Home Based Sausage and Charcuterie Making

[edenman]

Anyone know where I can pick up some pink salt in the DC area? I have a hankering to cure something this weekend, and obviously anything I order online won't arrive until after the weekend.

Isn't it a bit ironic that I'm so impatient to start an activity that by its very nature requires long waits?

Good luck. Maybe try Penzey's or My Organic Market, but I am doubtful that you'll be able to find anything. Your best bet might be to see if you can borrow some from a chef or fellow nerd who does his/her own. If I wasn't so busy today and tomorrow I'd offer some of mine.

[Biotech]

Looks like I'm going to have a, pardon the expression, "sausage fest" this weekend. I picked up 13 pounds of boneless pork shoulder at Costco yesterday and have another 9 pounds of trimmings and the dark bit of pork loins sitting in the freezer. Looks like I'll make 10 #'s of smoked kielbasa, 5 #'s of smoked andouille, and 5 #'s of fresh breakfast sausage. Mayber I'll put the sausage in casings if they arrive by then, or else I'll just make patties. Now that I have my commercial grade stuffer, making sausage is a total snap. I can knock out 20 pounds in 20 minutes before linking.

[zoramargolis]

Looks like I'm going to have a, pardon the expression, "sausage fest" this weekend. I picked up 13 pounds of boneless pork shoulder at Costco yesterday and have another 9 pounds of trimmings and the dark bit of pork loins sitting in the freezer. Looks like I'll make 10 #'s of smoked kielbasa, 5 #'s of smoked andouille, and 5 #'s of fresh breakfast sausage. Mayber I'll put the sausage in casings if they arrive by then, or else I'll just make patties. Now that I have my commercial grade stuffer, making sausage is a total snap. I can knock out 20 pounds in 20 minutes before linking.

You can buy sausage casings cheap at Union Meats at Eastern Market. Packed in salt in a small plastic tub, they need to be soaked in a couple of changes of water, preferably in the refrig overnight before using, but if you have a commercial sausage stuffer, why make patties?

[Biotech]

You can buy sausage casings cheap at Union Meats at Eastern Market. Packed in salt in a small plastic tub, they need to be soaked in a couple of changes of water, preferably in the refrig overnight before using, but if you have a commercial sausage stuffer, why make patties?

That's a good tip on the casings. I just placed an order this morning and received a free upgrade on my shipping to "priority mail" so it looks like I will get them in time. I'll need to see what size casings Union Meats carries for future reference. I'm thinking about doing a couple of large sausages like mortadella and ring bologna and these require a specific size casing.

[zoramargolis]

I'll need to see what size casings Union Meats carries for future reference. I'm thinking about doing a couple of large sausages like mortadella and ring bologna and these require a specific size casing.

The only kind they've had at Union Meats when I've bought casings is standard pork casings--the size used for Italian sausages, bratwurst or kielbasa. Are those big casings pork or beef? Could be from very large pigs, I s'pose.

[Biotech]

The only kind they've had at Union Meats when I've bought casings is standard pork casings--the size used for Italian sausages, bratwurst or kielbasa. Are those big casings pork or beef? Could be from very large pigs, I s'pose.

Ah. That's good to know. I needed to order sheep casings (22mm-24mm) for the breakfast links. The standard ones are fine for what you mention above, standard size sausage in the 34mm-36mm range. The big casings are hog and beef middles, or unfortunately enoug, beef bungs. They are not really edible and are used to contain the product until it has been smoked and/or steamed. There are also a wide array of synthetic ones available too for pepporoni and the like and as such, must be removed prior to consumption as well. Sausage making is not for the faint of heart.

[agm]

Now that I have my commercial grade stuffer, making sausage is a total snap. I can knock out 20 pounds in 20 minutes before linking.

What kind of stuffer do you have? I'm getting tired of fighting with my KitchenAid stand mixer - I can make decent enough sausage, but it's a pain in the ass, so I don't do it often. Unfortunately, storage space is an issue.

[edenman]

What kind of stuffer do you have? I'm getting tired of fighting with my KitchenAid stand mixer - I can make decent enough sausage, but it's a pain in the ass, so I don't do it often. Unfortunately, storage space is an issue.

Mdt let me borrow one of these for a few months and it made things a breeze. When he took it back, it wasn't more than a couple weeks later that I ordered my own. Love it (and fwiw, the 11lb model is plenty sufficient for my needs).

[agm]

Mdt let me borrow one of these for a few months and it made things a breeze. When he took it back, it wasn't more than a couple weeks later that I ordered my own. Love it (and fwiw, the 11lb model is plenty sufficient for my needs).

