Homemade Sausage Making

After searching both freezers I realized that I was out of smoked polish Time to make a batch ! I follow the Marianski recipe with a bit of added cayenne pepper
and garlic

Smoker guards in place on the perimeter



Ten lbs loaded into the offset with Pecan and Cherry wood



After three hrs of heavy smoke they are at 120° IT. Time to pull them and finish in the poacher.



Poached to 152° IT and out to bloom.


I always loved the pickled sausage you used to find in the local taverns, so I thought I would try a few lbs in a spicy, garlicky brine.


These should be great in a week or so..... If I can stay out of them

Goat,
Please let me know the pickle recipe. I never tried them like that before but will make some.
Thanks,
Jan.

crustyo44 wrote:Goat,
Please let me know the pickle recipe. I never tried them like that before but will make some.
Thanks,
Jan.

2lbs smoked polish sausage cut into 2" lengths
1 med onion, sliced
1 cup water
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups white vinegar
2 tsp or more crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves

Place the sausage and sliced onion into a large jar.

Place the rest of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, then reduce
heat and simmer for five minutes.

Let the mixture cool and pour into jar with sausage and onions, cover and let sit in fridge
for at least a week before trying these....I know...I know..this is the hard part

The longer they sit, the better they taste.

Bought a few loins last week at 1.99 lb. for curing and for sausage. Froze them all but used a larger one to make a pork loin sausage. 10lbs. trimmed lean meat, cubed and not ground, and 1lb beef emulsified to bind everything together. Although I had some issues with stuffing firmly in that I ended up with some air pockets, the result is a lean, mild and pleasant sausage, great on a piece of rye.

Hi Redzed, that is one heck of a good lookin' sausage. I make this stuff but put it through a grinder and then emulsify it. It is super convenient to fry up sliced disks for breakfast eh? I can imagine that your method of stuffing larger chunks make a very nice and sturdy sausage. I'm sure it is more eye-appealing and it probably has great mouthfeel too. As usual, you've done a very nice job and Uwanna and I will probably be up to your house for sandwiches!
Chris, are you aware of the "fiber lined" casings for this type of sausage? They actually make it with fibers running the length of the casing for added strength. You can really pound the stuffing out of them (or into them) to avoid air pockets.
When El Ducko first discovered the fiber-lined casings, he decided to experiment with something he calls "implosion stuffing" involving C4. So far, he's taken out two houses and a barn.
Thanks for sharing Redzed!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

redzed wrote: Do you use the Traeger pellets? I bought a 20lb bag here for 20 bucks but have read that you can occasionally buy it on sale in the US stores for as little as $6.99. That is a heck of a lot of smoking time!

Hi Redzed - I'm still on my first bag of pellets since buying my Amazin'. They are called "Lil' Devils" and cost me 16 bucks for a 20 lb. bag. They are a combo of alder, hickory, maple, mesquite and "other secret ingredients" (that part of worrisome).

It was not that easy for me to find a place to buy pellets here in the San Jose area. Maybe I just don't know where to look. With more stores selling pellet smokers, that situation should change.

Jeff

Cabonaia wrote:

redzed wrote: Do you use the Traeger pellets? I bought a 20lb bag here for 20 bucks but have read that you can occasionally buy it on sale in the US stores for as little as $6.99. That is a heck of a lot of smoking time!

Hi Redzed - I'm still on my first bag of pellets since buying my Amazin'. They are called "Lil' Devils" and cost me 16 bucks for a 20 lb. bag. They are a combo of alder, hickory, maple, mesquite and "other secret ingredients" (that part of worrisome).

It was not that easy for me to find a place to buy pellets here in the San Jose area. Maybe I just don't know where to look. With more stores selling pellet smokers, that situation should change.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

The above sausage was smoked with Traeger Cherry. I looked at the Lil' Devils, but did not buy them because I wanted specific woods and did not want any mesquite. Check the Traeger website and from thre you can locate a retailer in your area.

Chris

redzed wrote:Hi Jeff,

The above sausage was smoked with Traeger Cherry. I looked at the Lil' Devils, but did not buy them because I wanted specific woods and did not want any mesquite. Check the Traeger website and from thre you can locate a retailer in your area.

Chris - thanks for the lead. I checked out the Traeger site, and found that I can order them online on the Ace Hardware and pick them up for free at a local store that is on my way home from work. 13.99 for 20 lbs. Not bad at all.

I understand your concern about mesquite, as it is known to add a sooty flavor. Haven't had the problem with the Lil Devils, but once I am done with this bag I am going to try something else.

Cheers,
Jeff

We started 100 kgs of salami for Black Ankle Vineyard last weekend. We have some landjaeger, cacciatore, and some genoa salami. Personally, I don't care for the 38mm casings they are in, but they are the right size to meet the vineyards needs and price point.

I will try to get a few more photos as they progress. This photo was taken three days after fermentation.

Jason, I salute you! I certainly don't want to have to work that hard. Wonderful looking work.

Thank you, Ross. Last week was the final "week of pain" for the season. We took 1/2 cow and two, 280# pigs. We do everything by hand aside from grinding the meat so, needless to say, I was a very tired fellow by the end of it all!

Today's appies. All my stuff except the Polish sausage and the cooked salami made by 89yr old dad. (click on pic to enlarge)

Redzed - I am speechless! That is a fantastic display. You have really achieved something there. All of us who make this stuff know what a lot of work went into that. I'd say it has paid off in spades. Congratulations.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff, wish some of you guys on the forum would live closer so that we could have a tasting session. Most of my friends like my creations, even the head cheese! Still have a good supply to carry me over the crazy Christmas season, which to me is family, friends, good food, good wine and a warm fire rather than Chinese trinkets and hanging out at the big box stores. And as as far as the work, I would rather grind and mix meat in my lower level than drive around looking for a parking place at the mall.

Red,
Your reasoning is profound and inspirational. Your sausage exquisite. Don't let up. What's next on the agenda? Congrats ol' pard. Nicely done.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon