Don’t worry, I won’t show you how the legislation gets made.
While driving, one of the audiobooks I had on to make the miles go easier was one on the detection of food fraud. Far from putting me off food, it made me think about things I wanted to try cooking. One of the things I’d never done was make my own sausages. I needed a few things to even try. Obviously meat and spices, but I lacked a meat grinder and sausage casings. Since I had a stand mixer that’s served me for the past fifteen years, I figured I’d get the meat grinder attachment for that machine, and check my local butcher to see if they sold sausage casings. Turns out that they do, $8.99 for a package… which is apparently the entire small intestine of a pig. Admittedly, it was cleaned and the butchers buy these in bulk for their own sausages.
Three Different Animals – Cow, Elk, Pig
Supplies secured, I just needed to actually start doing it. I had an elk flank steak in the freezer that had sat there for a long time, and it was wrong to just leave it forever. Half a pound of elk wasn’t going to make that much, and after some though decided to bulk it up with some flatiron steak and throw in bacon for fat. Each of these were beautiful peices of meat in their own right, and I felt a little bad about what I was about to do. Still, I’d committed and cut them into smaller chunks that could be fed into the grinder.
Into the bowl with the chopped meat, I added the seasoning – Onion, Salt, Pepper, and Fennel seeds. Here’s a picture to prove that I actually did include the seasoning, as for whatever reason, you lot like to slander my taste.
Spices!
Realizing I would need a second bowl to catch the grind while the first bowl was occupied with the yet to be ground meat, I grabbed one at random. Only it turned out to be the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Oh well, it is functionally identical to a bowl for my purposes.
The grinder itself feels like aluminum except for the grind plates proper, which have the weightiness of steel. If that auger were anything but aluminum, it would be heavier. Admittedly, it does need to be light enough to hang on the end of the stand mixer. There were three different diameter grind plates included with the attachment, and my first thought was that I would need to go through all three down to the smallest of the lot. I started at the coarse plate, and the onions came out all but unchanged on the other side. So I fed it through the medium plate, and what came out was close to the consistancy of regular store-bought ground meats.
Not-so Daily Grind.
I noticed that the rate which the ground meat came out was directly controllable by the amount of pressure I applied to the feed end. At the time this was just a curiousity that I didn’t think would be that big a deal. It would be important later.
For the most part, nothing I’d done was all too strange for anyone who’s cooked meat or used a food processer. Now the time came to switch out the grind plate for the stuffing horn. I don’t know if that’s what it’s really called, but I don’t care. As I mentioned, the casing I got from the butcher was a natural casing, the cleaned small intestine membrane of a pig. Having had sausages so often, I simply told myself that I had no right to even pretend to claim squeamishness at this. It turns out the pep talk wasn’t needed. All of my thoughts were about how to actually get the casing on the horn, and how much I would need.
The new task,
The first, most joyous thing was that the packaging contained a plastic strip down the middle that was folded in half and provided a way to get the casing on the horn without much fuss. Now, the butcher shop doubtlessly uses industrial hardware, meaning they could put the whole thing on at once, grab the plastic loop, and pull the liner out. The home cook, with a much more space-conscious setup has to coax some of the casing over to the horn and decide when to just trim it off, since there’s no way the whole intestine will fit.
The texture and inner friction made it impossible to work the sausage casing while wearing gloves. I had to work it bare handed. As I did so, I debated all the juvenile jokes I knew the commentariat would be making when this section was discussed. I’m not going to be able to stop you even if I tried…
Anyway, once the casing was on the horn and snipped, I tied the end as advised, then poked a small hole to let the air out as I began filling. I intentionally had not been emptying out the grinder between steps because I didn’t want to waste the meat I knew was in the auger between steps. So the first link got chunks that were only coarse-ground, while the later links got the finer second grind meat. So the first link looks a little wonky. About every six inches or so, I twisted the sausages, switching direction of twist each time. At first I was confused at this instruction, but when I was doing it, I realized that by twisting the opposite direction each time, the previous twist gets tightened rather than undone. Also, during the sausage stuffing process, that detail about the feed pressure controlling the speed at which the meat comes out was suddenly very useful. Since I had almost complete control over the feed, I never lost control of the links, and was able to retain fairly even consistancy, despite the machine moving even as I loaded more meat into the hopper.
I can’t believe it’s really sausages.
When I got to the end, there was still ground meat in the auger, but there was nothing to push it out from behind, so I wrapped up the sausages proper and began disassembling the grinder. I very carefully salvaged as much of the meat from the horn and grinder as I could, as it was still perfectly good at this point. There was about a link’s worth that hadn’t made it into casings.
