Frankenfurter Fiasco (First sausages!)

Post Reply
User avatar
w1sby
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 41
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 03:03
Location: Hutchinson, KS

Frankenfurter Fiasco (First sausages!)

Post by w1sby » Thu Sep 01, 2011 20:29

I thought I would share my first experience with making sausages, or more accurately, frankfurters.

It started innocently enough, I mean how hard could it be? Read up a bit, talk to a few folks, dismiss any advice from both sources and just go with it right? It's only meat and spices...

Using a Weston #8 meat grinder I dutifully ground the meat ingredients (pork shoulder, and beef chuck roast). Once, not too bad, twice, hmmm... not as easy as the first trip through the grinder. Third trip with the pork, WOW this is getting to be work, the plate was plugging up just about as fast as I could clear it... Beef, not so much, it cooperated pretty well actually.

Now I have to emulsify the stuff, out comes the food processor, crushed ice and away she goes in small batches. I quickly gave up on the ice and used ice water, the mass of meat turned into an effective glue and nearly stalled the motor on the food processor before the ice would "disappear". I got the motor hot enough to smell on a couple of batches. Not good. Eventually I got it all emulsified. I was proud.

I mixed in the seasoning I purchased, a two part concoction consisting of the actual flavorings and another part with the maple sugar cure (among other ingredients). Did I mention the emulsion had turned to a sticky mastic paste? Have you ever tried to mix anything into such a paste? Not easy. I ended up just going in with both hands like one would with meatloaf. (note to self: remove wedding ring before doing this again, hard to find once it gets in the goo).

The hard part is over right? Just leave it sit in the fridge overnight and stuff tomorrow.

Wrong.

Early on I decided I would use natural casings as I remembered franks that my grandparents purchased having.
Not a good decision.
Natural casings are delicate and tear easily. A pain in the rear to put on the stuffing tube and even more of a pain to stuff.

Plan B: I go to the food processing supplies place and pick up a package of collagen casings, and try again the next night.

The collagen casings worked great, no tears, no rips, no cussing! Not so great was the little Weston grinder. It is an adequate grinder for my use, but it SUCKS at stuffing emulsified sausages. The "pusher/storage device" doesn't work as a pusher, not easy to hold onto with meaty hands. BUT I kept at it and eventually I had all 15lbs of meat stuffed into the casings, some air pockets hear and there, but done.

Twisting the ropes into individual portions was interesting, and I really didn't figure it out. Do you always twist the same direction? or alternately? I chose alternately. As I hung the franks in the smoker I decide that may have been a mistake. Almost every section untwisted . No big deal, but irritating.

So they get smoked, poached, iced, and stored.

I ate one last night.

I LIKED it!

All the effort was truly worth it. I wish I had given them a tad more smoke, but oh so tasty. Really very, very close to the franks I remember my grandparents buying 40 years ago.

This weekend, I am subjecting my family to the results of the Frankenfurter Fiasco. I am thinking they will enjoy the results, but maybe not appreciate the effort.

So, what have I learned?

Pork shoulder is FULL of stuff that clogs the holes in grinders.
I need a proper stuffer, the Weston sucks at that job.
I need more experience and advice before trying natural casings again.
I need to look getting a beefier food processor or another way of attaining the proper emulsion.


DO NOT attempt an emulsified sausage on your first try even if you have the proper equipment (which I didn't). It was frustrating as all get out.

73 de Allen, W1SBY
crustyo44
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 1089
Joined: Tue Jun 14, 2011 06:21
Location: Brisbane

Post by crustyo44 » Thu Sep 01, 2011 23:43

Hi w1bsy,
Reading your interesting post I cannot understand why the heading was "fiasco"
You also wrote that the taste was very good, furthermore you know exactly what good ingredients went in it.
Forget about the hassles making these frankfurts, as you get more experienced, all this get easier.
Just ask questions and all the brains on this forum will solve your production problems.
I can't offer you any advise as you already solved one of your problems nl. good equipment
If you would have eaten mass produced franks, you would have eaten absolute crap full of ears, snouts, hoofs and testicles and a little low grade meat to boot.
Be proud of what you made, at least it contains quality meat, selected by you.
Best wishes from a sausage novice in Australia.
Jan.
Brisbane.
ssorllih
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4331
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:32
Location: maryland

Post by ssorllih » Fri Sep 02, 2011 00:17

Ground meat doesn't stick to wet hands.
Ross- tightwad home cook
User avatar
Chuckwagon
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 4494
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
Location: Rocky Mountains

Post by Chuckwagon » Fri Sep 02, 2011 00:52

Hi w1bsy,
Things will become much easier, believe me! Don't become discouraged. The first thing to do is get yourself a vertical, geared, handcranked, stuffer with a couple of straight horns. Stuffing from a grinder is absolutely futile! Also, be aware that collagen casings were never meant to hold a link - they always have to be tied, or in smaller diameters such as meat sticks, just cut to length using scissors. And yes, natural casing hold links very well. Simply pinch "every other link" and twist in the same direction. In other words, pinch off a sausage on the left end with your left forefinger and thumb. Then pinch off the right end using your right forefinger and thumb. "Roll" (twist) the sausage up over your thumbs and forefingers a couple of times in the same direction. It will become fast and easy with a little practice. Be careful not to stuff the casing too tightly, so you'll have a little "give" in it when you pinch it off. If you happen to burst one, just pinch it off and roll-twist a new link.

Did you ever play a piano? The first time you tried it was a disaster huh? Then later it became much easier didn't it. Same with sausage-making. Please take a look at my "32 tips to save you grief". Click on this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=5036

Ok w1bsy, just like my ol' daddy used to say... "Back up and hit it again!" :roll:

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
User avatar
w1sby
Beginner
Beginner
Posts: 41
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 03:03
Location: Hutchinson, KS

Post by w1sby » Fri Sep 02, 2011 10:45

Actually folks, I was trying to be humorous, and maybe a little informative.

I am quite pleased with the results, tasty franks with a good texture. I'll be doing this again in the future for sure. I will however be upgrading equipment a bit.
uwanna61
Passionate
Passionate
Posts: 361
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 20:49
Location: Vermont

Post by uwanna61 » Mon Sep 05, 2011 14:11

W1sby
Welcome aboard!
Just my 2cents! If you take the plunge on a crank style stuffer, my personnel recommendation would be to buy a stuffer without plastic gears. Yes they are cheaper but believe me the first time you try to stuff small diameter sausages like snack sticks, well like CW say`s, you will be outside yelling at the top of your lungs and throwing rocks at the mail delivery guy when he drives by, and the neighbors will think you have gone off the deep end!
BTW I have two plastic gear stuffers I can sell you, they work great, just have a clunk every rotation :mrgreen:
Chow
Wally
Post Reply