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Sausages are either ready
to eat or not. They can be made from red meat, poultry or a combination. Uncooked sausages include fresh (bulk, patties or
links) and smoked sausages. Uncooked smoked sausages containing pork must be treated for trichinae. Ready-to-eat sausages are
dry, semi-dry and/or cooked. Dry sausages may be smoked, unsmoked or cooked. Semi-dry sausages are usually heated in the smokehouse
to fully cook the product and partially dry it. Let the label be your guide
to sausage selection and handling. It will tell you if the product must be kept refrigerated, the nutrient content and the
ingredients. All ingredients in the product must be listed by weight in descending order in the ingredient statement. Safe handling instructions
are mandatory for all raw or partially cooked meat and poultry products. For sausage products packaged
under federal inspection, a Nutrition Facts panel is mandatory. If sausages are made and packaged in a local store, the nutrient
information on the package is voluntary or it may be at the point of purchase. The Nutrition Facts information
on the label can help consumers compare products and make more informed, healthy food choices. The label must say "Keep
Refrigerated" if the sausage is perishable. Product dating is optional but the manufacturer may have affixed a date. Fresh sausages are a coarse
or finely comminuted meat food product prepared from one or more kinds of meat, or meat and meat byproducts. They may contain
water not exceeding 3% of the total ingredients in the product. They are usually seasoned, frequently cured, and may contain
binders and extenders. They must be kept refrigerated and thoroughly cooked before eating. These products are made of
one or more different kinds of chopped or ground meats which have been seasoned, cooked and/or smoked. Water can be no more
than 10% by weight. Meat byproducts may be used. Included in this category are: Cooked Salami (not dry) is
made from fresh meats which are cured, stuffed into casings and cooked in a smokehouse at high temperature. It may be air
dried for a short time. It has a softer texture than dry and semi-dry sausages and must be refrigerated. A ready-to-eat sausage product.
It is made from comminuted meats that are seasoned and usually cooked or baked rather than smoked. They are usually sliced
and served cold. Included in this category are: Dry sausages may or may not
be characterized by a bacterial fermentation. When fermented, the intentional encouragement of a lactic acid bacteria growth
is useful as a meat preservative as well as producing the typical tangy flavor. The ingredients are mixed with spices and
curing materials, stuffed into casings, and put through a carefully controlled, long, continuous air-drying process. Dry sausages require more
production time than other types of sausages and results in a concentrated form of meat. Medium-dry sausage is about 70% of
its "green" weight when sold. Green weight is the weight of the raw article before addition of added substances or before
cooking. Less-dry and fully-dried sausages range from 80% to 60% of original weight at completion. Dry sausages include: Semi-dry sausages are usually
heated in the smokehouse to fully cook the product and partially dry it. Semi-dry sausages are semi-soft sausages with good
keeping qualities due to their lactic acid fermentation. "Summer Sausage" (another word for cervelat) is the general classification
for mildly seasoned, smoked, semi-dry sausages like Mortadella and All sausage -- except dry sausage -- is perishable
and therefore must be kept refrigerated. The following storage times should be followed for maximum quality. TYPE
OF SAUSAGE REFRIGERATOR
- UNOPENED REFRIGERATOR
- AFTER OPENING Fresh Sausage, uncooked
1 to 2 days (included in unopened storage) Fresh Sausage, after cooking
by consumer (not applicable) 3 to 4 days Hard/Dry Sausage indefinitely in refrigerator;
6 weeks in pantry 3 weeks in refrigerator,
or until it turns rancid Hot Dogs and other Cooked
Sausage 2 weeks 7 days Summer Sausage (Semi-dry)
3 months 3 weeks Freeze if you can't use within times recommended above for refrigerator
storage. Once frozen it doesn't matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely. However,
for best quality use within 1-2 months. SAUSAGE
HISTORY The manufacture of sausages began over two thousand
years ago, and it is still a growing industry. While some of its basic practices are almost as old as civilisation, the industry
is constantly adopting new developments in processing in the light of later scientific and technical knowledge. Sausage has been an important item in man's diet
for twenty centuries. The first recognisable mention of this meat food is found in a Greek play called "The Orya," or "The
Sausage," written about 500 B.C. Thereafter the word for sausage occurs with frequency in Greek writings. It's also a favourite
food of the Romans, at one time becoming so popular for festive occasions that it was placed under the ban of the early church. The modern word "sausage" is derived from the Latin
~salsus~, meaning salted. The term was probably originally applied to cured or salted meat generally. In the days of old people
did not have refrigeration to preserve their meat and so making sausage was a way of overcoming this problem. Dry sausage was born as a result of the discovery
of new spices, which helped to enhance, flavour and preserve the meat. Different countries and different cities within those
countries started producing their own distinctive types of sausage, both fresh and dry. These different types of sausage were
mostly influenced by the availability of ingredients as well as the climate. Some parts of the world with periods of cold climate,
such as northern Basically people living in particular areas developed
their own types of sausage and that sausage became associated with the area. For example Bologna originated in the town of
Bologna in Northern Italy, Lyons sausage from Lyons in France and Berliner sausage from Berlin in Germany, in England they
became associated with the county's, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Lincolnshire, Cumberland Etc. TYPES
OF SAUSAGE Cooked Sausage Made with fresh meats and then fully cooked. The
sausage is either eaten immediately after cooking or must be refrigerated and is usually reheated before eating. Examples
include Braunschweiger, Veal sausage and Liver sausage. Cooked Smoked Sausage Much the same as cooked sausage, but it is cooked
and then smoked, or smoke-cooked. It can be eaten hot or cold, but is stored in the refrigerator. Examples include Wieners,
Kielbasa and Fresh Sausage Made from meats that have not been previously cured.
This sausage must be refrigerated and thoroughly cooked before eating. Examples include Boerewors, Italian Pork sausage, Fresh
Beef sausage and the British Banger. Fresh Smoked Sausage This is fresh sausage that is smoked. After smoking,
the sausage can then be refrigerated and cooked thoroughly before eating. Examples include Mettwurst and Roumanian sausage.
Dry Sausage Made from a selection of meats. These are the most
complicated of all sausages to make, as the drying process has to be carefully controlled. Once produced this type of sausage
can be readily eaten, and will keep for very long periods under refrigeration. Examples include Salami’s and Summer
sausage. BRITISH SAUSAGES This is also commonly known as "Bangers" they are
a fresh pork sausage and all have a certain amount of bread crumb in them, the predominant flavour is derived from sage, Irish
sausages are very similar. They are traditionally stuffed into Hog casings. ITALIAN SAUSAGE This is the sausage of pizza and can be frozen
in bulk or stuffed into hog casings for sandwiches. The predominant flavour is derived from fennel and the meat is pork. BRATWURST This is the sausage of Octoberfest. It is made
from pork and veal and a long list of spices. In this country it is stuffed into hog casings
but in parts of SUMMER SAUSAGE, SALAMI & BEER STICKS These are fermented sausages made from pork and
beef. Summer is cooked, Salami is dried and beer sticks can be either. Smoking is optional. The Summer can be stuffed into fibrous casings
or beef middles for the traditional size. They can also be stuffed into sheep casings for beer sticks. As there is a great
deal of shrinking in Salami, they can not be stuffed in fibrous casings. LIVER SAUSAGE & BRAUNSCHWEIGER These are cured sausages made from pork liver,
pork hearts and pork. Braunschweiger is smoked after cooking hence the "braun" in the name. They are best stuffed into beef middles as fibrous
casings do not shrink with the sausage CASINGS My favourites are sheep casings for English sausage
and brats, pig casings for Polish, fibrous casings for summer sausage and beef middles for salami. The choices are endless
and only with experience can one decide what works best for you. You can group all casings into 2 general classes,
Natural and Man made. Natural casings are the intestines of animals, more specifically those of Cows, Hogs, and lamb or sheep.
