great, especially for things like sausage. There are a few here that have gone with the DIGIQ/Raptor and are very happy, although this option costs slightly more.

Here is a link to building a PID.
http://susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=504#post504

Here is a link to the DIGIQ/Raptor.
http://www.thebbqguru.com/bbqDigiQ.cfm

Mike

dale_MT · May 20, 2008, 06:05:57 AM

Thank you for the insight. I will take a look at both of those options.