Making Summer sausage (And Smokehouse build..kinda)

[long hunter]

You need high temp cheese, as to casings I buy mine from a place thats called The Sausage Maker.

 

[TSAMP]

Nicely put together. 24 hrs is a long cook. All the more impressive yours casings look so nice.

I've had issues putting to many SS in my pellet grill. It prolongs the cook significantly and ultimately leads to wrinkled casings. I've started to use a carrot fiber binder to maintain more moisture in my SS and help prevent them drying out.

Where do you purchase High temp cheese? It's expensive!

Also, suprised you don't purchase a mixer. I've always read that protein extraction is difficult without one. Obviously your results speak for themselves.

 

[Wetwork]

Any possibility of smoke house plans?...Your's looks pretty darn efficient and takes up hardly any room.-WW

 

[long hunter]

TSAMP the cheese I get at the local butcher shops in my area. Places that process deer and make bolonga for those who do not do it therselves. There are various flavors of cheese I like cheddar and pepper jack.

 

[S-3 ranch]

TSAMP the cheese I get at the local butcher shops in my area. Places that process deer and make bolonga for those who do not do it therselves. There are various flavors of cheese I like cheddar and pepper jack.

Hot jack & cheddar is good §*** in sausage, the ghost pepper isn’t family friendliest stuff ! and we enjoy hot & spicy

Supplies

High Temperature Cheese - Walton's

High-Temp cheese comes in cheddar, hot pepper, & more. High-Temp cheese is for your meat products, allowing you to have chunks of cheese in your final product.

waltons.com

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Any casing suggestions? About to press order on the cheese and seasonins

 

[92xj]

Any casing suggestions? About to press order on the cheese and seasonins

Any fibrous casing in whatever size you want to stuff works.
I like this size https://waltons.com/24-in-x-20-in-mahogany-pre-stuck-fibrous-casings/ , but Waltons is a little expensive. All the online stores are expensive, but the shipping is what kills. Find one that has random free shipping and order.
I have used Waltons, SausageMaker, Indiana Butcher Supply, LEM and others in the past and all have been good.

 

[92xj]

For the folks asking about high temp cheese, same goes as the casings. Its all expensive online, but fine someone with a free shipping deal and use them. Most companies will sell Cheddar, PepperJack and mozzarella. All are good and work very well.

 

[92xj]

Nicely put together. 24 hrs is a long cook. All the more impressive yours casings look so nice.

I've had issues putting to many SS in my pellet grill. It prolongs the cook significantly and ultimately leads to wrinkled casings. I've started to use a carrot fiber binder to maintain more moisture in my SS and help prevent them drying out.

Where do you purchase High temp cheese? It's expensive!

Also, suprised you don't purchase a mixer. I've always read that protein extraction is difficult without one. Obviously your results speak for themselves.

I had a mixer and hated it. It never got all the meat mixed, was a pain to clean and once the meat got into the big ball, it stayed like that. Once the cure and seasoning is mixed, the meat gets super tacky and holds together. I mix with my hands folding and punching and folding and punching which works great.

I have heard horrible stories about pellet grills. I honestly do not believe any pellet cooker can keep running while keeping the temp below 180 degrees. Once temps hits 180, fat starts to render and your product turns to crap. Never, and I honestly mean never, have your cooking chamber get about 179.9 degrees during the entire cooking process. This is the number one thing that screws people. Patience during the cook is absolutely needed. I have had summer sausage take anywhere from 18 to 24 hours. After the 10 hours mark, people crank up the heat because they are just done waiting. This is the exact moment when product goes from great to shit and drying out and getting crumbly. If temps stay below 180, you will never have a moisture issue with cased sausages.

 

[92xj]

And, I am hoping I have my smokehouse build pics from 8 years ago on my work computer. Will check tomorrow and if so, will either add here or create a new thread showing the process.

 

[Schmitty]

I would love to see your smokehouse build! Let me recommend that Santa delivers a chamber vacuum sealer this Christmas. If you are going to put up that much meat each year, you owe it to yourself to grab one.

 

[stump06]

Awesome thread and write up! We are in the process of building our house and the first thing I'm gonna do when it is finished is build a skinning shack and processing area. I would love the build details on that smoker as well! That looks like the perfect size.

What size stuffer do you have?

 

[92xj]

Awesome thread and write up! We are in the process of building our house and the first thing I'm gonna do when it is finished is build a skinning shack and processing area. I would love the build details on that smoker as well! That looks like the perfect size.

What size stuffer do you have?

20lbs LEM electric.

I started out with a 5lb crank. I thought it was great, until I went to an 11 lb crank. I then thought that was amazing. But, I always wanted electric and got the LEM on a great deal.
Once I got the 20lb with foot pedal, my mind was blown and I kicked myself for a long time for not getting it to begin with. It';s just like everything us gear gurus do, ignore the buy once cry once and buy 3 lesser things before finally getting to the "one". I would pay full price today if mine died. It is amazing. I also do all my processing solo, and the electric helps a ton. I cannot express how much going from the crank to the electric changed my life. It is simply amazing.

25% off right now, which is a good chunk of change.

BigBite® Motorized Sausage Stuffers | LEM Products

Our10 lb., 20 lb., and 30 lb. BigBite® Motorized Sausage Stuffers with a 33-watt motor pushes with more than one TON of force to quickly and efficiently stuff any size sausage, even snack sticks.

www.lemproducts.com

 

[stump06]

That is a good deal. I may have to wait til back Friday '23 to scoop one up though lol

 

[MTtrout]

That’s a great looking smoker, 92xj. I’ve ordered my sausage making stuff from several places and usually use sausage maker. The other day I placed an order for this years spices from PS seasoning. I just checked and they still have 25% off online store wide. Free shipping over $59 (I think).

 

[WildBoose]

It's that time of year again.
I did one of these threads years ago, but it got jacked up when photo bucket screwed pictures, so I shall do this again.
This is what I do and how I do it.

I work in 23 pound batches.
My seasoning is good for 25 pounds, but I cut it short 2 pounds to increase boldness in flavor.
I mix all my sausages 70/30, Game to pork shoulder
This batch is 16 lbs deer, 7 pounds Boston butt.

I use AC Legg seasonings. Salami, Summer Sausage and Jalapeño Summer Sausage.
For the ones with cheese, I use High Temp cheese and add 2.5 lbs per 23 lbs of meat.

So, lets start.
Setup your work area. If you don't have 2 meat totes, stop everything, and go buy them now.
I grind my meat partially frozen. It grinds so much better.
Start with your large grinding plate and grind away.

Once first grind is done, mix your seasoning AND your cure with super cold water. Whisk away and dump all over first grind. Then start mixing the meat. The partially frozen meat will be in little marble clumps that fold over themselves nicely. I mix by hand and go for 3-5 minutes or until I can’t feel my fingers anymore.

At this step, go get a bowl of hot water and soak your casings until ready to stuff.

Once meat is mixed with seasoning and cure, install your fine plate on your grinder and start mixing the second grind. I pinch golf ball size chunks that fall into the neck of the grinder and never use the plunger. Using the plunger creates suction and it’s a pain. Just pinch small pieces and let gravity and the grinder do their thing.

After the second grind its time to mix again and also add cheese if you are wanting it. Add the cheese (or not) and mix by hand. I add more water here, about 2 cups of cold water. And mix away. I fold and punch and push and fold and punch. Once I cant feel my hands and see that the cheese is consistent throughout, I call it good.

Grinding and mixing are done and its time to stuff the stuffer. Drop in handful size balls and press down getting all air pockets out of the meat. Fill up the stuffer and get ready. Get your casings from the water bowl, pull out a few and load one. I would highly recommend an electric foot pedal stuffer. It changed my life. Start stuffing and hog ring the ends.

Once all are stuffed, rest in fridge for 24 hours.

Do you use encapsulated citric acid? And if so do you find it better to mix in and then put in fridge overnight or "mix and make" immediately? I've read both way.

 

[TSAMP]

Do you use encapsulated citric acid? And if so do you find it better to mix in and then put in fridge overnight or "mix and make" immediately? I've read both way.

I can take this one. You don't add encapsulated citric acid until after grinding/mixing. I believe you also want to go directly to cooking as well.

 

[Elite]

I can take this one. You don't add encapsulated citric acid until after grinding/mixing. I believe you also want to go directly to cooking as well.

Does the critic acid help with flavour a lot? I have never used it before


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WildBoose]

I can take this one. You don't add encapsulated citric acid until after grinding/mixing. I believe you also want to go directly to cooking as well.

Right. That is what I have read during my research, I was just unaware if he was keeping his in the fridge overnight with the ECC in the mix? My understanding is that it doesn't "become active" until it hits a certain temp, so theoretically it should matter....right?

 

[92xj]

I do not use encapsulated citric acid. Never have and don't plan on changing.