That looks perfect. What's the height on that thing?

[edenman]

That looks perfect. What's the height on that thing?

~22" high. base is ~11" wide and ~8.5" deep.

[Biotech]

What kind of stuffer do you have? I'm getting tired of fighting with my KitchenAid stand mixer - I can make decent enough sausage, but it's a pain in the ass, so I don't do it often. Unfortunately, storage space is an issue.

After two runs on the Kitchenaid, I bailed and got this from Amazon. It's actually a 7 pound model despite the fact it says 5 pounds. It is very well constructed and all metal (including gears).

[plunk]

Whats the problem with the Kitchen Aid stuffer? I was thinking of buying one.

[mdt]

Whats the problem with the Kitchen Aid stuffer? I was thinking of buying one.

The grinding works well, but it takes forever to stuff any decent amount of meat. The top shelf of the stuff can only hold so much meat that you are constantly having to add the ground meat. Then you need to continuously use the wooden tamper to push the meat into the stuffer to keep the meat flowing into the casing. If you think you are going to be making sausage with any frequency think about getting a decent stuffer.

[Biotech]

Whats the problem with the Kitchen Aid stuffer? I was thinking of buying one.

Three hours to stuff 20 pounds of kielbasa with the KA versus 20 minutes with the stuffer.

[mdt]

Three hours to stuff 20 pounds of kielbasa with the KA versus 20 minutes with the stuffer.

I was going to state times like that, but thought I was remembering incorrectly as it has been some time since I have used the KA.

[plunk]

Three hours to stuff 20 pounds of kielbasa with the KA versus 20 minutes with the stuffer.

Holy smokes. That's a long time. And a lot of kielbasa.

[Biotech]

Holy smokes. That's a long time. And a lot of kielbasa.

Thus the reason I'm only making 10 pounds this weekend. Actually, we made it on Superbowl Sunday, starting damn early and finishing up the shrink wrapping at kickoff time. We have three links left, so that's why we need to make more. We throw it on the grill, or simply give the gift of meat to the neighbors. 10 pounds should get us through the fall. We always make fresh for Christmas (Polish tradition). Looking forward to the breakfast links. I just got my sheep casings in the mail yesterday, so all systems go for Sunday.

[edenman]

Mdt let me borrow one of these for a few months and it made things a breeze. When he took it back, it wasn't more than a couple weeks later that I ordered my own. Love it (and fwiw, the 11lb model is plenty sufficient for my needs).

Made a test batch of bratwurst last week: the main downside of this model of stuffer is that it leaves a certain amount of meat un-stuffed (since the plunger isn't form-fitted to match the bottom of the chamber). For the first time, I actually weighed the leftover meat, and it came to just over 1lb. Easy enough to turn into patties, but means you really need to make at least 5lb of sausage to keep the linked:unlinked ratio to a reasonable level.

[edenman]

As we don't have a meat slicer, slicing the Bacon is messy, even with decent knives. We found pre-cut pork bellys at H-Mart and GrandMart and they make fine bacon with the same techniques: the thickness is just right.

I'm on the hook to modify an undercounter fridge with a thermostat that will sustain 50-60F temperatures she needs for longer curing.

Try freezing the bacon...makes slicing easier, even with a knife (although I definitely recommend investing in a slicer if you're planning on making bacon a regular thing)

Good luck on the curing fridge. I tried one half-size unit for a while but couldn't get the humidity under control...if you're running the fridge on a regulator, the freezer section never actually freezes and you end up with a big puddle of water. If you're able to find a half-size fridge without the freezer section, definitely let me know.

[edenman]

What cut do people generally use for their base pork meat in sausage? I just read this post and the guy talks about using Ham Steak...I made a sausage once with ham but didn't augment with enough fat, and the result was dry and crumbly. I tend to use shoulder when making sausage. Anybody else use ham with good results?

[Waitman]

What cut do people generally use for their base pork meat in sausage? I just read this post and the guy talks about using Ham Steak...I made a sausage once with ham but didn't augment with enough fat, and the result was dry and crumbly. I tend to use shoulder when making sausage. Anybody else use ham with good results?

Never used ham. We usually use shoulder and we are not shy about throwing in extra fatback because lean sausage is an abomination. I recently made some Saucisses de Toulouse and the recipe called for lean tenderloin, but also for ginning it up with unsalted pork fat and some pancetta.

If you find yourself in the environs of Eastern Market Union Meats will sell you an odd-looking but quite tasty cut called "country ribs" which don't look much like normal ribs but which sausage up very nicely.

[agm]

I also use shoulder, and I've also supplemented with extra fat. The question I've always had is, since various sources, and various recipes, recommend specific percentages of fat, how do you figure out what you have without using lean meat and separate fat?