Man made are those that are pretty much made from anything else, cellulose, collagen, fibrous, muslin and the catch all synthetic. Man made casings need little or no preparation.
Fibrous need to be soaked before use, but that is the extent of the preparation. Natural casings are another story. They can come
in a package of brine or in a heavily salted brine/water paste, or even in a cake of salt. These need to be pre-treated before
use. The first reason is to dilute the salt to a palatable level, and to prevent them from getting so tough that you need
a chainsaw to cut through them. Take the natural casings from the package, and
place them in a large bowl. They sometimes have a plastic ring they are tied around. Spread them out, and examine the way
they are bound. Separate the amount that you will need (be excessive) for your sausage project (don't worry, any leftovers
can be added back to the package). Place the casings to be used in a second bowl, and fill with as much water as you can.
Let them soak for a few minutes then drain and refill. Then place a few inches of water in the sink (drain plug needed here).
Drain the casings again, place in the sink. Take a casing, open one end and fill the entire casing with water from the tap.
Do it for one whole length, then drop it and move to the next one, basically flush the inside. Be careful, because they will
knot up on you. Leave them in the sink of water, and then withdraw what you need as you are ready to stuff it. After they are stuffed, you need to remove all
the air pockets. If you do not, you will end up with pockets of grease, that will make the whole thing will not look uniform
and may even make for a lumpy looking sausage. What you use to poke the casings with is your business, a knitting needle is
to large, but the tip of a knife, a sewing needle or pin, an ice pick or a sausage pricker does the trick. Man Made Obviously, man made means anything that doesn't
come around in nature and man has had a hand in it somehow. Collagen. I call this a man made casing, but it is of natural ingredients. Cattle hide has two layers,
the hair side and the flesh side. The hide is split, giving you the leather for your shoes, purses and wallets, and the flesh
side is dried, ground and dissolved and reformed into casings. It is a natural product, but you can't just cut it out of a
cow, thereby my definition it is man made. These things are formed into tubes, with a definite
diameter, and are extremely uniform. IF exactly uniform sausage, cut to exactly the same lengths are essential for your sausage
use these. The only variation in your sausages will be your packing them to uniform tightness, which is not an easy thing
to do by hand. Occasionally you can find a place that will sell you a sleeve or two, but generally you have to buy a whole
box. You can get these in clear and mahogany coloured, and they come in a range of size for a particular type of sausage.
Sizes range from 18 to 32 mm. The 21 mm ones are useful to make pepperoni sticks. The sticks work great and are a whole lot
easier than using sheep casings, on a negative note, if you over stuff one, it splits a long way and is a pain to recover
from. Oh, did I mention that they ARE edible? Fibrous. Are used to make dry and semi dry sausages, and have fibbers running the breadth and length of
them. They allow for a much tighter packing of the meat on the inside, and generally have a protein inner lining, that makes
removing them easy along with allowing them to shrink to fit as the sausage dries. They come in sizes ranging from 37mm to
150mm in diameter and varying lengths. They usually need some sort of soak time to make them usable. They are usually factory
tied at one end, and need a special knot when you tie the other end, so that the knot won't unravel and cause the interior
to drop to the floor. Synthetic. Plastic, or something so close it doesn't matter. Advantages are that it need no special care
before use, can be cut uniform, so that all packages are the same size and weight and can be packed super tight. And you can
find them in just about any size, shape or colour you desire. Disadvantages? Don't plan on smoking anything in them, the smoke
will stain the plastic, but the flavour will also stay on the plastic and not get to the meat. Natural Casings How people came up with using the guts of animals
I will never really know, but it sort of follows that if you intend to use the whole animal, that these parts need to be used
for something. The internals that are used for sausage casings are obtained commercially, and are thoroughly cleaned and packed
in salt or salt brine that allows for refrigerated storage for an almost indefinite period of time. Sorting, Rinsing, Applying Natural casings come in a wide variety of sizes
and are usually sold by the bundle or hank or half hank. The bundle or hank is about 80 metres, and will hold about 20 Kg
of meat (sheep/lamb casing) or about 50 Kg of meat in the medium sized hog casing. There is no way to determine, except through
trial and error how much casing is needed for a batch of meat. So take what you think you need plus about 50% and place the
rest back in the fridge, then clean a strand as you go, clean it, stuff it and go to the next. Any leftovers go back into
the original bag with maybe a teaspoon more salt, and then vacuum seal the bag if you can to help make the odour in the fridge
stay at a level that is appealing to the nose. Specific sausages call for specific casings, the
recipes usually tell you what to use, but in general the following will help you determine what casing to use for what sausage. These casings are usually heavily salted and require
some preparation prior to use. Soaking, rinsing are a few items to consider, not to mention the unravelling of them. My first
batch took me almost 2 hours to unravel and frustrated the dickens out of me, but then I just took them out and started pulling.
I HIGHLY recommend laying them out, and figuring out how they were bundled before trying to remove one, it'll save you a whole
lot of time. Beef. Casings are used for sausages that require thicker than normal casings, and usually are not eaten with
the product. Beef Bungs come in sizes from 85mm to over 125mm,
and are used for Capocolla, Veal Sausage, Large Bologna, Lebanon and cooked Salami's. Beef Bladders range in size from 135mm inches to
over 250mm and are used for Mortadella or for minced (ground) speciality sausages. Beef Middles range in size from 43mm to over 110mm
and come as natural whole product or can be sewn to increase the size. They are used for all other types of bologna Leona
style sausage, dry and semi-dry Cervelats, dry and cooked salami and also for veal sausage. Beef Rounds or Beef Rings from 28 mm to over 44
mm and are used for Ring Bologna, Ring Liver Sausage, Mettwurst, Polish Sausage, Blood Sausage, Kishka and Holsteiner Sausages. Hog. Are probably the most widely used and are the most common ones found when you go to buy "casings". They
are usually by the bundle and are strung through a plastic ring as a group. If care is not taken upon opening the package,
you can spend HOURS trying to untangle these things. Casings range in size from just under 32mm and
go to just over 44 mm, and are used for Country Style Sausage, Linked Hot sausage, Large Frankfurters, Kishka, Kielbasa and
Pepperoni. Bungs come in 2 varieties "Regular" and "Sewn".
The Regular bungs are about 1 inch in diameter, give or take a quarter inch or so. The Sewn range in size of 2.5 to 4 inches.
Bungs are used in making Liver Sausage, Braunschweiger, Middles are the part of the pig that is referred
to as Chitterlings (Chitlin's). I don't have any size but they are used for Liver Sausage and Italian Salami. Lamb. or sheep casings are usually a nice white colour, relatively strong for how flimsy they look and are
the most tender of natural casings when it comes to eating them. They range in size from 16 to just over 26 mm and are used
for most pork sausages, hot dogs and for sausage sticks. CURES The subject that seems to cause the most confusion
to beginners is that of cures. They come in various forms and with various names but the bottom line is that one type contains
sodium nitrite and the other contains sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. The generic name for the former is Prague Powder
No 1 and the latter is No 2. These go under various trade names but are always recognised by the Prague No 1 is used for cured sausages that fall
into the semidry category in addition to other cooked products such as "boiled" ham. Prague No 2 is used for dried sausages
and country cured hams and bacon. Both of these powders are combined with enough salt so that they can be measured out by
the teaspoon for recipes. They are also coloured pink to distinguish them from common salt In addition to the anti-bactericidal effects of
cures, the most obvious effect of cures is the pink colour of the finished product. These cures are inexpensive and readily available
from the many sources of sausage making supplies. FERMENTATION Fermentation is another subject that has been much
maligned in the amateur literature. It is either ignored completely, declared too complicated for amateurs or quack substitutes
such as "Fermento" are recommended. As mentioned above, fermentation adds a taste element that simply can not be duplicated
any other way. Furthermore, the lactic acid produced by the fermentation provides the sausage with an additional weapon against
spoilage. Cured sausage without this step is about analogous to beer without alcohol. Prior to modern times, sausages where hung up to
