Post by BBQ Butcher on Nov 17, 2010 13:51:17 GMT -5
Making sausage at home is fun, easy and very gratifying. Any thing from the basic breakfast sausage, Italian, Polish, Bratwursts to the more advanced dry varieties like pepperoni, salami, bologna and hot dogs and more.
All you need is a sharp knife, a meat grinder of some type, a stuffer (optional) and a few recipes to start with. You can either make it into links or leave it bulk.
This book by Rytek Kutas, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing, is a good place to start. It's one of the most extensive books on sausage making that I've seen.
The more advanced sausage makers will want to know all about curing salts, Prague powders, Instacure, Morton's Tenderquick, Saltpeter, nitrites, nitrates, etc, and the following link can explain it better than I can. Plus, it's a great source for information, questions and answers.
www.deejayssmokepit.net/CuringAgents.htm
What meat do I buy to make sausage?
There are several types of meat you can buy. You need fat in sausage for flavor, moistness and to help hold it together while it's cooking. The meats listed below are perfect for the job.
For Pork Sausage, I recommend a 'whole untrimmed' Pork Shoulder Boston Butt (Pork Shoulder Blade Roast), as it has the right balance of lean to fat ratio, which is about 25% fat. If you buy one in a grocery store, more than likely it has been trimmed to an extent, so you might have to add extra fat. The other half of the Boston Butt, the Pork Picnic, is just 'OK' but does not have the fat content as the Butt. Another acceptable alternative, if you can find it, is Pork Collar meat which comes from the neck/shoulder area of the pig.
For Beef Sausage, basically any cut from the Beef Chuck will suffice, as long as it hasn't been pre-trimmed at the store. Again, if it has, just add more fat to it.
For Veal and Lamb, follow the same advice as for Beef Sausage. They will normally be listed as Shoulder or Forequarter meats.
Chicken or Turkey Sausage is great made from the Boneless Skinless Breasts or Thighs, without the skin attached. The meat from the breast meat will be leaner.
Recommended Home Meat Grinder
I like the one from Northern Tools.
www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36989_36989
Everyone I've recommended this grinder to has liked it. It has a small footprint, is powerful enough for 30-50 lbs of meat at a time and is easy to clean and store.
More Sausage Making Tips
1) if you have the time and the room.....place the head of the grinder/attachment in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to grinding meat.
2) place the trimmed meat chunks in a bowl or on a cookie sheet in the freezer for approx 15-20-30 minutes before grinding.
Both the above will ease the grinding procedure.
Optional, but I prefer to mix my spices with the chunks of meat before I grind it. Letting it sit over night, or even a few hours, will help to blend the flavors into the meat.
Have fun and stay safe!!
All you need is a sharp knife, a meat grinder of some type, a stuffer (optional) and a few recipes to start with. You can either make it into links or leave it bulk.
This book by Rytek Kutas, Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing, is a good place to start. It's one of the most extensive books on sausage making that I've seen.
The more advanced sausage makers will want to know all about curing salts, Prague powders, Instacure, Morton's Tenderquick, Saltpeter, nitrites, nitrates, etc, and the following link can explain it better than I can. Plus, it's a great source for information, questions and answers.
www.deejayssmokepit.net/CuringAgents.htm
What meat do I buy to make sausage?
There are several types of meat you can buy. You need fat in sausage for flavor, moistness and to help hold it together while it's cooking. The meats listed below are perfect for the job.
For Pork Sausage, I recommend a 'whole untrimmed' Pork Shoulder Boston Butt (Pork Shoulder Blade Roast), as it has the right balance of lean to fat ratio, which is about 25% fat. If you buy one in a grocery store, more than likely it has been trimmed to an extent, so you might have to add extra fat. The other half of the Boston Butt, the Pork Picnic, is just 'OK' but does not have the fat content as the Butt. Another acceptable alternative, if you can find it, is Pork Collar meat which comes from the neck/shoulder area of the pig.
For Beef Sausage, basically any cut from the Beef Chuck will suffice, as long as it hasn't been pre-trimmed at the store. Again, if it has, just add more fat to it.
For Veal and Lamb, follow the same advice as for Beef Sausage. They will normally be listed as Shoulder or Forequarter meats.
Chicken or Turkey Sausage is great made from the Boneless Skinless Breasts or Thighs, without the skin attached. The meat from the breast meat will be leaner.
Recommended Home Meat Grinder
I like the one from Northern Tools.
www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_36989_36989
Everyone I've recommended this grinder to has liked it. It has a small footprint, is powerful enough for 30-50 lbs of meat at a time and is easy to clean and store.
More Sausage Making Tips
1) if you have the time and the room.....place the head of the grinder/attachment in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to grinding meat.
2) place the trimmed meat chunks in a bowl or on a cookie sheet in the freezer for approx 15-20-30 minutes before grinding.
Both the above will ease the grinding procedure.
Optional, but I prefer to mix my spices with the chunks of meat before I grind it. Letting it sit over night, or even a few hours, will help to blend the flavors into the meat.
Have fun and stay safe!!