Sausage making...let's hear from the experts.
- Thread starter gitrdun
- Start date
Great thread guys.... when I make my own I use 3:1 venison to pork.... you have to go slow when stuffing but to me it is worth it... I prefer my sausages dry as I smoke 'em and they just seem to take the smoke better
as with home brewing, it's 90+% technique and 10% recipe.
The best damn sausage you can ever have will be 70-80% lean meat, and the rest fat. Add 1 tbsp per 10lbs of white pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, and a tsp of oregano. You can use one adjunct for moisture, if you want - phosphate works well, or milk powder, or plain old flour. It's not really needed, though - best case it will make an excellent sausage a slightly-more excellent sausage. It won't make an 'ok' sausage into an excellent one, though.
Anyway, salt and cure according to directions, then stuff it, and smoke it over a wood of choice (my fave is oak), at 160 to 180F ambient for 3 or 4 hours, then maintain the heat but take off the smoke until internal temps hit 155 to 158F.
another favourite has pepper and garlic (the basis for every good sausage recipe I've ever tried), plus aniseed and fennel, with cayenne. The exact ratio of spices can be varied depending on the results you're looking for. Makes for a fantastic italian sausage, snacker, or smokie for the grill
Awesome page with a ton of content (not sure if it's been mentioned yet):
http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/
The best damn sausage you can ever have will be 70-80% lean meat, and the rest fat. Add 1 tbsp per 10lbs of white pepper, 1 tbsp garlic powder, and a tsp of oregano. You can use one adjunct for moisture, if you want - phosphate works well, or milk powder, or plain old flour. It's not really needed, though - best case it will make an excellent sausage a slightly-more excellent sausage. It won't make an 'ok' sausage into an excellent one, though.
Anyway, salt and cure according to directions, then stuff it, and smoke it over a wood of choice (my fave is oak), at 160 to 180F ambient for 3 or 4 hours, then maintain the heat but take off the smoke until internal temps hit 155 to 158F.
another favourite has pepper and garlic (the basis for every good sausage recipe I've ever tried), plus aniseed and fennel, with cayenne. The exact ratio of spices can be varied depending on the results you're looking for. Makes for a fantastic italian sausage, snacker, or smokie for the grill
Awesome page with a ton of content (not sure if it's been mentioned yet):
http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I like my venison sausage to taste more like venison, so for myself a 70:30 mix is about perfect. Myself, I see no value in taking a deer and turning into the bland tasting sausage you can buy cheaper at the Superstore. Anyways, of that 30% pork, I actually cut this 50-50 with back bacon. Much nicer smoky flavor IMO.
I do 75 25 as I said (3:1)..... I love the taste.... interested how backbacon plays in.... please explain...
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I just find it has a more appealling taste that enhances flavor IMO. Whatever they use to smoke the backbacon with, will now flavor your sausage. It is a bit more expensive than regular pork though, so the half and half mix is a bit less costly, and the pork adds the needed moisture to the drier venison.
Cheers!
Cool... may try some next time.... local Food Basics has a special every now and tehn where backbacon can be bought at $1.88 a pound in large portions.... hmmmm....
I have used back bacon a couple times, but it does not have sufficient fat content to make a sausage that will cook in a pan without burning. Flavour is indeed lovely though.
And our normal "fat" added to goose for fresh sausages is cheap fatty side bacon. But we tried it one time in pepperoni and it made the resulting meat much too salty........
Doug
And our normal "fat" added to goose for fresh sausages is cheap fatty side bacon. But we tried it one time in pepperoni and it made the resulting meat much too salty........
Doug
I have done it both ways. I have used the stuffer attachment on my grinder and a press. I totally prefer the press. It is so more uniform and easy to get a good stuffed sausage with the press over the grinder. If you are making a large batch of meat the press is the way to go as well. I just bought a press at Halford's in Edmonton. 300$ for a 10 lb capacity press. We used my Dad's for years but as we are close to 10 hrs from them now it didn't make sense to not have my own. You get what you pay for in a press, the good ones are expensive, stainless steel construction, metal gears, and they are usually fairly hefty.
Get a press but do your research, Halfords and CTR in Edmonton are the two best sources I have seen for a press. You could also try Cabela's but if memory serves theirs aren't cheap either.
