Sausage

Sausage


We use a lot of it here, I make all of it. This started when my wife gave me a copy of Ruhlman and Polcyn: Charcuterie shortly after it was published. The two have a second book Salumi due out in late August.

Bruce Aidells, the Marianskis have books, Home Sausage Making, Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage, The Whole Beast and Professional Charcuterie are others.


Not to mention the CIA Garde Manger and the Professional Charcuterie series, different than Professional Charcuterie above (for when you win the lottery as it is $200+ a volume).

Charcuterie is not limited to sausage, and includes fermented sausage, which I’m not going to get into here. What will be here is an over view of the process, books (see above), supplies and equipment sources, see below, and tips I’ve picked up or discovered in the years I’ve been doing this.

Note: There will be recipes in the future, including those of the three I posted today, this is more of a how to and about.


There are grill sausage, which will be the first I post about, there are breakfast sausages and there are more general sausages for dinner, a charcuter plate or a mixed grill.


Tips:


First, while you want everything as cold as possible, do not put the grinder in the freezer, regardless of what the books say. Put it in an ice bath. Blades chip, which means discarding the entire grind (I also have a spare blade).


Second, if you do more than one grind at a time, don’t wash the grinder parts, rinse them in cold water. It is already clean, what is on it is clean food waste, rinse it off. Do not put the waste down the disposal, put it in the garbage. This is stuff the grinder couldn’t grind, why do you think the disposal will. It won’t like casing either, believe me I know.


Steel the blade of your grinder before each single use.

When you do grind, grind into a steel bowl set in an ice bath. If the room is in the low 60s so much the better.


If the recipe calls for a portion of ice cold water, use ice chips instead, the grinder won’t mind and it keeps it colder.


The meat grinder attachment on a stand mixer will work, but I do a lot of sausage, 20 pounds at a time is common. I use a commercial grinder from Northern Tool (see below). I also use a five pound stuffer from them.

I buy pork shoulders, remove the skin, debone and then pack in 5 pound put ups. I also use turkey thighs and chicken thighs both mixed with about 10% pork fat, veal is usually too dear, but some beef is used mixed with rendered suet for the fat. 5 pounds is my typical grind and I find that a shoulder is fatty enough. Obviously if you are doing a mix of pork and another meat, you want to use a smaller put up. The put ups then get frozen for several weeks, the skin and bones get turned into stock (the link is to chicken stock, but pork is the same, just use pork not chicken, this is a light or white stock basic recipe)


Freezing the pork for more than 3 weeks at below 0 F, removes the problem of undercooked pork harboring trichinosis, although with only 12 cases in the US for the last year reported this is a minor problem now. Trichinosis, see the paragraph on freezing.


Supplies:

The Sausage Maker

Butcher-packer

Northern Tool is probably your best bet for tools and food processing equipment such as a grinder or stuffer.


Take you put up out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for a couple of days to defrost.

Cut the meat into small pieces, I aim for ¾ of an inch on a side and not more than an inch long.

You want them small enough to slide down the feed tube without pushing them. Put the bowl containing you now diced put-up in a freezer for 30+ minutes. I simply move on to the next put up, but I do3 or 4 sausages at a time.


Or you can use the time for your mise in place. Liquids in the fridge until used.

Get your meat out of the freezer, put in a larger bowl, add the mise in place and mix. I use my hands, but you could use a spoon.

Now assemble your grinder direct from the ice bath and grind.

You may wish to use a mixer to insure a good mixture at this point, if using a fermenting agent this is vital, literally.


Back in the fridge until the next step, stuffing the sausage. Note, many sausages may be used out of the casing, if so save yourself time and money, by putting the sausage up without casing. I use ½ pound put ups of finished sausage, one is a lunch for two and three two dinners for two.

For five pounds of sausage you need one length, about 10 feet, of a medium hog casing; 32-35 mm.

yes I know that is a larger size, it was in stock.

Natural casing will keep indefinitely in a refrigerator when packed in salt. Cover in salt each time you take out the hank of casings.

Soak it in cool water and wash the inside, by filling with water and letting the bubble run through the length two or three times. It will remove the salt and make it much easier to get on the stuffing tube.

Slide the whole length on to the appropriate (there will probably be 3) size of stuffing tube.

The sausage waiting for the stuffer.

Bratwurst in the corner, Sweet Italian at the edge and Knockwurst in the center.

And twisted into links. I use the width of my left hand to size the length and alternate the twist from clock wise to counter clockwise, which saves twisting the whole 10 foot length.

The whole table is designed to take a wood clamp around the entire edge, which keeps the stuffer from moving. This also works on the mixer to keep it from walking.

And lunch, fresh knockwurst just off the grill

Sausage will keep for a couple of months in a zip lock, but label carefully, they all look alike frozen. If you use a Food Saver they will keep longer, but that is more work and money, what is your turn over here?

Downloads not up yet.

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

                AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

                AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

                AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

                AF DC-NIKKOR 105 mm F2

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston  

Sauerbraten

The original purpose of this was to make a very tough piece of meat edible, it would have been used on a cow or work cattle. It also works for venison, although you may wish to adjust the spicing.

