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Sausage. Types and Techniques

2K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  gonefishin 
#1 ·
I am finally getting to making my own sausage. I have done it commercially many times but never in my kitchen. I have a kitchen-aid stand mixer with meat grinder and sausage filler. (I heard some bad stuff about kitchen-aid stuffer? Opinions?) . So, I'm looking for what is your favorite sausage blend? How do you cook it? Smoked vs not smoked. Cured? Grilled, Braised? I am going to try a lot of different ones, so please chime in.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I have a dedicated grinder with a stuffing attachment. After the first run I bought a LEM crank stuffer. WoW - what a difference in product and production. The grinder generates too much heat IMO and was inconsistent unless you had a foot pedal/switch, or as @phatch mentioned an extra pair of hands. With the LEM I can fill casing by myself - in fact my BIL tried to help, but I waved him off as it was easier for me to do it by feel.

I'm fixin' to make some goose sausage in the next week, or so since I ran out of work on Friday. Wild goose breast, pork shoulder and some HOT sausage a guy I know made last year. I make my own seasoning blends and soup it up with what I think will be a match for the spices hard cider, craft beer, wine - whatever. I use Prague powder to maintain color and I have a smoker, but sometimes a fresh kielbasa is a wonderful thing. Sometimes I'll throw some venison in with the goose for a true game sausage along with pork fat. If I'm smoking I like my grind on the chunky side - it's what I grew up with and that's the way the Ukrainians' make theirs.

I want to learn more about charcuterie and dried, cured meat products, but at the moment I don't have the time, or money. Maybe next year when we get another slowdown.
 
#6 ·
Mike pretty much covered it. Using a grinder for stuffing is simply the wrong tool for the job. It can be used, but shouldn't have ever been given the attachments to do so. When stuffing, it heats the meat up too much. While I do love my KitchenAide...it isn't the best grinder either. Getting a dedicated stuffer is well worth it.

What type to make...any type. Two websites that I find useful, in a sea of bad information are Wedliny Domowe and LPoli. Both websites are good for proper fresh and cured sausages.
 
#8 ·
KA is a bit under-powered as a grinder. I've used it many many times. Any bit of silver gets wound around the cutting blade and the grind smears. I chill the grinder and the meat down ahead of time and try to trim as best I can to try to prevent it from happening. While I don't care for the grinder/stuffer style like my KA I don't make enough sausage to justify buying a better grinder and separate stuffer.

Good luck!

Peachcreek
 
#9 ·
I bought the LEM 5lb. vertical stuffer because it fills my needs and was in my budget.  I like the Ukranian style kielbasa that's chunky and that recipe is on the LPoli website linked above.  

My goose sausage is two parts goose breast, (sans silver skin and shot), one part pork sausage (a mix of sweet and hot), back fat if needed, celery salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, Prague #1 and thyme.  I grind the meats through a medium die twice then mix with the prague and half the seasoning and let rest overnight.  When I'm ready to stuff I soup it up with white wine, or beer and mix in the rest of the seasoning.  It goes into softened, rinsed hog casing and after stuffing I tie them off.  They dry overnight then get poached and smoked, or just hot smoked/cooked.
 
#10 ·
I also bought a LEM 5 pound stuffer and it really makes a world of difference from using the stuffer attachment of the hand cranked grinder. Like Mike said: you now don't need to ask anyone for help.

I actually also invested in an electric grinder.

I will also second the websites that @gonefishin mentioned. They are very thorough.

The other one, worth checking out, is http://forum.sausagemaking.org/index.php?sid=8bb939129626216f3fea7e755e6fad11

And I want to recommend the book "home production of quality meats and sausages" by Stanley Marianski. He is also the owner of the Wedliny Domowe website.

Good luck and I really like Kabanosy. It's a bit of work, but worth it.
 
#11 ·
Thanks @gonefishin Those sites are great. Just what I was looking for.

@Peachcreek, I have been using my KA grinder for years. Obviously not as good as a commercial grinder, but it gets the job done. I make sure all parts and meat are super cold when I start.

@Mike9 That goose sausage recipe looks good, and I was thinking of that Ukrainian Kielbasa for my first go.

@butzy and Mike9 - I was already leaning toward getting the LEM 5, but the two of you have convinced me. I don't imagine I'll use it all that much, but it will still be worth it.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Thanks @gonefishin Those sites are great. Just what I was looking for.

@Peachcreek, I have been using my KA grinder for years. Obviously not as good as a commercial grinder, but it gets the job done. I make sure all parts and meat are super cold when I start.

@Mike9 That goose sausage recipe looks good, and I was thinking of that Ukrainian Kielbasa for my first go.

@butzy and Mike9 - I was already leaning toward getting the LEM 5, but the two of you have convinced me. I don't imagine I'll use it all that much, but it will still be worth it.
Planethoff,

It sounds like you enjoy making sausage. I would urge you to get a dedicated stuffer, as it's been said...now it's an easy one man job to pump out small batches. But also get a different grinder. Even if it's a cheaper one like the LEM 575W...that grinder still does a decent job. The KA's just don't grind well. You want to grind with a sharp knife in a machine that cuts clean and moves the meat through easily. The problems with the KA as a grinder and stuffer are frustrations at first...then when you want to start improving you find that your being limited by the tools. I do use and love my KA...just not for sausage. Once you get some different equipment, I think you may be surprised at how much more often you make sausage

another nice Wedliny site is here...I use Google's automatic translating option. But it's got nice articles and a forum as well.

Butzy, I'll check out the book as well...thanks. I have got his Smoking Meat and SmokeHouse Design book...pretty good too! Lots of real, old world, information that people simply dismiss today. Smoking is popular as ever today, but still becoming a lost art. I'm trying to wrap my head around getting better at this craft as well.

below are a couple of pictures of the last Thuringer Bratwurst that we did and some guanciale (cured Berkshire pork jowel)

Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18
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#16 · (Edited)
@gonefishin Those photos are lovely!

I really like the grind and uniformity of your bratwurst. The grind looks amazing!!! The links look amazing!

Bows Deeply

Peachcreek
Thanks Peachcreek. The brats were a pork, veal, milk and egg recipe. We were looking for a specific subtle tasting bratwurst and this recipe really fit the bill. The veal was a 1/8" grind and then mixed in with the eggs, milk and spices to mix and make up the slurry. Then put the veal slurry mix in with the regular ground pork (shoulder and belly). Proceed as normal. If my brother or I ever end up finding a bowl cutter, for a decent price, we'll probably end up getting it. But, those are far and few out there...especially cheap!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Planethoff

@gonefishin I get what you're saying about the KA grinder. I'll look into getting a better one, but I'm 100% sold on the stuffer.That bratwurst and guanciale look great. Now I'm craving carbonara

Thanks...another round of carbonara does sound good :) I see more sausage being made in your future!
 
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