sausage-makng-msg - 12/26/09 General information and suggestions on making sausages. Sources for sausage making supplies. NOTE: See also the files: haggis-msg, meat-smoked-msg, butchering-msg, pig-to-sausag-art, sausages-msg, chopped-meat-msg, meat-pies-msg, meat-stuffed-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 00:08:54 -0400 From: "Robert Newmyer" Subject: Re: SC - Ready to smoke! Sorry no recipes but I have found a good source for smoking and sausage-making supplies: The Sausagemaker 1500 Clinton Street, Bldg. 123 Buffalo, NY 14206 Phone: 716-824-6510 Also this site sells smoking chips, sounds very interesting. Woodbridge and Vintage Barrel Chips - made exclusively from recycled 100% American French Oak wine barrels, which for years have been used in the aging of fine wines. http://www.woodbridgechips.com/ Griffith Allt y Genlli Bob Newmyer rnewmyer at epix.net Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 10:31:35 -0500 From: maddie teller-kook Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation Melissa Martines wrote: > Second, I have the recipe for the sausage, I have a smoker lined up, I > have even ascertained that the Kroger butcher will give me intestines > for casing (althought THAT caused a few lifted eyebrow :) ). What I'm > not sure about is how to actually squeeze the ground meat product into > the intestines. A pastry tube perhaps? Any other suggestions? You can purchase a 'sausage stuffer'. It looks like a funnel with a wide tip (well, as wide as you want the sausage to be). You put the casing on the tip... pushing it on until you have about an inch or so.. .tie a knot. You can then add the ground sausage meat thru the funnel pushing with a dowel... as each ''link'' gets to the size you want... twist it to form the end of the link, then start pushing more meat through. OR, if you have a Kitchen-Aid with the food grinder attachment, there is a sausage stuffer attachment that fits into the grinder ..... it is much faster!!!Good Luck! Meadhbh Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 11:44:59 -0400 From: waks at world.std.com (Jane Waks) Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation >Melissa Martines wrote: >> not sure about is how to actually squeeze the ground meat product into >> the intestines. A pastry tube perhaps? Any other suggestions? > >You can purchase a 'sausage stuffer'. It looks like a funnel with a wide tip >(well, as wide as you want the sausage to be). You put the casing on the tip... Or you can cut the top off a plastic 1 or 2 liter soda bottle and make your own wide-necked funnel. Then fit the sausage casing over the neck of the bottle. (idea courtesy Lady Arianwen ferch Gawaine, who needed half a dozen such funnels at once for a pre-event sausage-making party) Caitlin Davies Carolingia, EK Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 11:39:57 -0500 From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert) Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation El-cheapo sausage stuffer: get one of those plastic bag type cake decorating things from the grocery store, bore out one of the tips, then pull the casing over the tip. Fill the bag with the sausage and squeeze like hell. More work than the mechanical ones, but a lot cheaper. WAJDI Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 10:19:21 -0700 From: "needlwitch at msn.com" Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation >Second, I have the recipe for the sausage, I have a smoker lined up, I >have even ascertained that the Kroger butcher will give me intestines >for casing (althought THAT caused a few lifted eyebrow :) ). What I'm >not sure about is how to actually squeeze the ground meat product into >the intestines. A pastry tube perhaps? Any other suggestions? One other thing to remember is that when you work with real intestines, you want to wash them thouroghly, and keep them moist. Also, they tear much easier, so they are much more prone to blowouts. Thorbjorn the Cook Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 14:37:24 -0400 From: Jeff Botkins Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation needlwitch at msn.com wrote: > One other thing to remember is that when you work with real intestines, you > want to wash them thouroghly, and keep them moist. Also, they tear much > easier, so they are much more prone to blowouts. > Thorbjorn the Cook What works well is to make sure you soak your casings in warm water with some salt in it for a bit before you start stuffing.... Also, you should seperate and unknot your casings well ahead of time to avoid frustration... After you do that, it's helpful to run water through them to sort of make sure the kinks and such are worked out...you can do this with your faucet running at just a trickle (use warm water)... Jeff (the former meatcutter/sausagemaker) Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 14:00:38 -0500 From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert) Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation Jeff Botkins wrote: > After you do that, it's helpful to run water through them to sort of > make sure the kinks and such are worked out...you can do this with your > faucet running at just a trickle (use warm water)... Running water thru the skins will also show you where the pinholes are, before you waste time stuffing them. WAJDI Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 16:05:16 -0400 From: Jeff Botkins Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation William Seibert wrote: > Running water thru the skins will also show you where the pinholes are, before > you waste time stuffing them. > WAJDI You Betcha !! Tho, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to ditch the whole casing, just cut it off where the tear is... You might end up with some shorter ones, but if you're going to link it, it shouldn't be a prob... Jeff (who just loves all this talk about sausage-making !) Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 15:10:18 EDT From: Mordonna22 at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation mmartines at brighthorizons.com writes: > Second, I have the recipe for the sausage, I have a smoker lined up, I > have even ascertained that the Kroger butcher will give me intestines > for casing (althought THAT caused a few lifted eyebrow :) ). hmmm, a better idea is commercially packaged goat or sheep intestines. We used to get ours from the general store under the Morton's brand (yes, the salt people). These are sold in salt in plastic tubs. Salting toughens them, so they are FAR easier to work with than fresh hog guts. And they are of a size more readily recognizable as "sausage" and more homogenous. Hog guts are so easy to tear that they seldom survive the cleaning process without holes. And the guts from one hog can vary in diameter from 1 inch to eight or more. We did occasionally use hog guts to stuff the pudding meats, but never for sausage. Mordonna Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 16:05:21 -0400 From: Jeff Botkins Subject: Sausage casings was Re: SC - Food Preservation From the perspective of someone who used to be in the sausage-making business: Hog casings are the general rule with most sausages the size of kielbasa and bratwurst.... Sheep casings are generally used for viennas/hot dogs, that sort of thing..... Beef bungs are used for big bolognas and such..... Your summer sausages and cooked salamis generally use a collagen or synthetic casing..... In many places, you can buy hog casings in a form commonly referred to as "cup casings"...these are more or less odds and ends pieces and they are packed in salt... Your butcher will generally buy his hog casings fresh packed in salt by the "hank:... A hank is about 3 pounds or so and the amount of sausage you can make varies with the diameter.. You have 4 general sizes of hog casings: 29-32 mm -- used for franks, or link breakfast sausage (country sausage)--makes 90-100 lbs. 32-35 mm -- used for some bratwurst, bockwurst and italian sausage--makes up to 115 lbs. 35-38 mm -- used for some knockwurst, kielbasa (polish sausage), etc.--makes about 125 lbs. 38-42 mm -- largest available (diameter is 1 1/2 - 2"), used for bigger kielbasa, some summer sausage, liverwurst and ring bologna.-- makes up to 140 lbs. Sheep casings generally come in 2 sizes: 22-24 mm -- used for pork link sausage--makes 50-60 lbs. 24-26 mm -- used for winers/hot dogs -- makes 60-70 lbs. Beef bungs are used for big bologna, cooked salami, lebanon salami, etc. --are approx 4 to 4 1/2" in diameter, and each casing holds 8 to10 lbs. There's a ton more info I can come up with if anyone wants it, incl info on beef and hog middles, synthetic casings, collagen casings, etc. I pretty much get most of my sausage-making stuff mail order from a supplier in Buffalo, NY (The Sausage Maker)... I have the phone number and address for anyone who'd like it.....their prices are pretty reasonable. They also sell a variety of grinders, slicers, stuffers, smokers and spices....etc. Jeff Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 21:57:36 EDT From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Food Preservation upsxdls at okway.okstate.edu writes: << Slide the casing over the tube end of the stuffer. Tie a knot in the end of the casing. >> For clarification purposes only> Push all of the casing over the end of the stuffer. It will bunch up together. Pull a couple of inches off the tube then tie the knot./ Push the extra casing back unto the tube until the knot is firmly against the end of the sausage stuffer. Then proceed to push the stuffing through the tube into the casing tying off with string or twisting the filled casing in the lengths you desire. If you do not wish to make small sausages by twisting or tying coil the sausage as it is filled, tying off the other end when it is reached. Ras Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 15:11:57 -0600 From: "Decker, Margaret" Subject: FW: SC - making sausages Dottie Elliott wrote: I have been learning to make various sausages (form period sources) and I need a little advice. When I am stuffing them I twist the sausage skin several times between each link and it holds for awhile. Yet while cooking, some of the links untwist. It still tastes fine but doesn't look as nice. I tried tieing each link with string until after it was cooked and that worked but it takes a lot of string and time. Is there a trick to twisting