cure and with luck, the appropriate lactic acid producing bacteria would happen along and colonise the sausage and produce
the needed fermentation. Unfortunately, as in winemaking, trusting to luck often produces unpleasant surprises. Contrary to the popular literature, the fermentation
step is no more complicated than adding yeast to bread. In fact the culture is sold in foil packages just like yeast and stored
in a freezer. It is inexpensive to begin with and only 1/8 tsp. is required for a 5-pound batch. Because of all the misinformation,
and the biggest problem was finding a source for the culture you can experimenting with cheese cultures. They work fine but
if you can fined a source for the proper sausage culture it would be better. In use, the culture is mixed with a little water
and sugar and then mixed in (along with the spices) with the meat mixture. After stuffing, the sausage is held at around 32C
overnight for the fermentation to take place. This can be done in a smoker, oven with the light on or just take a little longer
at room temperature. The sausage is then smoked, cooked or dried according to the recipe. There simply is no excuse for not
fermenting if the type of sausage calls for it and that is just about all sausage except fresh. SMOKING Long ago, while meat was drying on the racks in
the sun, someone came up with the idea of lighting a small fire under the racks to keep the flies and other bugs away from
the drying meat. At first the fires were small and used any green woods available to create just a light smoke that would
do the job. Well they sure were surprised at the added flavour, so they continued the process, trying deferent woods to find
the ones with the best flavour. Eventually, they determined that the fires also
sped up the drying time of the meats they were smoking to preserve all winter long. Then applying a little salt or other spices
made for an even better taste and then along came the other spices and then brining was created. Although the spices and brine add the majority
of the flavours when making sausage and smoked foods, the smoke is what makes it stand out from the rest of the stuff you
can consume. So What is smoke? It used to be part of the preservation
effort, before refrigeration. Now it is used primarily as a flavour enhancement WHEN it is in fact smoked. Commercial entities
add preservatives of a chemical nature to the meat, usually add some liquid smoke, steam cook it and sell it to you as a "Smoked
product". In the cloud of smoke there are minuscule droplets
of chemicals (natural chemicals that is) such as carbolic acids, ketoses, phenols and others that condense out on the meat
surface. Some of these will be absorbed into the meat the same way salt works its way into the meat when brined, others just
stay on the surface and add that smoky flavour we all love. The chemicals also prevent the formation of bacteria and other
micro organisms that cause the food decay. They also work with the salt and the cure to prevent the fat from turning rancid.
I just mentioned the prevention of the formation of bacteria, and that is a fact, it will not kill the critters already in
a piece of meat that has already started to turn bad. Most sausages (fresh and dry) are smoked to add
flavour, not to dry out the meat. Ensure that the surface is dry (this applies to meat, fish and sausages) before placing
in the smoker or the smoke will not condense out evenly on the surface of the product. Smoke fresh sausages to a deep dark
mahogany colour then be sure to refrigerate, remember this is for flavour only. For dry sausages, smoke to get the flavour
you want, not to exceed about 90 degrees or so, then continue the DRYING process with cool air just like the recipes call
for. To Soak or not to Soak? Chips, chunks or logs?
