Charcuterie

Haven't done this for a couple years now. Since moving to Virginia I've been unable to locate casings local. I was talking to a fellow Chef friend from the local Ukrop's and he gave me a local place. Tractor Supply of all places unfortunately I had just placed an order on-line from The Sausage Maker, Inc.
Ordered the fennel and peppers from Penzey's this evening. Should be a couple days before we get the products so until then I have time to line up the proper pork needed to make my Grandmothers home made sausage.

Have relatives from that side of the family (Dad) coming for a visit in September and I know they would definitely appreciate it.

Typically I make this sausage in the fall when it's getting cooler out and in fact my grandmother used to make it at the end of October and then hang it under the back porch when they lived on Chicago's Southside. It was usually ready around Christmas time. But we have a second fridge here at the house and it can easily be adapted to hang things to cure. So I don't have to wait for the seasons to change. Still it takes a bit longer than hers did but still tastes like the original recipe. Sorry I can't share.;)

So....How many of you out there, Pro's or not, do home Charcuterie?

BTW if you didn't know about it before, The Sausage Maker website, The Sausage Maker, Inc. - Sausage Making Equipment & Supplies is actually pretty decent.:cool:

Basically it's just a mixture of coarse ground pork, paprika, finely ground hot pepper and sea salt. The cure takes place from the pepper and salt but mostly the pepper. The sausage definitely doesn't have an overly salty taste. (that is unless you forget to soak and rinse your casings. :rolleyes:) The proportion of peppers (paprika and hot pepper) to salt is at the least or more than 4:1 by volume. It depends how spicy you wish the end product to taste.

That would be correct. Never have become a fan of the collagen type regardless of whether I purchase or produce. BTW I've also never used any of the actual "curing" mixes that are on the market or the site I provided. Just doesn't seem right.

Kuan,
yeah that's where I would get them in every city I lived before here but it would seem most Groceries that are here now have everything done up in a central facility or by a processing plant. Beef and very little of that is actually ground on property any longer. Shame.

Good thing is that these casings, when stored in the proper salt water solution don't ever seem to expire. Although I do tend to freeze them if they are going to be kept for longer than a year. The amount I just ordered will probably have to be handled this way.


Luc,
Thank you.:confused: and I apologize for any vague perception but I am that way about some things, especially recipes, for a variety of professional but very personal reasons. Hate to sound selfish but they are mine and........Not everyone here is a home cook. ;) It's so funny when ever I hear that "mine" thing I think of the old Bill Cosby "Himself" show when he talks about 2 year olds...... As far as the cure, I did mention that it takes place because of the pepper mix and salt. The salt is probably and more accurately the main proponent for the cure but the pepper mix does contribute to the process. It's been a long time but from what I remember there are properties to the type of peppers used that helps to eliminate any harmful bacteria in the meat during the drying/curing process or at least that was how I was taught. You are correct that spices or more specifically black pepper, usually does not help with the curing process.

First off there is no "black pepper" in the mix. I wasn't intending to be leading or misleading especially since I said Although Black pepper is hot when used in large quantities, I would not characterize it as "Hot Pepper". But since we seem to be a "splitting of the hairs group".......:rolleyes: Let's call it chili pepper from here on out. :roll::smiles:

Secondly It's hard to supply a "recipe" since I really don't use one. But since you have expressed this I can say it's approx 1/4 cup salt and 1 cup pepper (Paprika/Ground Hot Chili Pepper mix) per 5# of ground pork. Then again the pepper depends on how HOT you want the sausage to be. I have added more but never less. Sorry but the exact mix is one of those "mine" things since I've been the one who spent years trying to recreate what I saw made 20 years before that.:look:

Anyhow, the pork itself has to be fresh and minimally processed. Meaning none of the "Always Tender" crap that seems to be out there. I use Boston Butt and trim lean. Too much fat makes for a lousy piece of dried sausage. I also pick out all of the seeds from the peppers that will be ground. Paprika is typically ground already and since I am out of the last batch of ground red pepper from my Great Aunt (circa 1959 and I kid you not the stuff was still very, very potent) I just invested in some Arbol chili peppers which are close to what they used to grow.

There is one technique I remember my grandmother would employ. She would smell the raw pork. I'm not sure if this is exact because it was lost in translation and time but I vaguely remember her saying the pig couldn't have a strong smell. I think it was testosterone she was referring too but I have never been able to confirm this. I have been making this for 16 yrs now but all the "Old-timers" have been gone for decades now.

It's really a smell/feel/appearance thing for the mix. I have tried tossing the cut up pork in half of the spices, grinding and then mixing in the rest and other times I have just ground it un-coated and then mixed in all the spices. Both methods I do allow it to sit over night before filling the casings.

I can tell you it's very important to work out all the air pockets and stuff the casings to the point of almost breaking.This is tedious since you cannot poke holes even using a pin to remove air bubbles. You do have to leave room for the ends of the links to be tied off especially since this is how you hang the links to dry cure. When hanging, the links cannot touch any surface, even itself or another link. If it touches anything it will cause mold to form or the meat will sour in that spot and the link will be lost. I think that's why so many folks use the actual curing mixes. Just not a big fan of having one of the potential ingredients for TNT in my food. :eek::rolleyes:

On that note thank you for sure.:D

All the spices and casings arrived the other day and after painstakingly removing all of the seeds from close to 14oz of Arbol peppers and then grinding them and 2-1/2 days of prep work with some help from the DD..........the sausage is finished and hanging. I have a couple of smaller links in the mix that will probably or I should say hopefully cure a bit quicker than the large links. This will give me a taste hopefully in about 6-7 weeks. The larger links will have to sit for 8-12 weeks.

When all is said and done and the links are cured, I'll remove the twine and remaining casing from the ends but the casing will stay intact on the sausage itself. Then they will be placed in food saver bags with a little extra virgin olive oil and sealed up. I typically store them in the refrigerator but have found they do store well on the shelf in a cool, dry area. We have a pantry and may throw a couple in there just for space.

Here are a couple pics of the process.

E.S.,

I thought so and Yes it is! Remnant from our Memorial Weekend BBQ. Didn't get the turnout like last year. Trying to chip away at it but.......:rolleyes: still more than half full.:look: So..............:D

Thanks.

:lol::lol: Thanks!!!! Things keep going the way they are in the cost of living category and home brewing is next on the list.:beer: