Need help making Sausage

[barbarossa]

Ok, I'm going to try my hand at making some venison sausage. I looked at a bunch of recipes online, but there are a few questions left that I'm hoping you guys can help me with.

-First off, where can I buy cure (Prague Powder, Instacure, etc.) locally in the BR area?

-Same with casings, where can I find them?

I foolishly already thawed out the meat, too late to mail order that stuff now...


-Seems like you are supposed to let your links dry before you put them in the smoker. I've read to let them hang at room temperature. Isn't there a risk that they could spoil? Or does the cure prevent that? For how long can I let them hang?


-If I make fresh (non-smoked) sausage without cure, I'm going to freeze them. The meat was already frozen, thawed out, made into sausage, frozen again, is that a problem? I've always avoided re-freezing previously frozen meat.


Thanks!

 

[Bookum]

The casing you can get at Whole Foods store.

 

[N4sir]

I know you can buy casings at Cabela's in Gonzales. They may well have whatever you need for making sausage as well as seasoning mixes and possibly pink salt. I know I've seen pink salt(cure at Academy Sports where they have spice blends near the bbq stuff.

 

[3fifty7]

I usually try to make a 150 pound batch of smoked pork sausage every year, we use a 12'X12' smoke house. I have never let the links dry out before smoking, that may be something recommended for a particular smoker or hey I could be doing it wrong but I can't see any benefit. I use green pecan and dry apple to smoke.
Can't help with finding products in BR, our local Piggly Wiggly has casings and the basic seasonings to satisfy our recipe.

 

[Emperor]

A resataurant supply store.

Try Kayard's. They are in B.R.

 

[mforsta]

Casing and supplies can be bought at Bass Pro, Cabela's and Academey. I have gotten seasoning from Chris's Special Meats on Millerville before. As far a thawing and refreezing the meat, I find if you grind the meat while it is still icy it grinds better. Just keep the meat in the refrigerator during the process, only keep out with you can work with at a time and then refreeze when you're done and you won't have any problems with spoilage. Here is a link for a bunch of recipes, http://www.bullnettlenews.com/public/home.aspx?ID=a6ac619a-99e3-4acd-b1a7-2f3bfc64e57b. Scoll down for the recipes

 

[Aussiecajun]

We made our own smoked sausage at my last job, and we never let the links dry before smoking. Most times it was run, linked then straight in the smoker using pecan to smoke.

 

[toddrod]

Pink salt, AKA sodium nitrite, or prague powder #1, can by bought cheaply at Oak Grove Smoke house in Prairieville. If I were you I would stay clear of those salt dried casings at the above retail outlets if at all possible. They will work but the size range is not consistant and it is short pieces. If you do use those, be sure to rinse them thoroughly and then soak them in water at least for 24hrs. Then flush them out thoroughly with warm water before use. In general it is easier to get a couple of sausage making friends together and buy a whole hank of preflushed casings from any store / butcher, that makes sausage (Oak Grove). Split up the unused portion and put in a container with noniodized salt in the ice box and they will last for ever.

 

[toddrod]

Seems like you are supposed to let your links dry before you put them in the smoker. I've read to let them hang at room temperature. Isn't there a risk that they could spoil? Or does the cure prevent that? For how long can I let them hang?

The reason for leaving them air dry is that smoke "sticks" better on a dry surface. Putting them in wet will give you a less smoky flavor in the end product. To speed up drying just put a fan blowing on them. Usually takes less than 20 minutes to do this.

 

[barbarossa]

Thanks for all the help, guys.

I made sausage yesterday. Went for a German Bratwurst style cooked sausage. I ended up simmering the finished product to 150F internal temp, so I think I'm safe re-freezing them.

Got the casings from Whole Foods (they were making sausage right at the moment I stopped by there and I got natural hog casings ready to go).

Skipped on the cure since I cooked the sausage, but did find pink salt at Academy for future smoked sausage experiments.


The flavor of the finished product was perfect. I followed a German recipe for the seasoning and it was spot on.

What didn't work out to full satisfaction was the texture. I used 4lbs of lean venison and 1lb of pork belly. Since the pork was not all fat, I'm guessing the overall fat content was 15% or less. Bratwurst should be between 25 and 30%.

So, it was a little dry and crumbly. Not bad at all, and very edible.

Next time, double the fat. Where can I buy pure, raw pork fat?

 

[Aussiecajun]

Where can I buy pure, raw pork fat?

You should be able to get pork fat from any butcher/meat department. Just go in and talk to someone in that department, or call and ask. Just explain you're making sausage and just need the fat, most places will gladly save any fat trimmed off what they cut for you.