the links I don't know? Clarissa Try knotting the casing as you would thread instead of twisting. Margarite Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1998 09:09:25 +0000 From: Robyn Probert Subject: Re: FW: SC - making sausages >Clarissa wrote: >I have been learning to make various sausages (form period sources) and I >need a little advice. When I am stuffing them I twist the sausage skin >several times between each link and it holds for awhile. Yet while cooking, >some of the links untwist. It still tastes fine but doesn't look as nice. I >tried tieing each link with string until after it was cooked and that worked >but it takes a lot of string and time. Is there a trick to twisting the >links I don't know? Try tying several strings of sausages together (4 is common) every few links Rowan Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 20:30:56 -0500 From: "Philippa Alderton" Subject: Re: SC - making sausages May I suggest that the trick is not in the twisting, but in the stuffing? Most sausages when they cook, expand, and this expansion will push against the twist, since the contents have to go somewhere, and out the casing isn't first choice. Try stuffing less into the casing, and try pricking the casing when cooking, so the hot juices may escape. Phlip Caer Frig Barony of the Middle Marches Middle Kingdom Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 08:07:53 EST From: Mordonna22 at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - Sausage mmartines at brighthorizons.com writes: > Well, I can't figure out how much fat to the meat should be used. For > example, if I use 5 lbs. of pork, how much fat? Also, what KIND of fat? Standard practice back home was 1 part lean meat to 1 part fat. Pork fat is preferred for pork sausage. Mordonna Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 09:51:00 -0500 From: "Kappler, MMC Richard A." Subject: SC - sausage stuffing Clarissa asked:Is there a trick to twisting the links I don't know? Milady, are you using real or artificial casings? I myself use natural casings (out of personal preference and so m'lord Ras will continue to admit, on occasion, that he knows me ;-) and have never had a problem with them untwisting provided everything was tight, tidy and WELL washed. I do have a German friend in the Bay area though, who taught me most of what I know of sausage making, who actually ties the skins in a knot at the end of each link. Understand, this takes much practice and more dexrterity, and I myself prefer the twist (lazy lil Pucker that I am). Essentially what he does is, as he fills each link, he pulls the casing off the filler tube a ways, and then quite deftly ties a knot by feeding everything thru on itself. Not difficult to do, but very difficult to do well in order to avoid air pocket and such. Hope this helps. Regards, Puck Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 19:13:15 -0600 From: "Debra Hense" Subject: SC - making sausages Are you aways twisting them all in the same direction? If so, you need to reverse the twist each time, one link towards you, the next link twist away from you. Or, a couple of twist to the right, then on the next link, a couple of twists to the left. Sorta like: | -> twist | <- twist | -> twist | This should help prevent the untwisting while cooking. Kateryn de Develyn Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 01:20:47 -0500 From: Philip & Susan Troy Subject: Re: SC - making sausages Dottie Elliott wrote: > I have been learning to make various sausages (form period sources) and I > need a little advice. When I am stuffing them I twist the sausage skin > several times between each link and it holds for awhile. Yet while > cooking, some of the links untwist. It still tastes fine but doesn't > look as nice. I tried tieing each link with string until after it was > cooked and that worked but it takes a lot of string and time. Is there a > trick to twisting the links I don't know? Twisting the casings more than maybe two complete twists places a great deal of stress on the casing. I'm coming into this discussion a bit late, but I wanted to respond to some responses you've already received. My own experience has been that it's best to twist the links in alternating opposite directions, and tie them with a continuous length of string, roughly 1 1/2 times as long as your string of sausage. Have you ever examined the way a butcher ties up a roast, using one piece of string? It's a lot like that. Use one end to tie the end of your casings, even if you've knotted the casings. (Don't fill them too full, but be sure there are no air bubbles, which are easier and better to expel before sealing the ends than to prick the thing full of holes. Sausages don't really expand when cooking, and hot dogs don't "plump when you cook 'em", either! What happens is simply that the casing shrinks rapidly, which, if it's not stuffed too tightly, is rarely a problem, but a tight casing, especially one full of expanding air, which becomes a problem a lot sooner than steam does; who cooks sausages to 212 degrees inside?) Run your string along the first link, wrap it around the first twist and under itself and out again, then along the second link, and so on until you've got all the links tied off. The great advantage of using this method is with things like liver sausages and black puddings: they often won't support their own weight without help, and it is a source of unending despair to have your black puds bust open not because you broke the casings while poaching them, but because you weren't careful enough lifting them out of the pot. With the string properly tied, you can lift that string of links out of the pot by the string without straining the casings too much. Yes, it uses a lot of string. No, it's not that time consuming once you get your fingers accustomed to the task. If using a lot of string is a problem, make sure you use cheap, thin cotton twine, which is what butchers use anyway. Adamantius Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 07:16:58 -0600 From: kallie at zebra.net (Kathleen Ashcraft) Subject: Re: SC - making sausages Philip & Susan Troy wrote: > My own experience has been that it's best to twist the links in > alternating opposite directions, and tie them with a continuous length > of string, roughly 1 1/2 times as long as your string of sausage. Have > you ever examined the way a butcher ties up a roast, using one piece of > string? It's a lot like that. Use one end to tie the end of your > casings, even if you've knotted the casings. An alternative to this, if you're using natural casing, is to take one of the casings that end up with pinholes in it (and one will, rest assured), and trim out about 6 to 8 inches to either side of the pinhole, then slice the casing into thin strips and use these to tie between links. Works for me. wajdi Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 10:21:48 -0500 From: "LHG, JRG" Subject: SC - SC-Sausage/Powder Douce >> Plastic coke bottles work wonderfully as disposable sausage >> stuffers/funnels if anyone else out there is thinking of doing some >> sausage stuffing. >Thank you. This is a wonderful idea and much cheaper than the metal meat >grinders/sausage stuffers I saw advertised. This sounds especially good >for someone who would like to try sausage making but doesn't know if they >want to do a lot of it. >Stefan li Rous Stefan, an even easier method is to use a plastic kitchen funnel. It is devoid of the ridges that could get in the way of threading the casings properly onto the stuffer tube. When you are talking 8mm casings, it's not a risk I'd want to take. BTW, Morgan, we *did* get the casings thoroughly wet before we stuffed them, right? Rinsed them quite well inside and out, getting rid of salt, if that's how they were packed? And we also used meat that had been ground and held at the proper temperatures (ie ground just at the freezing point, and mixed and used immediately) so that we wouldn't need any of that nasty prague powder that wards off bacterial infection (I hate medecine in my food)? Aoife Subject: Supplies Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1998 21:00:51 EST From: Logo65 at aol.com To: stefan at texas.net I have bought supplies from the sausage maker, but now buy from a source out of detroit. They have a catalog and a web site. Many of the http://www.butcher-packer.com/bod.htm Butcher & Packer Supply Company prices are half as much as of what the sausage maker wants. If you do a seach on the web you can probably find a supplier close to you. Eric Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 08:52:56 EST From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: SC - Sausage Casings stefan at texas.net writes: << But do they make plastic kitchen funnels with large openings? The ones I remember seeing all have snouts only about the size of a finger or less in diameter. Wouldn't this really slow down the sausage stuffing compared to that of a 2-litter or 3-litter soda bottle, which are closer in size to what I thought the sausage casing diameter is? Stefan li Rous >> Suasage cases come n varying diameters depending on the type of sausage. colon, duodenom, and the large intestine are used for larger diameter sausages, while the small intestine is used for smaller sausages. Artificial cellulose casings can also be purchased in differing sizes which generally reflect the size of the natural casing or can be had in sizes not normally associated with natural casings. Most commercial sausages are packed into cellulose casings these days but sausages packed in natural casings are by no means that rare or hard to come by. By their nature, natural casings have great elasticity and there should be no problem with easily fitting a casing made from pig's intestine over a soda bottle cap or removing it over the ridges as it tends to be rather slippery. The secret is to soak and rinse casings sufficently to rehydrate them and remove the salt in which they are packed. Large tube funnels are easily obtainable at any hardware store or agricultural supply store such as 'True Value' or 'Agway'. Also the automotive section of any variety store will have larger funnels. Simply wash the new funnel in warm soapy water, rinse thouroughly and you are ready for the sausage making experience. Ras Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1999 23:32:15 EST From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - sausage questions stefan at texas.net writes: << My question is, how do you get the internal temperature of the sausage links?