Ref you meat ratios: If you are doing any wild game meat into sausage defiantly go 50/50 game/pork. Last year was my first time using goose, I would add more pork to the goose or up the fat as the goose is very very lean and made for a dry Sausage. Still good, you just need to be careful how you cook it. In my experience the best salt to use for sausage making is Kosher salt, regular table salt usually produces a far too salty product IMHO. If you are going to smoke sausage you MUST use cure, the product isn't safe if you don't. There are more nitrates in a full head of celery then what goes into a batch of sausage.
Most importantly have fun, enjoy the products you make, if you stick with it your neighbors will be looking over the fence drooling the first time you BBQ some of your home made Sausage!
Last year I made the following
50 lbs Smoked Goose Bratwurst
50 lbs Smoked Polish
25 Lbs Spicy Italian
25 Lbs fresh Breakfast Sausage
20 lbs Venison Bacon
25 lbs Venison Goetburg Summer Sausage
25 lbs Venison Cervalot Summer Sausage.
The freezer is a little bare so it's time to get out and get some four legged forest creatures to "volunteer" to be part of some Sausage
Get a press but do your research, Halfords and CTR in Edmonton are the two best sources I have seen for a press. You could also try Cabela's but if memory serves theirs aren't cheap either.
Ref you meat ratios: If you are doing any wild game meat into sausage defiantly go 50/50 game/pork. Last year was my first time using goose, I would add more pork to the goose or up the fat as the goose is very very lean and made for a dry Sausage. Still good, you just need to be careful how you cook it. In my experience the best salt to use for sausage making is Kosher salt, regular table salt usually produces a far too salty product IMHO. If you are going to smoke sausage you MUST use cure, the product isn't safe if you don't. There are more nitrates in a full head of celery then what goes into a batch of sausage.
Most importantly have fun, enjoy the products you make, if you stick with it your neighbors will be looking over the fence drooling the first time you BBQ some of your home made Sausage!
Last year I made the following
50 lbs Smoked Goose Bratwurst
50 lbs Smoked Polish
25 Lbs Spicy Italian
25 Lbs fresh Breakfast Sausage
20 lbs Venison Bacon
25 lbs Venison Goetburg Summer Sausage
25 lbs Venison Cervalot Summer Sausage.
The freezer is a little bare so it's time to get out and get some four legged forest creatures to "volunteer" to be part of some Sausage
Another old post. However I think this one in somewhat palatable, pun intended.
The only advice I would give new sausage makers is to go easy on the allspice/nutmeg. If you are not a big fan, it can ruin a batch of sausage in no time.
The only advice I would give new sausage makers is to go easy on the allspice/nutmeg. If you are not a big fan, it can ruin a batch of sausage in no time.
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Been years since I made sausages, as a kid I used to help my dad make Octoberfest sausages and I forgot how much I enjoy the process.
Here’s a couple pics of some bear and a small batch of hare breakfast sausages the wife and I made in October, both have local smoked bacon added for fat. Recipes were pretty simple, the wife dug them up online could likely find them if anyone is curious. Bacon, basic spices, ground through the course plate, natural casings. The hare breakfast sausage cook and taste like an English breakfast banger, will be doing more of these in the future as well as digging up my dads Oktoberfest recipe.
The sandwich is on homemade Sourdough bread, our farm fresh eggs, bear sausage, avocado and sweet chilli sauce.
Snowshoe hare breakfast sausage
Here’s a couple pics of some bear and a small batch of hare breakfast sausages the wife and I made in October, both have local smoked bacon added for fat. Recipes were pretty simple, the wife dug them up online could likely find them if anyone is curious. Bacon, basic spices, ground through the course plate, natural casings. The hare breakfast sausage cook and taste like an English breakfast banger, will be doing more of these in the future as well as digging up my dads Oktoberfest recipe.
The sandwich is on homemade Sourdough bread, our farm fresh eggs, bear sausage, avocado and sweet chilli sauce.
Snowshoe hare breakfast sausage
German Breakfast sausage.
50 # sausage meat ( 60 / 40 or 50 / 50 venison / pork blend )
3/4 cup salt
6 - 7 heaped tsp pepper ( 4 - 8 tbsp )
3 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Some garlic
Lots of Water ( you ain't selling it...it'll be fine )
50 # sausage meat ( 60 / 40 or 50 / 50 venison / pork blend )
3/4 cup salt
6 - 7 heaped tsp pepper ( 4 - 8 tbsp )
3 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Some garlic
Lots of Water ( you ain't selling it...it'll be fine )
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
Might be sacrilege on this thread but I go the easy way out for venison sausage, I use the High Mountain spice mix's (last fall we used 3 different spice mix for an 80 lb. boned & trimmed deer).