I use a mixture of Sawdust, chips and chunks. I do soak mine, in water for about an hour before use. Why? Because, I have
found that if dampened the airflow is restricted, I get a much more mellow flavour. With to much air, or not pre-soaked, I
get a much stronger, bitter flavour. Soaking and style of wood used should be left to personal preference, and I suggest you
it try all ways and decide what is best for you. Smokers come in all shapes and sizes and are not
difficult to make. There are many sources on the web for information on them. You should get one that's capable of fermenting
at 32C, smoking at 71C and cook at 142C which are the basic numbers needed for most sausage and ham. BASIC SAUSAGE MAKING PROCESS This can be broken down into 4 main steps: mincing (grinding) the meat Adding of spices and flavourings Stuffing the casings Storing One thing we advocate is that you must keep your
meat as cold as possible throughout the sausage making process. Before and after each step of the process refrigerate the
meat and keep it as stiff as possible without actually freezing it. When mincing (grinding) the meat, if you use warm or soft
meat, it tends to be mashed through the mincing (grinding) plates, turn mushy and lose all of the juice in the meat. You will
also notice that once meat has been minced (ground) there is far more surface area for bacteria to develop, which is another
good reason to keep it cold. Mincing the Meat Make sure that you cut your meat to fit the size
of your mincer (grinder) ‘funnel’. Then refrigerate the cubed meat. Get the mincer (grinder) and dishes for the
minced (ground) meat set-up on your work surface. Take the meat out of the refrigerator and mince (grind), working as quickly
as possible. Cover the minced (ground) meat and return to the refrigerator or freezer, to chill down again. Adding of Spices and Flavourings We use two different methods of adding spices to
the sausage: Adding the spices to the cubed meat before mincing
(grinding). This way when you mince (grind) the meat the spices are evenly distributed throughout the meat. If using this
method we like to add the spices to the cubed meat the night before your mince (grind). This allows more of the flavours to
work their way into the meat. Adding the spices to the minced (ground) meat.
You must be careful when using this method that you mix the spices thoroughly into the minced (ground) meat. The trick is
not to compact the meat together too tightly when you do this. Again, keeping the minced (ground) meat very cold prior to
adding the spices makes a big difference. Put the meat back into the refrigerator once you
have finished adding the spices. Stuffing the Casings Follow the instructions for Preparing Casings for
Stuffing depending on which casings you are using. After flushing the casings we like to keep them
in a bowl of warm water next to the sausage stuffier. The warm water keeps the casing lubricated when you feed it onto the
stuffing horn. Select the stuffing horn that is best suited to the thickness of the casing you are using. Find the end of
a casing and slip this over the end of the stuffing horn. Push the casing over the stuffing horn towards the sausage stuffier,
so that it forms an accordion-like pleat. Keep the casing wet throughout this process or it will not slide back on the stuffing
horn very easily. Leave some of the casing hanging over the horn.
Start stuffing the sausage meat into the casing. You will need to regulate the flow of sausage into the casing, which will
determine how tightly packed the sausage is. If you try and pack the sausage too tightly the casing will burst. If the casing
does burst, tie it off at that point and start again. To regulate the flow of sausage hold the casing on the stuffing horn
with your thumb and forefinger. Increasing or decreasing finger pressure on the casing will determine how tightly and consistently
the sausage is packed. As the sausage comes out of the stuffing horn,
you can tie the ends at regular intervals or make links by twisting the sausage. Sausage like Boerewors is made in one continuous
piece, which is coiled for storage. Storing After stuffing the sausage into the casings, we
like to hang the sausage. This allows the casings to dry properly as well as gives the flavours in the sausage time to develop.
