Sausage Making for beginners

[sausagemaker]

Hi all

Let me be the first to kick this off.

Sausage making for beginners

I could start by telling you that it is a fascinating hobby, but I won�t as you already know that, � that�s why you�re here.
So lets start with the equipment you will need, surprisingly very little is required to get you going (Less than �50) & I would strongly suggest that you keep everything on the small side until you are sure you like the hobby.

The home page of this site is an Ideal place to start so we will look at the equipment that Franco has to offer:-

Standard mincer and filler
This is his best selling model for the beginner sausage maker.
It comes with 3 stuffing tubes, instructions and recipe guide and is simple to use, just feed the mincer cubes of chilled meat then take out the blade and feed the minced meat through into the stuffing tubes.

Price: �29.95
Please see link below

http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/mincers.html
Rusk 2Kg Bag

Rusk is an essential ingredient in sausage making, used by all professional sausage makers and experienced home users alike. Use up to 10% rusk in your sausage to improve the texture and bite, it helps bind the fat within the sausage and helps retain moisture making a more succulent sausage.

Price: �4.99

Please see link below
http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/R ... _Sack.html

Seasoning Mixes
Prices start at around �3.00
Please see link below

http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/O ... Mixes.html

Hog casings
Hog casings are best to start with as they are easier to work with than the delicate sheep casings and produce a good thick sausage.

These casings should be soaked in water for at least 2 hours prior to using.

These are supplied in a moist salt solution. Use what you need and once resealed in the Ziploc bag provided, casings can be stored for months in the fridge.

Price from �5.99
Please see link below

http://www.sausagemaking.org/acatalog/Hog_casings.html

Next need to look at the other equipment you will require all of these can probably found in your kitchen Scales, Mixing bowls, knives, and spoons.

Now that we have all the equipment we now need to look at meats
Pork is the most popular and as luck would have it the least expensive at least here in the UK.

Sausage makers tend to use shoulder pork, belly pork & pork fat although you can use any part of any animal you wish.

Hygiene
Sausage making is no more dangerous than any other form of meat preparation, botulism; tapeworms & trichinosis are not solely attributable to sausage.
However when you are chopping, mincing and mixing raw meats with other materials & stuffing them into a length of gut, it is fair to say the risk of contamination is higher than taking out a joint of beef & placing it in the oven.
So before you start please ensure that everything you are going to use is clean, I tend to sterilise with boiling water & spray with a sterilant.
Do not forget your hands.

Let�s Get Started

A basic sausage would be something like this

80% Pork
2.5% Seasoning
6.5% Rusk
11% Water

So if we intend to make a kilo of sausage we need the following
800g of pork (you could use half shoulder & half belly pork for this trial)
25g Seasoning
65g Rusk
110g Water

Start by cutting the pork into 1� dice or small enough to pass through the mincer, when this is done place in the refrigerator to chill or put in the freezer for a short while.
Meanwhile weigh up the seasoning, rusk & water
Secure the mincer onto the table top and soak about 4- 5 feet of casing in water to remove the salt.

Now that the meat is well chilled mince it through the mincing blade into a bowl large enough to add the other ingredients to.
Add water & spices & mix vigorously to ensure the spices are well dispersed, add the rusk & mix well in.
Now replace the mincing blade with a sausage stuffing horn & wash the inside of the sausage casing by running tap water through them, once this is done slide them onto the sausage horn.
Now put you meat mixture back through the mincer & form the sausage as it come out (You might find it useful to have someone pushing the meat through while you attend to the stuffing side of the operation.
Hold the casing lightly with your index finger & thumb and allow the meat to fill the casing but not too tight or it will burst.
Try not to get any air pockets in the sausage as you are filling.
Don�t worry you will get the hang of it soon.

Once the sausages are made you may link them if you wish or leave it in a coil like Cumberland Sausage.
Place in the refrigerator over night for the flavour to develop this is called blooming by sausage makers
The next day it�s over to you.
Cook them slowly in a frying pan & enjoy.

Regards
Sausagemaker

[Franco]

Thanks Sausagemaker, that's the sort of info needed for a beginner, btw are you on commission?

I started the new section as I thought that if a beginner drifted into some of the sections they might be petrified of all the calculations and the heavy discussions, at least with this section we can start them off slowly...


Franco

[sausagemaker]

Not yet, but working on it.

regards
sausagemaker

[Diann]

What is rusk?
Diann

[Parson Snows]

Diann asked

What is Rusk?

Rusk information and recipe
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=339

kind regards

Parson Snows

[Diann]

Thank you for that! I've printed that out too, but what is potable water?
Diann

[Parson Snows]

Princess Diann asked

what is potable water?

Potable water is water that is fit to drink; drinkable. NO chlorine etc.

kind regards

Parson Snows

PS being in Brisbane you will probably have no problem with your water supply, though you must appreciate that these instructions are written for people worldwide. I'm in Thailand and always boil our tap water to remove all/any chlorine and/or bacteria.

[Canuck Cooker]

As an expat now living in Canada I read your messages with interest.