It must be good as the three families involved are all almost out already.
We bone & trim so we have only muscle meat left, absolutely no wild fat or anything else with a white color is left on any wild meat. The fat required is in the added pork, usually we add about 30% pork to a batch. Grind & mix in the spices and let sit for 24-36 hrs and then insert into the casings ( the casings that come in the spice box can be hit or miss as to being usable so we have taken to having other commercially avai. casing on hand). after casing the meat it sits again for another 24 hrs and then smoked, 200 F for 2.5-3 hrs. for snacking stick size and 3.5 for 1".
We did 1 whole deer In to sausage last year and I've already been told we need 3 this fall...gonna be busy.
It must be good as the three families involved are all almost out already.
We bone & trim so we have only muscle meat left, absolutely no wild fat or anything else with a white color is left on any wild meat. The fat required is in the added pork, usually we add about 30% pork to a batch. Grind & mix in the spices and let sit for 24-36 hrs and then insert into the casings ( the casings that come in the spice box can be hit or miss as to being usable so we have taken to having other commercially avai. casing on hand). after casing the meat it sits again for another 24 hrs and then smoked, 200 F for 2.5-3 hrs. for snacking stick size and 3.5 for 1".
We did 1 whole deer In to sausage last year and I've already been told we need 3 this fall...gonna be busy.
Been making sausages with my dad for the last 35+ years who used to work as a butcher way back when....
Things I have learned and seemed to work best for us:
Always use a proper stuffer over a grinder /stuffer combo. Better control in filling the casings plus it greatly eliminates air pockets that are all too common when using combo machines.
A proper stuffer always ensures you get a full, compacted sausage.
Always use proper hog casings (or sheep). Collagen sucks.. its like eating wet paper. Hog casings are a little harder to feed onto the tube but are more flexible / more forgiving as you stuff them as well as much more palatable. Make the switch and you won't regret it.
Keep the meat cold: grind & season then refrigerate overnight. If it's a large batch take it out in portions and stuff it. Don't take a full 25lb block out as it will get warm.
If you are a first timer / novice and do not have access to a trusty,proven recipe I strongly recommend the prepacked mixes from companies like D&R sausage etc etc.
The ratios are all laid out for you and the staff at these type of places are always helpful. Screwing up a ratio can easily ruin your entire batch.
If you will be making big batches at once buy a meat mixer. Your hands will thank you.
Add a good chunk of fat: pork is best and is often given freely at most grocers. Depending on the type of meat you may need upwards of 30% fat content.
Avoid using any wild fat as it will VERY QUICKLY get rancid and spoil the taste / meat. Even when you think you are doing it all right fat form wild meat goes bad fast!
Once you get comfortable don't be shy to check out some online recipes to vary your flavors.
Having gained a bit of experience under your belt, you can quickly determine what will be too much or not enough of any particular spice / blend for your tastes.
Have fun and make it a family thing!
Things I have learned and seemed to work best for us:
Always use a proper stuffer over a grinder /stuffer combo. Better control in filling the casings plus it greatly eliminates air pockets that are all too common when using combo machines.
A proper stuffer always ensures you get a full, compacted sausage.
Always use proper hog casings (or sheep). Collagen sucks.. its like eating wet paper. Hog casings are a little harder to feed onto the tube but are more flexible / more forgiving as you stuff them as well as much more palatable. Make the switch and you won't regret it.
Keep the meat cold: grind & season then refrigerate overnight. If it's a large batch take it out in portions and stuff it. Don't take a full 25lb block out as it will get warm.
If you are a first timer / novice and do not have access to a trusty,proven recipe I strongly recommend the prepacked mixes from companies like D&R sausage etc etc.
The ratios are all laid out for you and the staff at these type of places are always helpful. Screwing up a ratio can easily ruin your entire batch.
If you will be making big batches at once buy a meat mixer. Your hands will thank you.
Add a good chunk of fat: pork is best and is often given freely at most grocers. Depending on the type of meat you may need upwards of 30% fat content.
Avoid using any wild fat as it will VERY QUICKLY get rancid and spoil the taste / meat. Even when you think you are doing it all right fat form wild meat goes bad fast!
Once you get comfortable don't be shy to check out some online recipes to vary your flavors.
Having gained a bit of experience under your belt, you can quickly determine what will be too much or not enough of any particular spice / blend for your tastes.
Have fun and make it a family thing!
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