>> I use one of the pocket thermometers, they are relatively inexpensive and very handy when cooking for crowds. ;-) << If you pierce the sausage casings with a meat thermometer don't the insides start leaking out of the sausages, especially if the temperature is not there yet and you have to heat them some more? >> Well...a careful reading of the ingredients list reveals eggs as an ingredient. These, combined with the starches set up almost instantly when the sausage goes into the hot liquid. In my initial try, I let the water get to hot, and had one or two burst like an overcooked hotdog. I found that if you carefully control the temperature of the liquid and do NOT let it raise above the original suggested temperature bursting never occurs. After a few batches, experience will guide you in the area of water temperature. <> That was NOT my experience. The proteins in the casing harden instantly on contact with the water. A small hole is all that the thermometer makes and I had no experience with any filling leaking out of any of those that were pierced. << And a similar question, if you cut the links apart, what keeps the sausage insides from spilling out the now open ends?>> At this point they are entirely congealed and cooked so there is no longer anything that can spill out. BTW, if you are thinking of recreating the recipe, keep mind that I like highly seasoned food halving the amount of seasoning will produce a milder and still tasty sausage. Ras Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 10:31:35 -0600 From: "Lady Di" Subject: Re: SC - sausage questions stefan at texas.net writes: << My question is, how do you get the internal temperature of the sausage links?>> As a guide, simmering for about an hour usually does the trick ;) Lady Di Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 16:57:01 EDT From: ChannonM at aol.com Subject: SC - Re: Food Processors and the lists Opinion > On Tue, 5 Sep 2000, Sue Clemenger wrote: > > Where do you buy the casings? Are they available at meat counters, or > > Last time I saw them they where in a nice packet in the frozen food > section of one of the local grocery stores. But that's in Sweden, dunno > about the states. Ask the nice people at the counter. From the info I have freezing them is a bad thing, breaks down the collagen and fibres and results in lots of holes. I bought mine at a butcher's shop in our local farmers market. If Stefan doesn''t mention this first, there are great files in the florithingy. I found some ordering info and there are some web sites devoted to the topic. Here are a few tidbits; http://www.butcher-packer.com/bod.htm -Butcher & Packer Supply Company http://www.3men.com- Recipes and great simplified instructions Hauviette Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2000 17:31:46 -0400 From: "Nicholas Sasso" Subject: Sausage casing storage (was SC - Re: Food Processors and the lists Opinion) > On Tue, 5 Sep 2000, Sue Clemenger wrote: > > Where do you buy the casings? Are they available at meat counters, or > > Last time I saw them they where in a nice packet in the frozen food > section of one of the local grocery stores. But that's in Sweden, dunno > about the states. Ask the nice people at the counter. >>> 9/5/00 4:57:01 PM >>> >From the info I have freezing them is a bad thing, breaks down the collagen and fibres and results in lots of holes. I bought mine at a butcher's shop in our local farmers market.<<>> Hauviette >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I have also had that experience of freezing destroying them. BUT (this is a great one . . .) if you keep the rascals in a strong brine, the water won't freeze, and neither does the casing. The stuff I bought from a butcher came in this intense salt water that doesn't freeze, and they are staying fine (butcher claims for a couple years after opening). I just have to rinse them pretty well to remove the salt, if desired, and then they are ready to go when at room temp. If you let the saline/brine level drop, the casings freezer burn and break really easily. I bought them by the pound, and got enough for about 100# of sausage in one hank. So far, Le Menagier's recipe has been a favorite around here (hot smoked), though I have numerous more recipes on the drawing board. I'll appreciate any recipes developed, Hauviette, and I'll post my Menagier version this evening if it isn't already webbed off my personal site. niccolo difrancesco (at least 20% fat . . . 40% is a better sausage. . . 50% is described in Le Menagier. Otherwise it gets too dry.) Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 18:41:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Huette von Ahrens Subject: Re: SC - Sausage casings Here is a website were you can buy hog and sheep casings. They claim that they have the freshest casings and will ship anywhere free. http://www.northamericanhogcasing.emerchantpro.com From looking at the price list, you can get 100 yards of casings from $17 to $21 for hog casings in various diameters and $23 for sheep casings in various diameters. Here is their address, etc.: Syracuse Casing Co. Inc. 528 Erie Blvd. W Syracuse, NY 13204 Phone (315)475-0309 Fax (315)475-8536 E-mail: makincasin at aol.com Huette Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 08:32:11 -0600 (CST) From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: rice pudding & marrow > You can go several ways, ranging from a funnel, or some variant, to an > industrial sausage stuffer, which is like an enormous hypodermic > syringe. Period cooks would probably have used a hollow, truncated cow's > horn, and there's a cool, inexpensive sausage funnel I sometimes see in > Middle Eastern markets. You also need to grease the funnel, preferably with a hard fat like vegetable shortening or lard. If you don't, it can be darn near impossible to get the casing onto the funnel, and it has a nasty habit of sticking and tearing. And of course, the greasing of the horn and the act of sliding the casing onto the horn provide much amusement for the spectators. We finally learned our lesson and banned the peanut gallery from the kitchen. Margaret Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 09:43:41 -0500 From: Philip & Susan Troy To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: rice pudding & marrow Pixel, Goddess and Queen wrote: > You also need to grease the funnel, preferably with a hard fat like > vegetable shortening or lard. If you don't, it can be darn near impossible > to get the casing onto the funnel, and it has a nasty habit of sticking > and tearing. Actually, I never had that problem with numerous times of making sausage of various types. Are we talking natural casings here? Maybe your experience and mine represents differences in casing size versus funnel size, tension, etc. I never had a problem with well-soaked casings, just threaded on wet. Adamantius Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2004 17:20:21 -0500 From: John Kemker Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] sausage can be fun... To: Cooks within he SCA Why, yes, Christie, I have! When I was working on the Red Tower 30 Dayboard (remember that little project? ;-), I was trying out a dish that called for making a pork liver sausage. I'd leave the collagen casings for summer sausage or something you're going to peel before eating. Tough, stringy and fibrous. --Cian kingstaste at mindspring.com wrote: > We were shopping a Bass Pro Shops recently (if you haven't seen one, > it's > worth the trip just for the experience, you don't see rock climing > towers in > many retail stores), and spending a fair amount of time in the cooking > section. Oooh, I could do a lot of dmage in there. As it was, I > bought > myself a set of four stainless stock pots (8,12, 16, and 20 qt) for 30 > bucks. But I digress. They had a large meat processing section, > along with > dehydrators, vacuum sealers, and packaging supplies, theyhave a large > selection of sausage making equipment. I found the sausage casings > hanging > on a rack, made from 'collagen'. They were available in various > sizes, not > refrigerated or water-packed, just long tubes of casings in a plastic > pak > on a hanger. I had to wonder what the actual content of these things > were, > anyone ever play with them? > Christianna Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 20:01:27 -0500 From: "Carol Eskesen Smith" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] sausage can be fun... To: "Cooks within the SCA" I tried the collagen once; never again. My experience was very similar. The casings split easily and were most unco-operative. Brekke Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 17:02:28 -0400 From: "a5foil" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] German Sausage recipes To: , "Cooks within the SCA" >> <<31>> >> Pratw?rst von vischen >> Hakch den hechten chlain vnd gutz gewurtz >> darzu vnd nim ch?m darein vnd tue das an >> einen spis vnd pratz vnd pegewss mit smaltz >> vnd richz an mit zukker, ymber vnd traget. >> >> Roasting sausages of fish >> >> Chop pike finely and add good spices and cumin. Place that on a spit and >> roast it, and baste it with lard. Serve it with sugar, ginger and /traget/ >> (gum tragacanth? candied spices?) > > Do you think this just omits to tell you to put it in the casings? > > -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net It's possible that casing was just assumed. It's also possible that the mixture is supposed to be firm enough to hold together without casing. We've done it with pork sausage that would otherwise be cased, when we were out of casing. It's trickier, but it does work. Cynara Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 23:05:11 -0500 From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Need assistance in Scaling Sausage Spicing To: Barbara Benson , Cooks within the SCA > I have never tried to scale anything where I cannot taste as I go so I > was looking for some advice on what might be a problem. I am going to > add the water carefully until I think it is right. I looked up some > info on scaling and it said to half the herbs after the first doubling > which would have me reduce the herbs to 7.5 t apiece and I am afraid I > would end up with really bland sausage. First, do this in 3 batches if you