Up to this point, I had adopted a clean as you go strategy so that I wouldn’t be faced with a daunting cleaning task when I finished. But, the disassembled grinder basically had to be done all together. It was surprisingly easy to clean, breaking down into sufficently simple pieces that I could get to all the components with relatively straightforward methods. The brush that came with it helped scrub the main body as it was designed to, so I had a clean grinder not long after I’d finished with it. The most difficult step was coaxing the last of the meat out of the stuffing horn.
Of course, I had to find out how it tasted, so I separated the last two links from the chain and pan-fried them, storing the rest of it for later meals. It was after I cut open the link to see the interior that I realized I could have gone with the coarse grind as a filling and not been too bothered. But this worked just fine.
Yes, it was delicious, though lacked some color on the inside.
No peppers and onions?
Sad!
Pepper flakes in the grind, that is what is needed.
That is a good idea.
With the fennel, that’s Italian sausage, so my recipe just has meat, fennel, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and water.
There was Onion in the Sausage.
I read that Dr. Suess book.
I used my meat grinder to grind my peppers (some from you and the Reapers I grew) for my hot sauce this year. It worked great!
Each of these were beautiful peices of meat in their own right, and I felt a little bad about what I was about to do.
Some of my friends in Livingston who are hunters had a “sausage fest” wherein they cleaned out their freezers of all the old deer, elk, birds and whatever other accumulated meat they wanted to clear out, and made a giant batch of sausage. They said it was really good.
In my experience, old meat doesn’t make for a high-performing sausage. YMMV, of course.
Retirement confession?
Why is everyone looking at me?
Astra Zenica can help!
Damn, that’s not even a euphemism.
Did you try lubricating your gloves before handling your sausage? That might have made it a smoother experience.
Asking for a friend.
Are you made of sandpaper?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r38E3CstVA4
I suppose we should just encase all of the euphemisms and puns in this thread.
Gotta squeeze out all the puns we can.
You just want to get Swiss in a twist.
There is no curing this.
We’ll just have to hold out for the links.
Just like a bunch of brats.
If we can’t think of any more puns, we don’t have to go on, do we?
Are you suggesting we throw some filler in here?
Quick tip: You can throw some bread in the grinder to push the remaining meat out.
Pro tip: Keep your equipment and the meat as cold as you can. Semi frozen meat grinds better.
If this is a hobby you’d like to pursue, I’d recommend a dedicated stuffer. This is similar to what I have: https://www.amazon.com/Sausage-Stuffer-Stainless-Vertical-HAKKA/dp/B011RN5QN4?th=1
Sausage making links:
https://www.youtube.com/c/2GuysACooler/videos
I like this guy’s videos about sausage as well: https://www.youtube.com/@duncanhenry/videos
Peter North?
I knew about the low temperature, and did refrigerate the grinder before starting, but left it out of the writeup.
Another Glibs sausage party.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_u8eBNM5pc/UbYk33bfnHI/AAAAAAAAMOA/l6bQeY2RPkQ/s1600/Ramsay-Snow.gif
From the ded-thred I think I would stay away from any gathering that mixed guns and dope.
If both in the hands of one person, oh yes, hell yes, absolutely.
It was more about the culture that allowed dopers and shooters to mix without judging the other, at least too harshly. Robert Anton Wilson [whom I didn’t meet and haven’t read] – Guns & Dope Party. It’s interesting how little tolerance can be shown here for a wide ranging freak show.
Yes, there was a strong libertarian element originally, but, at least when I got that invite, it was fading rapidly, and I really did not want to be around a bunch of machineguns in loady hands.
I still have to laugh at the deeply libertarian/anarchist origin, even as the bureaucracy of the event has metastasized. And socially, so many who yearned for their own freedom were so quick to deny freedom to others. [sigh]
There has always been a lot of that going around. People just cannot mind their own damned business.
Well, in the confessional spirit, I was definitely a D back then, mostly due to Ed Meese.
So, proto libertarian?
mostly due to Ed Meese
Understandable.
Hell, the whole thing was a Temporary Autonomous Zone. And having guns out there actually meant the locals weren’t totally repelled by the hippies. “What, you mean you like to shoot?”
I’d be surprised if there were any full autos – those would’ve been damn rare in CA. My favorite story I’ve heard from back then was the pickup with the wheel tied in place to make long slow circles and the shooters in the bed of the truck taking shots at clays.
