Homemade Sausage Thread

TAFKAP

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Trump bought me a new meat grinder. Gonna name this big ol' heifer MAGA. Definitely an upgrade from my entry level model I've been using. I'm going to treat this thread as my own homemade sausage theme. Since MAGA is such a big girl (3/4HP Weston Butcher Series #12), it's gonna need some projects to work with, rather than just a quick, low-volume whip up. I think the first break-in project will be a smoked Polish kielbasa. I've made them before with great success, but this next batch will need to be in the 20 lb range or so.

Here's MAGA in all her glory. And if you're interested in something similar, Weston Products is currently running a 20% off coupon, which kept my budget the same but upgraded the grinder.
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41Magnum

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Good looking rig there. I get my homemade (pork) sausage from a gent down the road from me. Make really great sausage. I usually get about 15 lbs. or so from him at a time. Vacuum pack it and throw it in the freezer.
Looking at getting a grinder this fall for my venison. I really like summer sausage and haven't had any venison smoked sausage in a while. Let us know how it turns out.
 

TAFKAP

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41Magnum":5da12tsm said:
Good looking rig there. I get my homemade (pork) sausage from a gent down the road from me. Make really great sausage. I usually get about 15 lbs. or so from him at a time. Vacuum pack it and throw it in the freezer.
Looking at getting a grinder this fall for my venison. I really like summer sausage and haven't had any venison smoked sausage in a while. Let us know how it turns out.

I think this will be a freezer clearing opportunity. Still have some whole-roast venison to use, and will probably mix with some pork shoulder from a local Berkshire farmer. The kielbasa recipe I did once before was pretty spectacular. Looking forward to getting more practice at sausage making.

Also plan on using a whole brisket to make ground beef. Costco has prime briskets @ $2.99/lb....cheaper than the pink-slime stuff at the grocery store.
 

Displaced_Vol

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Love it- keep us posted with plenty of pics and instructions.
We've been killing hogs for several years now & make our own breakfast sausage. We smoke some of it & it is the best sausage I've had, hands down. Always preferred bacon, and probably still do, but that sausage makes it awful close.
Been thinking about picking up some butts and trying some more types. Chorizo, andouille, etc.
 

TAFKAP

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So MAGA went to town this weekend. I couldn't believe the performance of this thing. I couldn't keep up with it, as it would chew through meat faster than I could load the tray. First, it's QUIET. It's a low whine, as opposed to the high-pitched scream of my first grinder. It took longer to set up than it did to run through about 35 lbs. of meat. Cleaning is easy, and it didn't have the least bit of problem with any of that meat.

First project: Garlic kielbasa from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn, and a batch of Toulouse sausage from Hank Shaw (https://honest-food.net/wild-game/duck- ... FZRVECmfWU)

I got a 14lb brisket from Costco, and drove down to Como, MS for a 25lb whole pork shoulder from Home Place Pastures. They raise heritage Berkshire hogs, and operate an on-site USDA processing facility that lets them go direct to the consumer. Ultra high quality meat. Trimmed a lot of the excess fat, and am rendering some lard to support Mrs. TAFKAP's quarantine baking adventures. Bones, excess trim meat, and skin will be made into stock.
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For the kielbasa, I used 6 lbs. of beef + 4 lbs. of pork. The recipe is flavored with a lot of hot mustard, some garlic powder, and white pepper (I didn't have as much as I thought, so I subbed in some black pepper to make up the difference). The recipe calls for a lot of ice, but I think that's intended for smaller batches on a less efficient machine. I'm going to just soften future mixes with water for liquid & keep the meat chilled other ways. It was more trouble than beneficial. I needed a little bit of practice, but the stuffing turned out pretty well. Only blew out the casing once (I think it was the casing, not me), and was able to maintain some good consistency. These will hang a few days, and I'll smoke them with as cool of a smoke as I can. When it's time to eat them, they'll be steamed to reheat, sliced, and served with sauerkraut, horseradish, & mustard in true Polish fashion.

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I got side-tracked & couldn't stuff the Toulouse sausage, so that'll happen tonight. Pics of that end-result to follow.
 

BamaProud

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TAFKAP

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Update. It took a couple days to get to the Toulouse sausage. It turned out well, but the recipe was a little lacking. The prevalent flavor was salt, and not nearly enough garlic. I don't know how it would've been stuffing fresh mix into casings, rather than waiting a couple days. I'll try it again before seeking a new recipe. My next project is likely to be a chorizo.

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Mike Belt

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Those larger units really make a difference on running through some meat. An accessory you might look into is a foot control for your grinder (if they make them for yours). This frees up both hands for working with the meat.
 

TAFKAP

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That's definitely on the short list for upgrades.

Also, the Cabelas Carnivore feature has a clamp-on freezer pack to keep the neck chilled. Turns out, it's a universal piece, so I got the novelty of the Carnivore line, while getting the reliability of a Weston.
 

basset

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Trump didn't buy you a new meat grinder, the American taxpayer did. I've even heard of some people who think the money came out of his personal pocket.

Sausage looks good, though.
 

TAFKAP

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basset":3kk3239u said:
Trump didn't buy you a new meat grinder, the American taxpayer did. I've even heard of some people who think the money came out of his personal pocket.

Sausage looks good, though.


It's a joke
 

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