Weekend in the Kitchen

[blacktail]

Finished up a couple small batches of sausages yesterday
Elk salami and pepperoni

[AxeMan]

OMG, those look good!

[Sonny]

A chunk of pepperoni in one hand and a beer in the other while sitting around a campfire...that's livin'..

[Alberta_huntress_83]

Holy Wow! Those look AWESOME! Good job!!!! I so want crackers, cheese and some of that right now lol. Breakfast of champions lol!

Do you use any kits or do that all on your own? Do you use pork? What's your choice of binder? What do you use for cure? What kinda wood did you smoke 'em with? Sorry to ask but how else will we learn.....those look to die for!

[Tuc]

Looking good!

[blacktail]

Holy Wow! Those look AWESOME! Good job!!!! I so want crackers, cheese and some of that right now lol. Breakfast of champions lol!

Do you use any kits or do that all on your own? Do you use pork? What's your choice of binder? What do you use for cure? What kinda wood did you smoke 'em with? Sorry to ask but how else will we learn.....those look to die for!

I have used both kits and my own recipes for sausage for 25 years
These were made from kits I that came with binder and cure included.
I do not use pork or beef fat as I think it gives an off taste.  I use ground pork at 20% ( 2 pounds of ground pork with 8 pounds of venison)
I like fresh sausage so I only make up smaller batches and when it is used up I make more.

I use either alder or apple chips in a smoker.I have also done sausages in the oven at a low temp to dry them out and use a dehydrater regularly as well.

Yes they do taste absolutely fantabulous!!
 

[Alberta_huntress_83]

Thanks Blacktail!

One more quick question....where do you get your kits from? I've tried kits from DnR in Calgary, and he makes them all himself and I've really enjoyed kits from there, but the only drawback I found was the salt content. I had to scale it back so it wasn't so salty.

I have to agree on the pork and beef fat, as now I find a beef steak tastes more "gamey" to me than a deer steak! But that's cuz we are use to eating clean meat, and beef isn't clean anymore.  I've heard from a few other sausage makers that they tried duck/goose or chicken fat instead of pork....I've never mixed a flying critter with a hooved critter in sausage but might give 'er a whirl if enough ppl have said they had successes with it.

And I also agree with you that small batches are the way to go. It kinda sucks to have 120lbs of the same kinda sausage lol. Takes up a lot of space, and you get tired of them. Plus then u gotta eat them before they go freezer burnt or taste old. Fresh is always better. Ill have to give alder wood a burn, I've never tried it (yet). I brought some nice cherry wood back from BC to hopefully do up some sausage next. Haven't tried cherry yet, but worth a try!

Thanks again for sharing your weekend in the kitchen, I think this is just fabulous to see and learn from!

[unclebuck]

Blacktail, that is some fine looking accoutrement to some wobblies!!!  I have tried the premix spices from both Halford and Butchers & Packers, however, I end up using freshly ground whole spices that I get from Halford.  I have used this site for some of the sausage that I make, but by and large, I add or take away from the spicing, depending on how "yes dear" critiques the results.

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing/methods

A very informative and detailed site, to say the least.

[blacktail]

Thanks for the Buck

I get a lot of my kits from Halfords but as you mention I do like to mix my own spices as well
I have a sausage making book here that I have had for years that I have tried and altered recipes for and have great success.
I have also forgon the smoker and dried out sausages in the oven or dehydrator too...works pretty good when the temperature outside is in the minus stupid region!!

[walleyes]

Looks like some fine eats there blacktail.

[blacktail]

yup little salami is already gone!!