I don't shop at Eastern Market (distance, no other reason), but I see country-style ribs (usually boneless) in pretty much any supermarket meat case I look in. I've never used it for sausage, but it does look like it would be good.

[Waitman]

I've always just eyeballed the fat. The Saucisse de Toulouse recipe did exactly as you suggest -- demanding precise quantities of of lean tenderloin, fat and pancetta, but that ends up yielding an expensive link, given the cost difference between loin and shoulder.

[edenman]

Oxtail rillettes. Braised a 2.4lb oxtail, and picked through the resulting bits. Retrieved 9oz of meat (no wonder restaurants don't have oxtail that frequently. what a pita) and decided to make rillettes. Reduced the cooking liquid down considerably, used that for the fat portion of the rillette. Threw some cornichons in the blender, added the meat and liquid, and blended to combine. Add salt to taste. Thin layer of duck fat on top to seal out the air.

Now for the questions: what do we think about the cornichons in the rillettes? I got the idea from this (the only recipe I could find for oxtail rillettes) but I'm not sure I like the result. The drab color isn't helped much by the random little chunks of pale green (especially once they got coated in dark cooking liquid).

Also, was the duck fat layer a good idea? Normally you'd use the pure fat of whatever animal it is (lard for pork rillettes, duck fat for duck rillettes) or some other substitute (butter for salmon rillettes) but I didn't think rendering out some tallow would've been a good idea. Debated using lard instead, but ended up going with duck fat because I figured the duck would encourage the richness that the rillettes might be missing out on due to the lack of solid fat inclusion in the main rillette mix.

And yea, I'm using a more neutral braising liquid next time: the wine totally dominates.

[zoramargolis]

Oxtail rillettes. Braised a 2.4lb oxtail, and picked through the resulting bits. Retrieved 9oz of meat (no wonder restaurants don't have oxtail that frequently. what a pita) and decided to make rillettes. Reduced the cooking liquid down considerably, used that for the fat portion of the rillette. Threw some cornichons in the blender, added the meat and liquid, and blended to combine. Add salt to taste. Thin layer of duck fat on top to seal out the air.

Now for the questions: what do we think about the cornichons in the rillettes? I got the idea from this (the only recipe I could find for oxtail rillettes) but I'm not sure I like the result. The drab color isn't helped much by the random little chunks of pale green (especially once they got coated in dark cooking liquid).

Also, was the duck fat layer a good idea? Normally you'd use the pure fat of whatever animal it is (lard for pork rillettes, duck fat for duck rillettes) or some other substitute (butter for salmon rillettes) but I didn't think rendering out some tallow would've been a good idea. Debated using lard instead, but ended up going with duck fat because I figured the duck would encourage the richness that the rillettes might be missing out on due to the lack of solid fat inclusion in the main rillette mix.

And yea, I'm using a more neutral braising liquid next time: the wine totally dominates.

I know that you didn't decide to make rillettes until after you had cooked the meat. However, there are two ways of making rillettes--the way you did it, braising the meat in liquid and then shredding and covering with fat. And confiting the meat, which I think is a superior method. Curing overnight with salt and herbs, and then cooking in fat answers the question you have about what fat to cover the meat with. And I just think that the rillettes have a much more succulent quality when confited rather than cooked in liquid. Oxtails could be cooked in lard. I think that would be delicious. And I wouldn't have mixed in the cornichons, which imbues the whole dish with vinegar while simultaneously diluting the wonderful contrast you get when eating soft, rich meat and then taking a bite of crunchy, tangy pickle.

[edenman]

Oxtails could be cooked in lard. I think that would be delicious. And I wouldn't have mixed in the cornichons, which imbues the whole dish with vinegar while simultaneously diluting the wonderful contrast you get when eating soft, rich meat and then taking a bite of crunchy, tangy pickle.

Yea I'm thinking you've got the right idea. Would alleviate the red wine flavor issue too, if all that was involved was some lovely pork fat. Next time, perhaps (although if I'm going through this much trouble again, I'm getting two oxtails)

[Poivrot Farci]

Oxtail rillettes. Braised a 2.4lb oxtail, and picked through the resulting bits. Retrieved 9oz of meat (no wonder restaurants don't have oxtail that frequently. what a pita) and decided to make rillettes. Reduced the cooking liquid down considerably, used that for the fat portion of the rillette...

