Homemade Sausage Making

I have attached a photo of the press I just made that fits in my chamber. It has 4 shelves which holds 3 total soppressa's. I will shoot a photo tonight. At 18.5 hours from mixing time, the PH went from 5.81 to 5.29 already. I am keeping a close eye on it and when it reaches 5.0, I will put them, net them, harness them in the press and set the whole piece in the chamber..

What are you going to use for a barrier between the plywood and the sausage ????

#1, its maple ply finished on both sides,,,but what do people use as a barrier on a cutting board or A butchers table?

Should i get vinyl kitchen shelf paper then just peel it off when Im done?

Even though its maple it is only a 1/16 or 1/32 veneer and who knows what the glue or other laminates are.

If you have the Foodsaver bag rolls I would cut a piece long enough and leave the ends open.
I would not risk an off flavor or worse with plywood in direct contact with food.

LOUSANTELLO wrote:#1, its maple ply finished on both sides,,,but what do people use as a barrier on a cutting board or A butchers table?

Nothing or a finish or glue that is ok to use with food.

Solid maple or bamboo for the "wood"

Ok. I just netted them now and the ph is 5.09. They are still in the mini fridge. Maybe I will pick up some peel and stick vinyl kitchen shelving paper and laminate the board flats. After pressing, simply peel them off? The vacuum bags arent big enough. The shelves are 12" wide 3/4 thick. I think the bags are 11" wide

LOUSANTELLO wrote:Ok. I just netted them now and the ph is 5.09. They are still in the mini fridge. Maybe I will pick up some peel and stick vinyl kitchen shelving paper and laminate the board flats. After pressing, simply peel them off? The vacuum bags arent big enough. The shelves are 12" wide 3/4 thick. I think the bags are 11" wide

Easier way if you are up to it, something I have been using for over 20 odd years when I was building children's toys (things go into mouth)

Its long lasting and seals/hardens like a rock -- well worth investing the time

http://www.wocadirect.com/worktop-oil/

LOUSANTELLO wrote:The vacuum bags arent big enough. The shelves are 12" wide 3/4 thick. I think the bags are 11" wide

What I meat was put the sausage inside the long bag cut off of a roll , but don't seal. That will also keep the humidity high, so no worry of drying too fast.

That's easy enough. I didn't know if that would give you enough humidity flow, etc. I though you wanted me to slip the bags over the shelves! I was even thinking of Parchment paper and 4 pieces of masking tape to hold the 4 corners of the parchment on bottoms of the top boards to keep them from falling onto the meat.

Just put put some poly between the sausage and the plywood and it should be fine. Finish with a proper sealant or melamine for the next project. Nice press, something that I need to make.

It's kinda funny how we are all concerned about safety these days. My brother is still using my grandfather's original wood 3 sided box for mixing the meat......and that's before it even goes into a casing

LOUSANTELLO wrote:It's kinda funny how we are all concerned about safety these days. My brother is still using my grandfather's original wood 3 sided box for mixing the meat......and that's before it even goes into a casing

Yeah, and a lot of the salting and brining used to be done in galvanized metal tubs!

Here ya go: I lined them with parchment paper. As you push down on the top board. the nuts loosen. Just finger tighten them. As they press, just push down on the top board and finger tighten them again

LOUSANTELLO wrote:It's kinda funny how we are all concerned about safety these days. My brother is still using my grandfather's original wood 3 sided box for mixing the meat......and that's before it even goes into a casing

Yea but I bet that box is solid wood...not laminated with who knows what type of glue, and being interior plywood not waterproof

Now you have me curious. These guys would've found anything in their garage to make a box. Lol