ssorllih wrote:Were both sausage mixtures dry? Or just the venison?

Yes, both mixtures came out dry. Not unbearably dry but dryer than they should be.

Both had wine in the recipe, red in the venison and white in the pork. Would that affect dryness or how much fat is needed?

Tom

Are you including the venison in the weight of lean meat? Venison is very lean and most pork shoulder is not much more than 30% fat. What is your pork to venison ratio? For the venison sausage (venison with pork fat) I counted all the venison as lean then I added pork fat to make a 70/30 mix. For t...

Hello all, A couple of batches of fresh pork Italian and venison sausage came out a bit on the dry side. I carefully cooked them in a pan over medium-low flame until they were 150 degrees. I used a mixture of 70% lean and 30% fat. For the pork sausage I start with whole shoulder with the bone and sk...

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks.

Tom

How long will casings stay fresh if they are rinsed and soaked in fresh water in the fridge?


Tom

Thanks Rudy,

That sounds good to me, I'll give them a try.

Tom

I have quit using bulk casings and have been using ones that are "tubed" onto plastic that makes loading the casings onto the stuffer tubes a breeze. Yes, they may cost a bit more, but no more knotted messes. Plus they are preflushed and only need some rinsing in cool water. I like to use this comp...

Tom, my experience has been whenever the casings are in the water, any water flowing into the bowl/bucket will cause mass confusion to the casings, they freak out and tie themselves into knots. As Chuckwagon mentioned, find the ends, drape it over the edge of the bowl/bucket, take them out one at a...

...I completely missed using the stomper as a pusher. Will do that next time... I'm just curious - and this is a serious question - how DID you use the stomper or what did you think it was for? I ask because it might be worth updating the handout for my introduction to sausage making workshop to ad...

Hey, hey 86CJ, I took a second look at your links cooking in the pan. Are you sure you're a "beginner"? Those things look better than my local butcher "Sasquatch" puts out on display in his cold case! Great lookin' work. What type of stuffer are you using? Oh, yes... one more thing - never stop coo...

Beautiful craftsmanship! The 1/4" plate burned through that quickly? Good to know for my next project.

Tom

Congrats on that first grind. Makes me hungry looking at it. :smile: I like that grinder, too. With that little fellow helping you'll want to be aware of all ten of his fingers at all times while you are grinding. Those little fingers can fit into the holes of larger mincing plates -- and the knife...

That's exciting Tom! Good to see you get started with this great hobby. What a terrific way to spend time with your son. It's cool how he just seems to be taking to it like a duck to water! He sure is a great lookin' little guy. What is him name? How old? What's on the list for your next project ge...

Thank you very much Chuckwagon. I did figure out that it was much easier untangling under water. I like the idea of rinsing them out on a table. If I can't set that up, is rinsing in a large bicker possible without knotting? I gather the couple of passes I did with a bubble of water did not thorough...

Hello all, Finally getting started. Made about 10-pounds of various fresh Italian sausage in hog casing. Lots of fun mixing, tasting, stuffing, and eating! http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2453/tomandmikeginder1.jpg Today, Italian sausage with sage, cheese, fresh garlic and parsley, and white wine...