Years later, at a random party in Sacramento, I met one of the SF beach guys. And he mentioned machine guns being a strong draw as to why the playa.
It is a bit odd to read such a detailed description of something I have done all of my life. Many of the things you mention UnCiv are things I would not have included because I would have taken for granted that everyone knows this. Not so, of course. This is a another great write-up even if your recipe is a bit of a crime.
“Yes, it was delicious”
Oh. Well, I am not qualified to tell you what you like. Sail on, brother.
Tips:
In addition to what. you used replace the fennel with sage. Add a bit of brown sugar. To this you can add a pinch of allspice or cinnamon. Be careful with aromatics as they are potent.
If you want to add some powdered garlic go very easy. Same with red pepper.
Optional are bits of cheese and/or jalapeño. Chopped green onion is good also.
I buy boxes of bacon ends and pieces to add fat. It is cheaper and has more fat.
The wonderful thing about sausage is that there is a whole universe of potential recipes to explore.
Three sizes – small/sheep intestine. Medium/pig intestine. Large/cow intestine.
You can get fake casing made from collagen. DON’T DO THAT. That shit is disgusting.
Now for the next step in deliciousness – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSssyfQBRAE
Or you could just buy a small smoker.
Took us many tries to find just the right casings. They kept splitting, or were too short. There is a small grocery store about 30 minutes away that has just the right kind. Hardly ever split, and really long so you barely have to reload.
I buy from a dedicated butcher by the hank.
Rule of thumb: Any tree that makes edible fruit or nuts, including sassafras makes for good smoking.
Welcome to the club! Maybe 10 years ago, my FIL and I took a sausage making class in downtown Chicago. It’s been one of my hobbies ever since. Every summer we have our own Sausage Fest, where I make a bunch of exotic recipes a few weeks before, and we have a party in my yard and grill them up. This was originally for Mrs. TOK’s roller derby team, but now it’s anyone who’s ever played derby or hockey or lifted or done other sports with us.
I use the grinder attachment on my KitchenAid, and I have a 5lb. stuffer similar to this (man prices have gone up!) I was told to get one with METAL gears instead of nylon, and sure enough I’ve never had to replace the gears or any parts so far.
https://www.lemproducts.com/product/big-bite-dual-gear-sausage-stuffers/sausage-stuffers
… That’s more than I spent on the KitchenAid.
My mistake, I had the wrong brand. Mine is a Weston, and I think it was $130-$140 when I bought it. You can get something similar at Cabela’s or any outdoor type store. Just make sure the gears are metal.
If you’re going to do this more often or in bigger batches (usually do 10 pounds at a time), I think it’s worth it. Just makes the process a lot faster. Grind the meat (or buy it already ground), mix in a big bowl or bin, and use the stuffer.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/weston-86-0701-w-7-lb-vertical-manual-sausage-stuffer/943860701W.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu_2__Yb5ggMVAfXICh1LBgpZEAQYCiABEgIDS_D_BwE
My usual recipes:
Italian (mild or spicy)
Hawaiian
Teriyaki
Poblano Peach
Poblano Cheddar
Loaded Baked Potato
Coconut Curry (made with chicken)
Tomato/Basil (made with chicken)
I also make a killer chorizo but I don’t case it.
I used the same type of equipment the first time I made sausage.
Here is a great book on making and curing sausages. I really liked the breakfast sausage and have tried many others in the book. I need to buy butter equiptment.
https://a.co/d/dqT9DIE
Fixed your link but now you are just getting into another expensive, time consuming, fascinating hobby.
https://www.lehmans.com/product/hand-turned-pottery-butter-churn/
Are you not alarmed?
Another distillation of Dictator Trump hysteria. Did you know Trump wants control over the part of the government he is supposed to control?
Via Axios: “The Trump job applications revealed.”
Now we have copies of the exact questionnaires Trump allies are using — and that then-President Trump used himself during his final days in office.
Why it matters: These future Trumpers would staff an unprecedented effort to centralize and expand presidential power at every level of the administration.
How dare he even contemplate reining in the deep state bureaucrats? And, of course, they phrase it in such a way as to imply he proposes to usurp the entirety of the government.
Unfounded conspiracies! Rapists! Baseless! Inaccurate!
Does that cover it? FFS those people are tedious.
It’s so transparent. The same weekend they all start saying the same thing, right down to specific words and phrasing. That must be some kind of CIA persuasion technique. But when you see it, it does become tedious.