Now it is about flavor, as beef is a lot more tender.

3 pounds of beef roast (may be a tough cut)
2 cups red wine (one you would drink)
2 cups dark beef broth (home made preferred and is important)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar (dark preferred but not important)
1/4 cup tomato paste (any in the fridge?)
2 cloves garlic, fine mince
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh coarse ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground clove
pinch ground ginger
2 onions thin sliced
8-10 crushed gingersnaps
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire

 Mix everything except beef as a marinade.

Put in beef and refrigerate until beef tender 2-5 days. 

Cook beef in marinade over low flame in heavy covered pot until tender.  

Cook beef in marinade over low flame in heavy covered pot until tender. 

 Serve with cranberry sauce, potato pancakes and red cabbage. (Recipes for all three will follow, although the cranberry sauce won't have pictures for a while). (3-17-12)

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

                AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

                AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

                AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

                AF DC-NIKKOR 105 mm F2

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston  

Maple Cured, Hickory Smoked Bacon

Maple cured, pasture raised, hickory smoked bacon.


You are going to need the book by Ruhlman and Polcyn.


5 pound pork belly (either certified trichinosis free or freeze it for the appropriate time at the appropriate temperature, tables at USDA but 3 weeks below 0F is a good rule of thumb)
1/4 cup Basic Dry Cure (see Charcuterie)
1/2 cup maple syrup

Above are two pork bellies, trimmed to fit into large zip lock bags, in this case trim weight is just under 5 pounds each.

Place the belly in a zip lock with the cure rubbed over the meat and the syrup poured in. It is not necessary to trim off the skin, although you can.

Refrigerate  the belly, in the ziplock, for about 7 days, checking to see when the thickest part is firm. Flip the bag, which must be flat, every day and do not drain the liquid which will form.

When the belly is firm, take out of the bag, rinse and let dry (an extra day or two in the fridge, if it is raining won't hurt).  Note that this drying is critical to the smoke 'sticking'. It should look a bit like a second skin and is called a pellicle (with thanks to Amy Sipes for reminding me of this). Allow to return to close to room temperature, while you fire your smoker. 

I get the smoker to about 250 F, and use hickory. Smoke until the internal temperature at the thickest part is above 150 F.

Alternately roast in a medium oven, 325 F, until internal temperature at the thickest part is above 150F. You could use liquid smoke, but I've never done so. The roast is much better than commercial bacons, I don't like it as much as the smoked, but if is raining you might have no choice.

When bacon has cooled, cut into useful sized pieces and freeze. I find that 1 pound in FoodSaver bags frozen at 0F lasts about 1 year. I do not remove the skin until use, and I do fry it, even though it has been cooked through.

I still use commercial bacon for some things, such as this pate, where I don't want the smoke and need uniform thin pieces, but use is very minimal.

The pork belly came from Dietrich's . You really want to buy from a butcher that is proud of her meat. 

Fleisher's probably has or can get it.


"If bacon were declared a vegetable, I could become a vegetarian" Matthew Scudder

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

                AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

                AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

                AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

                AF DC-NIKKOR 105 mm F2

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston  

Chicken Fricassee with Chorizo and Peppers

This post is short of pictures, they will be added the next time we do this dish. This happens.

1 Chicken Cut up
8 oz chorizo (see Ruhlman and Polcyn)
4 bell peppers, medium dice (note mix the colors if you wish)
1 14.5 oz can dice tomatoes (unless you can get consistent fresh,   
                use canned tomatoes)
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, quartered (yes of course you peel them)
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste, save the rest in a small jar in the             
                      refrigerator for later. 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (if you only have salted, use less salt)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper (fresh ground pepper).

[This can be reduced, we did it with two quarters and half of everything else except the chorizo - which I put up in 8 oz packs]


Season the pieces of chicken.

Place the chicken, skin down, in a hot skillet with the butter and oil. Skillet should not be smoking but hot. Saute until golden, perhaps five minutes, then the same on the other side.
Transfer to a platter, and hold if doing a second batch, season again when all are done.
Sweat onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes over low heat in the uncleaned pan. Set aside
Cook the sliced chorizo in the pan until done. Set aside.
Add the chicken, garlic and onions back. Add stock, tomatoes and tomato paste, cook over low heat, until chicken is done turning it perhaps twice in the process.
Add the peppers and chorizo, cook over low heat until peppers are soft, perhaps 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or fresh pasta and a robust wine, but it doesn't need to be a red.

Camera Nikon D-90 with internal flash.

Lens(es) AF-S NIKKOR 18-55mm f2.5-5.65G

                AF-S NIKKOR 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G

                AF-S NIKKOR 35mm F1.8G

                AF-S NIKKOR 50mm F1.4F

                AF DC-NIKKOR 105 mm F2

Recipe with pictures Downloadable PDF  Link doesn’t work 

on the PDF itself

Recipe without pictures Downloadable PDF Link doesn't work

 on the PDF itself

As always feel free to use and distribute, if you use our pictures 

and/or text then give us credit – thanks.

If you do use the recipe drop us a note in the comments, a link to your post or just what you thought.

© 2012 Virginia L. Dyson & Warner W. Johnston