can. 5 lbs is about all you can usefully stuff at once, anyway. That makes it a bit easier. First, put in about half the amount of spice, and smell the mixture. Then add another 1/4 the amount, and fry a tiny bit. That way you will be able to tell how it comes out. (Advice from the experienced sausage maker who lent me his sausage stuffer for my Conviviencia feast.) -- -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 15:26:24 -0800 (PST) From: Lawrence Bayne Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage recipes To: Barbara Benson , Cooks within the SCA --- Barbara Benson wrote: >>> In the [sausage] recipe it calls for 4 bs pork, 4 lbs beef, 2 lbs pork fat and 1 quart of water. What is the purpose of the water? <<< An astute question, if a simple one. Requiring but a simple answer. For moisture. Most sausage recipes that are smoked as preserving method need extra moisture to keep the meat from "burning" and thus becoming in-edible. By the time the excess water has evaporated out, the rest of the sausage is ready for consumption. You can substitute other fluids, but make sure they will not spoil before the sausage is done. Most fresh sausages do not need the extra fluid as they will be cooked and eaten quickly enough to prevent the need for moisture. Lothar Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 12:20:10 -0500 From: "a5foil" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage recipe To: "Barbara Benson" , "Cooks within the SCA" From: "Barbara Benson" > Now, here is a question. In the recipe it calls for 4 lbs pork, 4 lbs > beef, 2 lbs pork fat an 1 quart of water. > > What is the purpose of the water? Aside from adding moisture, water or other liquid in sausage also serves the mechanical function of distributing salt (in particular) and other flavorings throughout the meat more efficiently than if the dry spices are just sprinkled on the meat. If you want to test this yourself, take a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper per pound of ground pork, and sprinkle it directly on the meat and mix it in (this is a recipe for butifarra crua). Try the same recipe, but add a quarter cup of water per pound of ground pork, dissolve the salt in the water, and soak the pepper in the water for about 10 minutes before working the water and seasonings into the meat. Wet sausage is easier to stuff, to. About 30 minutes after salt is added to the meat, it starts to set. A sausage with added liquid is easier to work, longer after the salt is added. - Thomas Longshanks Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 21:00:17 -0700 From: lilinah at earthlink.net Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Introductions.. And Meat Pies To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org > Vegetarian suet, huh? I wonder how that would work as the fat for > sausages. At our next local event, there's a bake sale fundraiser (to > raise money to purchase loaner armor), and if I can work it out, I > thought to offer sausages, with 1 minor stumbling block being a few > people in the barony who don't/won't do pork... > > --maire, surfacing from a pile of paperwork and laundry.... I had a problem making sausages for people who don't eat pork: and that was finding affordable non-pork casings. Pork casings are what are used for most (if not all) of the commercial chicken and turkey sausages i've seen. I found lamb casings at the halal market, but it was enough for *50* pounds of meat, and i was only using 15 lbs. And this block of casings cost $40 or so... I ended up just shaping the ground seasoned meat into sausages shapes and baking them... loses the succulent quality of a sausage, but tasted excellent. (actually i've done this twice, once with an Andalusian recipe and once with a Roman recipe, but substituting lamb for pork) -- Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM) the persona formerly known as Anahita Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 20:32:55 -0400 From: "grizly" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: "Cooks within the SCA" I have made suasages for a feast on two occasions, and have done a 'commissioned' effort for a fundraiser. There is a specialty sausage maker in mtro-Atlanta (owned by ex-Braves catcher Biff Pocoroba) who found it amusing and entertaining tomake my redaction of a Menagier sausage. I took in the seasoning and tiold them the total meat , fat ration, and salt content. They cold smoked for a few hours and bagged it for me . . . even made links the size I wanted. Last two times I made it myself. Grinding can be done by the butcher if they will make your fat/lean ratio as you want it. Stuffing was done best with a large cast-iron Enterprise Lard Press/Sausage Stuffer . . . the hand crank on the kitchen table was a bit of a nightmare. Two things that are absolutely crucial. KEEP IT COLD. All things must be cold and observe time/temp stresses on your food through the whole deal. LUBRICATE THE MEAT. I did not add enough water to my sausage before stuffing, and it was a whole lot more effort to stuff than it should have been. Whatever liquid your recipe calls for will make the mixture smooth enough to extrude more simply. Do it just for the experience of