What do you mean we all sound alike? /media drones
Beef, elk, pork – sounds tasty.
It did turn out decently.
Needed more seasoning though.
:: ponders whether there is any “value added” in just making bacon sausage. 😋🥓 Sadly concludes, “Probably not.”😟::
It has to have just the right amount of fat, otherwise it will be dry. So having it all fat will probably not work out very well. I have used cooked bacon for flavor, that’s pretty good.
Nice touch adding the bacon…makes up for some of the missing spices.
The first trial run was trying to learn the procedure. I can mess with the seasoning as I learn more.
See above. It also adds fat. Those meats are lean so the sausage would end up dry without some added fat.
Experimenting with different levels of tallow or lard can provide some interesting flavors.
Next time take a bit and fry up a tester. You will then know where your spices are at etc.
Yes. I usually make up a little patty and fry it in a pan to taste test to make sure I get it right.
Smart move.
Hard to fix the seasoning after it’s in the casing.
To everyone’s comments above, this is a great write up. Thanks UCS!
You’re welcome.
When I was younger I had a copy of my grandfather’s Farmer Sausage recipe (he was a butcher). Now I have a meat grinder but long ago lost the recipe.
Now I’m sad, because that’s exactly the sort of info I’m looking for.
Lots of recipes here, UCS: https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage-recipes
Farmer’s Sausage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=87I93S15I6A
For those who don’t know him, Hank Shaw is a food writer, along with being a hunter and fisherman. He as writen quite a bit on this subject, and many here would appreciate his stuff: https://honest-food.net/cured-meat/fresh-sausages/
The wife took some of his cooking classes, said he was a good dude.
Those are pretty sausages.
Bookmarked.
Recipe: Luganega (Italian pork sausage)
4 feet hog casing
3.5 lbs lean ground pork
1/2 lb pork fat
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 cup grated Parmeasan cheese
Recipe: Garlic Rosemary Sausage
3 lbs. Ground pork
2 lbs. Ground beef
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp white pepper
1.5 Tbsp salt (1.5-2% of meat weight)
3 Tbsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp powdered rosemary
Place dried rosemary in a spice grinder
2 tsp chili pepper flakes
2 tsp cayenne
These were my two favorites when I made sausage last December.
TOK: email coming atchew for your Teriyaki sausage recipe.
I see my recipe notes for the Garlic Rosemary says to add 50% more spices (not salt). We did a test fry of a little piece and determined it was bland. It was damn tasty with the added spices.
Also I don’t care for the taste of liquid smoke so I left it out. It gets smoky enough when cooked on my grill.
I emailed it to you but here it is for everyone else. I usually use chicken thighs but pork works too.
Teriyaki Sauce
1.5 C Soy Sauce
1.5 C Brown Sugar
3 T Crushed Garlic
3 T Grated Ginger
Teriyaki Sausage
10# Ground Chicken (or Pork)
3 C Teriyaki Sauce
1 can Crushed Pineapple
Drain the juice from the pineapple, and re-add it to the meat to get the right consistency.
I was going to celebrate that I got the Raspberry Pi to print to the 3D printer – then Cura exploded with crash reports partway through the print.
I hate trying to get PETG off the print plate when it’s not strong enough to separate normally.
Just think. We have another year’s worth of screeching from the shit flinging howler monkeys about the Demise of Democracy if Trump is not Cast Down.
Meanwhile, we can expect Imperious Leader to issue daily decrees via the EPA, energy department, NLRB and the rest of the magnificent apparatus of his beneficent rule.
They’re going to keep doing this to get people riled up. The hope is to get someone else to become violent, cheat at the election, etc. Why do it yourself when you can get some dumb lackey to do it, and then deny you had anything to do with it?
“Raspberry Pi”
Speaking of such things, are arduinos available again? They seemed to have gotten pretty scarce for a while.
I didn’t look for arduinos. So no clue.
Didn’t say this earlier, but thanks for writing this. You did a great job with the photos.
Thank you.
I used my Canon Rebel 7, because I can get cleaner photos with it than with a phone.
Amen brother!
As opposed to the hubris that we can destroy what God created, right Frankie?
It’s not very sustainable to use antibiotics, you know. Man’s hubris and science can only go so far.
Put that in your pope hat and smoke it. Glad I am not a Catholic right now. I’d be nailing some theses up on a door somewhere.
This is amusing on so many levels.
https://inexplicata.blogspot.com/2023/11/terror-in-night-frog-skinned-one-eyed.html