Been here 2 years, originally from Kent, and still miss the British banger. Therefore, I have convinced a local butcher, that makes german style sausages, to assist me. He has agreed to have a go and is intrigued at the difference between what he normally makes -garlic sausage, beef jerky etc - and the good old British banger. I have had mailed some Lincolshire spices and rusk from sausagemaking.org and intend to give it a go next weekend.

I have settled on a 80% pork, 2.5% seasoning, 6.5% rusk and 11% water which seems popular. Any other great tips for a first-timer? Parson Snows I did see you mention that you have a Lincs sausage recipe - would you be willing to let me have it if it differs greatly from that above?

Oh just one last question - I saw a mention that the water/rusk mix should be the right consistency. What consistency is that please?

Canuck Cooker

[Parson Snows]

First of all welcome to the forum
You wrote

As an expat now living in Canada I read your messages with interest.
Been here 2 years, originally from Kent, and still miss the British banger. Therefore, I have convinced a local butcher, that makes german style sausages, to assist me. He has agreed to have a go and is intrigued at the difference between what he normally makes -garlic sausage, beef jerky etc - and the good old British banger. I have had mailed some Lincolshire spices and rusk from sausagemaking.org and intend to give it a go next weekend.

It�s not clear if it�s you or the local butcher who will be making the sausages and there is also no mention of the equipment that will be used/available.

You also wrote

I have settled on a 80% pork, 2.5% seasoning, 6.5% rusk and 11% water which seems popular.

Just make sure that your meat has enough fat content. You�re looking at approx. 25 % (Pork Shoulder/Boston Butt is typically used for sausage making, and should be approximately the right fat content. Trim if excessive and add Pork Hard Back Fat if more is required)

You also wrote

Any other great tips for a first-timer?

Read through the beginners section
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=410
plus the beginners� postings along with
http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... 7&start=28
plus take some time wandering around the site gleaning information along the way.

You wrote

I did see you mention that you have a Lincs sausage recipe - would you be willing to let me have it if it differs greatly from that above?

I have already posted a Lincolnshire recipe from UK butcher Phil Groth, which works out very nicely. http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopi ... 1&start=04
I have given my recipe to Franco so at the moment I�m afraid that I can�t post it on the forum, as he was considering using it for one of his spice mixes.

You also wrote

Oh just one last question - i saw a mention that the water/rusk mix should be the right consistency. What consistency is that please?

You really have to use your judgement, you don�t want it too watery and you don�t want it too dry. Just add the water until it looks moist enough to work with, I�m sorry but each lot of rusk will be different and you�ll just have to learn as you go along. Your ratio of 1.7 parts water to 1 part rusk seems fine and should present no problems.

GOOD LUCK

Kind regards

Parson Snows

[Canuck Cooker]

Thanks for the support, advice and links(just realised the sausage joke in that!).

A very good point about the equipment that will be used as I have yet to discuss that with the butcher.

I will post a sit-rep once we have taken the leap into the great unknown.

[Parson Snows]

You wrote

Thanks for the support, advice and links (just realised the sausage joke in that!).

You're welcome; as to the links connection pre1630(ish) that wouldn't have been found funny/humerous.

You wrote

A very good point about the equipment that will be used as I have yet to discuss that with the butcher.

Let me/us know the equipment available and we can then offer you the best method of production.

You wrote

I will post a sit-rep once we have taken the leap into the great unknown

Your sausage abyss report is keenly awaited.

Ask any questions along the way

kind regards

Parson Snows

[Fatman]

Hello Canuck

I take it you are ex-forces from one of your posts ?

I too was once in Alberta, I visited Medicine Hat, Calgary, Edmunton , Jasper and Fort Wainwright to name a few . Whilst there I did hunting and trapping in the Rocky Mountains and also undertook a canoe expedition.

Good luck with your sausage making I look forward to your posts.

Regards

Fatman

[Fatman]

Canuck

Do you speak German at all?

As i have a joke about Canada which is only funny in German.

It goes like this:-

Warum ist Canada heist Canada ?

Antwort:-

Da ist Keine da

I told you it was only funny in German, I think Colin may laugh at that one.

Regards

Fatman

[Canuck Cooker]

Well I dropped the rusk, seasoning and recipe directions at the butchers(the boss is a friend of mine) and said could they call when they were ready to go as I wanted to be there. Imagine my surprise when one of the staff called to say, the boss was away today but as the directions were straight forward and as they had pork available they made 20kg worth on Friday! In their opinion they look great and they were chilling them overnight before freezing on Saturday - could I collect them on Monday. I feel cheated at the last because I was not there to witness the birth.

Either way I intend to collect them and give them my critical assessment tomorrow evening. More to follow.......

[Canuck Cooker]

Well thanks to you all - oh and the butcher I guess - the first taste this evening was a great success.

Funny footnote - The butcher that made them included a free pack of their own "Banger Style Sausages" for comparison. They could not believe I had gone to all that effort when they made them. Both lots were cooked this evening amid great ceremony and accompanied by mash, peas and gravy. Oh and a glass of red wine.

Suffice to say that my family thought they were excellent and cleared all the Brit ones and left the local imitations that were just too salty in comparison.

Fantastic first shot I think.

Now for some variations.