That’s more a salpicon or gratin forcemeat (cooked) than rillettes. In the interest of tradition and culinary purists, the later are invariably a protein simmered in their own fat and mixed by hand or machine within a certain fat/lean ratio and texture depending on the region of origin (e.g. rillettes from Mans are fattier and more finely chopped than those from rivaling Tours, others shredded, some smoked, "rillauds" cooked less and kept chunkier...etc). For the sake of continuity, the oxtails (cleaned of sinew) or a more fibrous cut could have indeed been confit(ed) in tallow and then mixed...the sweet feral waft of rendered beef fat being what Gargantua’s jock strap would smell like in the Rabelaisian era of locker-room romance. The Ren-fare doctor of lewd poetry was alleged to have revered rillettes as “brown pig jam”.

+1 for pickles on the side.

-1 for using a blender.

[zoramargolis]

Pate de campagne made from a Ruhlman/Polcyn _Charcuterie_ recipe went in the trash today. Crumbly texture and way too salty. And I cooked it in a waterbath and weighted it with a brick overnight. I used veal liver instead of pork or chicken liver, but that shouldn't have made a difference, the ratio of fatty pork to liver was right by weight. And since the salt was added directly to the meat as an overnight cure, the amount of kosher salt called for in the recipe was just wrong (I used Diamond). <sigh> The sausages I made using a recipe in the book came out perfectly. Quite disappointing.

[Poivrot Farci]

Some believe the "rosette" refers to the shape of the anus.

Rosette is the colloquialism for Fuseau which means “a spindle"” as well as “ a tapering”. In the context of porcine plumbing it refers to the shape of what is essentially the rectum (No. 2 on the diagram). It is a prized casing since there is only one asshole per pig (at least in France there is...) and it is supposed to impart a “special” characteristic odor to the finished product.

Pate de campagne made from a Ruhlman/Polcyn _Charcuterie_ recipe went in the trash today...the amount of kosher salt called for in the recipe was just wrong (I used Diamond).

In Ruhlman’s world 25grams = 1oz "for the sake of consistency". In the rest of the world 28 grams = 1oz. Either way, his recipe for Pâté de Campagne is on the cusp of 2% salt which is heavy handed. Ruhlman’s recipes can be torn from the book and best used like bread to force out any remaining meat from the grinder. It is an easily digestible introduction to charcuterie but like any grade school sex-ed film only offers a concept while bluring the specific working details, either because he doesn't know how to do it or is afraid of overwhelming/offending someone.

[xcanuck]

In Ruhlman’s world 25grams = 1oz "for the sake of consistency". In the rest of the world 28 grams = 1oz. Either way, his recipe for Pâté de Campagne is on the cusp of 2% salt which is heavy handed. Ruhlman’s recipes can be torn from the book and best used like bread to force out any remaining meat from the grinder. It is an easily digestible introduction to charcuterie but like any grade school sex-ed film only offers a concept while bluring the specific working details, either because he doesn't know how to do it or is afraid of overwhelming/offending someone.

I've followed Ruhlman's recipe for Pâté de Campagne several times and it's always worked out well (I served up a large slab of it at the last picnic, in case you were there).

It's appropriate to be "heavy handed" since the flavours are somewhat muted when served cold. However, I've never cured the meat overnight - just for a few hours. Maybe the difference lies there?

[Poivrot Farci]

Cervelas de Mont Plaisant.

An emulsified French pork sausage with pistachios, fatback and black peppercorns.

[Poivrot Farci]

Pâté Pantin de Volaille, édition spéciale blazon de District de Colombia.

Poultry pâté pantin, special DC heraldry edition.

Cornish hen, pork, dried apricot and pistachio.

Butter spackle for untimely cracks. Anything worth messing up once is worth mucking up 6 times.

[zoramargolis]

such magnificence! I feel so inadequate...

[Barbara]

As we all know, there is a search on for a signature DC dish. I nominate this sucker. Dear God, that looks BRILLIANT!!!

[Pool Boy]

I just got a sausage making book. Now all I need is the sausage stuffing attachment for the KitchenAid mixer. <dreaming of sausage making at home!>

[goodeats]

Now all I need is the sausage stuffing attachment for the KitchenAid mixer.

Wasn't it here or in the KA Mixer thread that someone said this isn't a good attachment to have? Something about the fact that it gets gukked up easily?

[zoramargolis]

Wasn't it here or in the KA Mixer thread that someone said this isn't a good attachment to have? Something about the fact that it gets gukked up easily?