We turn the central air conditioning up full until the house gets really cold. Cover a broom handle with aluminium foil and
straddle between two chairs. Hang the fresh sausage over the broom handle until the casings are dry. Make sure that the sausage
stays cool, or bacteria will develop. If the sausage has a lot of liquid it will drip from the casings as they dry, so you
may want to put something down on the floor to catch the drippings. When freezing sausage, you should place the sausage
in zip-up type plastic bags. Use a straw to suck out as much of the air as possible. Seal the bag and freeze the sausage quickly
to lock in the flavour. We use a vacuum sealer for this purpose which works very well, and makes for an attractive presentation
if you are dishing out sausage to your friends as gifts. Types and Cuts of meat for Sausage making In older times, any thing that wasn't for a specific
purpose went into sausage. For pork, you had your hams, chops, ribs and roasts, You had your bacon, but what about all the
other parts of meat that were left over? For Beef, you have roasts, steaks, briskets, ribs,
and hamburger. Meat loaf gets old and so does those fried/grilled burgers, so what to do with it that'll be most tasty? mince (grind) it, Spice it, stuff it, then cook
and enjoy. There are some cuts of meat that make for nice sausages without the hassle of trying to find lean meat then fat
for it. Cuts that take the guess work from fat
to lean rations Pork - Boston Butts or Pork shoulder. These are approximately 75% lean to 25% fat which is perfect for almost
any type of fresh sausage. You can purchase these boneless or bone in... Bone in is cheaper, just be sure to weigh the actual
meat for proper amounts before starting the process. Beef - Chuck Roast, 7 bone roast, Blade cut roast, pot roast or any cuts form the shoulder or chuck works
just great as is with the correct % of lean to fat. Veal - Any cut of veal is good to use, especially if you are going to make Bratwurst. But unfortunately,
it's too damn expensive unless you have access to some home butchered. Fat In the course of a normal day/diet, if you were
to separate out the fat from all the products that you eat, the average person consumes 8 tablespoons of fat. Can you imagine
sitting down to the table and eating that with a spoon? Well, not to get to carried away, fat is necessary for good health.
Certain vitamins are carried through the body while it is processing fat. It is beyond the scope of this site to teach the
benefits of saturated and/or unsaturated fats, I just wanted you to know that while sausages are somewhat fatty, they can
fit into a normal diet and be enjoyed. Fat is necessary in sausage to give it the textures
and flavour that we know and love. I know that when you take an extremely lean cut of meat and salt/pepper it then cook it,
not only does it taste like leather, it has the same texture. So fat, taken in properly, is not only needed for good health,
it is necessary for flavour. A
list of tools & equipment that is needed to make Sausages A
standard kitchen Specifically a decent assortment of sharp knives,
measuring cups/spoons, mixing utensils and a small weight scale. A food processor, mixer or one of those "outboard motor"
hand held things. A garlic press is useful if you prefer to use fresh garlic and last but not least a spice/coffee grinder.
I have two of them, one for all the spices I grind and pulverise, and one for coffee since I can't get the spice flavours
out of the first one. Plastic
containers I use 20 Litre square tubs and 20 Litre buckets.
You need lids to prevent drying out and to prevent the other foods in the refrigerator from acquiring the flavour of the sausage.
Do not use any of the metal ones, since the brines tend to corrode/discolour these but most important, the metal leaves an
after taste that is not too appealing in the sausage. Wood
or sturdy plastic stirring instruments I use wooden spoons or spatulas. I also have a
bag or two of surgical gloves (Bought wholesale). There are times where a stirring instrument cannot or will not get you the
even mixing you want, so using the gloves, resort to mixing the meat by hand. I also use these when I am packing the stuffer.
Air pockets tend to do weird things to casings when they explode out of the stuffer. Cotton
twine or string The twine is used to tie off the ends of the sausage
although I have just used the casing to tie over itself to make a knot. But in the case of a rupture, the twine makes for
a quick fix. Meat
mincer (grinder) I am currently using a Kenwood Chef, with a mincer
(grinder) attachment. A
stuffer You can get these as a push rod type, a hand crank
type, and electric model or even a hydraulic one. Your budget should be your guide, I use the attachment that fits onto the
Kenwood Chef mincer (grinder). An
ice pick or other pointed poker Sewing needles work, but your hands do tend to
get a little greasy so this gets very, very tedious. Equipment
for Smoking foods Muslin/cheesecloth bags, Small cross sectioned
racks, Hanging hooks I have made some from old coat hangers. Rods or poles in the smoker, Last but not least
a smoker, commercially made or home made, what type really doesn't matter as long as it does what you want it to do.
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