If you want to make sausage, and you aren't prepared to get a professional level sausage stuffer, like the one that mdt and CrescentFresh once used to make sausage for a DR picnic (not sure who owns it), then the Kitchen Aid attachments are the way to go. There is not one single needed attachment, you need the meat grinder (fairly expensive) and the sausage stuffer, which goes onto the meat grinder (around $10). The meat grinder is very useful for making hamburger meat at home--much superior product than if using a food processor. So the equipment is not a "one trick pony." The sausage stuffing attachment is just a nozzle, so I am not sure how it gets a reputation for getting "gukked up" as you put it. The meat grinder does take a bit of practice to use, especially when filling the sausage casings, but I have never had a major problem with grinding meat or using it to stuff sausage once I got the hang of it.

[goodeats]

The sausage stuffing attachment is just a nozzle, so I am not sure how it gets a reputation for getting "gukked up" as you put it.

I'm not sure either, Zora. Maybe it was Tracy's expression from TC when she tried to use the attachment to make the Italian sausages???

[xcanuck]

I'll second Zora's recommendation on the KA grinding and stuffing attachments. We've used them MANY times to make sausage (Italian, mergeuz, kielbasa, weird-stuff-I make-up-on-own, etc), for both thin and thick sausages, and never had an issue with getting "gukked" up. My only concern has been air bubbles and that is easily dealt with by being patient and not trying to stuff the casings too quickly.

As a tangent - it'd be really nice if the weather would cool down just a wee bit so I could smoke some bacon, pastrami, and sausages. Been way too hot to do any of that stuff!

[Pool Boy]

If you want to make sausage, and you aren't prepared to get a professional level sausage stuffer, like the one that mdt and CrescentFresh once used to make sausage for a DR picnic (not sure who owns it), then the Kitchen Aid attachments are the way to go. There is not one single needed attachment, you need the meat grinder (fairly expensive) and the sausage stuffer, which goes onto the meat grinder (around $10). The meat grinder is very useful for making hamburger meat at home--much superior product than if using a food processor. So the equipment is not a "one trick pony." The sausage stuffing attachment is just a nozzle, so I am not sure how it gets a reputation for getting "gukked up" as you put it. The meat grinder does take a bit of practice to use, especially when filling the sausage casings, but I have never had a major problem with grinding meat or using it to stuff sausage once I got the hang of it.

Thanks! I already have the meat grinder, which I love, so the extra cost for the stuffing tool is no big deal. Where do you all get your natural casings?

[zoramargolis]

Where do you all get your natural casings?

Union Meats at Eastern Market.

[Poivrot Farci]

Timbale de poussin aux saveurs de fin d’été.

Cornish hen timbale (essentially a husky, savory Rolo) with a summer’s swan song of sweet corn and tomato ragout filling; from the crumpled files of hopelessly dated French cookery.

In lieu of elusive metal timbales, small canning jars were used. Up yours, Ruhlman.

Hot tub time machine.

Cubist hen breasts.

Journey to the center of the girth.

[Poivrot Farci]

Pâté en croûte pendaison de crémaillère, Édition spéciale imposte.

Housewarming pâté en croûte, special transom edition.

Definitive "home made".

Pistachios, pig's tongue, dried figs, pork shoulder, fatback, pig's heart.

New house party coordinates.

.

Feng Shwine interior.

[Banco]

Pâté en croûte pendaison de crémaillère, Édition spéciale imposte.

Housewarming pâté en croûte, special transom edition.

Definitive "home made".

Pistachios, pig's tongue, dried figs, pork shoulder, fatback, pig's heart.

New house party coordinates.

.

Feng Shwine interior.

Absolutely gorgeous! Bravo.

[agm]

That might just be reason enough to move.

[RWBooneJr]

Pâté en croûte pendaison de crémaillère, Édition spéciale imposte.

"I'll have what he's having, please."

[Pool Boy]

Make Yankee Sage Sausage (from Bruce Aidell's book) thie weekend as my very first foray in to home sausage making. Made only loose, no casings. Hand shaped patties for breakfast after sitting overnight in the refrigerator were very good.

This itch needs a boatload more scratching methinks.

[Poivrot Farci]

Pâté en Croûte Richelieu

Special At-Large 2.0 DC Heraldry Edition.

The donated endeavor (no internal footage, though with a pork tenderloin inlay) failed to sway enough votes but allegedly swooned attentive eyes and registered palates.

In hindsight, sort of looks like Stewie, or Johnny #5.

...or a district boom-box.

Flavor candidates:

Stately savory.

Red #40 alive.

[Poivrot Farci]

Saucisses vertes Mustard greens sausages.

Pâté en croûte, special anniversary edition.

Extended family (cured shoulder, pistachios, fat back, currants, tongue).

Rehearsal.

Cutting the cake.

[TheMatt]

:drool:

Why did I click on the link around lunch time? My usual crackers and hummus, and maybe a protein bar don't quite stack up.