it all. Nothing like feeling the joy of a period charcutier! Every manuscript (at least almost all) I have seen translated have recipes for sausage. Then, try your hand at making a mustard (also ubiquitous recipes) to go with it. No better love than a hand crafted sausage and mustard. niccolo Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 20:38:00 -0400 From: "grizly" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: "Cooks within the SCA" Not to be a spoon tease . . . my redactions: http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/salsize_bone.htm Neapolitan Cusine Sausage http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/sausages_le_menagier.html Le Menagier 1393 Paris (very similar) http://franiccolo.home.mindspring.com/sinapeum_rubeum.htm Platina Red mustard niccolo Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 20:51:19 -0400 From: Robin Carroll-Mann Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: Cooks within the SCA As others have said, sausage-making is labor-intensive, but not difficult. I have made sausage for feasts and dayboards 3 or 4 times, and they were well-received on each occasion. I think it's one of those dishes that impresses people, but (at least in my area) is fairly cheap to make, DO order casings in advance. One of my local supermarkets carries them, but they're not always in stock. The local Italian pork store sells them, too, but in large quantities only. -- Brighid ni Chiarain Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:27:02 -0400 From: "Carol Smith" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making (long) To: "Cooks within the SCA" I make sausages pretty regularly, and have almost always frozen them and have had no problems. By all means, make a test batch(5 lbs or less) to try out your spices. Go easy at first; you can always more, but it's almost impossible to reduce them. You should use a little water with any recipe, even if the recipe doesn't call for any, just to make the mixture softer and to press into the casings. (Or substitute beer or wine for the liquid, if you desire). The trick to good sausages is to keep the air out of the casings; you can work small air bubbles out from either end of the casing, or you can poke a PINPRICK hole in the casing to remove an air bubble. That's the major problem I've found in homemade, but I've got a 25-lb press that I only pull out for feasts. Otherwise, I just use the 5-lb press I use for classes. I've made Medieval German and Italian sausages and modern, as well. One of the things we've done, once, many years ago, was a fish sausage, made by Master A, Charlie, and me, for a Celtic Silliness "Come as you're not" event. I believe Adamanteus had posted the recipe here a while back. Brekke Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:31:03 -0400 From: Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: Cooks within the SCA > Now I have another question. Has anyone here made sausages and > if so, did you find the task to be difficult? I am looking into > buying a meat grinder/sausage combo for next to nothing. I > remember someone saying that the casings can be difficult to find, > but I have found an on-line source that ships them in brine and > vaccumed sealed. I've done it several times. I would say that the Kitchen aid sausage stuffer attachment is pretty much a pain to use, but if you have a good sausage stuffer-- I reccomend the plunger-fed ones, as the stuffing goes quite quickly and the hardest part is setting up the skins. It will take several hours at least to do 20 lbs of sausage on a Kitchenaid; with a plunger-stuffer I was able to do 40 lbs in about 45 minutes. -- -- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:43:06 -0400 From: "Carol Smith" Subject: [Sca-cooks] in re sausage casings To: "Cooks within the SCA" Brighid's right on the casings, of course. I usually order from The Sausage Maker, at www.sausagemaker.com . Very reliable, various sizes of casings available, and shipping is pretty fast. they normally sell enough casings for about 100 lbs at a clip, but casings keep. And Grizly - WHAT HE SAID! Keep everything COLD, and clean the area regularly. (Washing casings before use is FUN! - I'm easily amused, though.) Brekke Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:44:50 -0400 From: "Carol Smith" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: "Cooks within the SCA" You can get artificial casings, but they're actually a lot less forgiving than the intestines, which come cleaned and packed in salt. I tried them once, but immediately went back to "the real thing". Brekke Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:53:51 -0400 From: Robin Carroll-Mann Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: Cooks within the SCA > Being a pure city girl (as my Southern husband like to point out) I > think the hardest part will be handling the casings. I hate > touching inards and such. Even just taking out the gizzards and > liver etc from a roasting chicken. They may be in a bag but I still > don't like it. > > The wimpy one > -Muiriath Fear not! Have you ever seen pork casings? They have a very low "yuck factor", compared to chicken innards. No blood, no slime. They come dried and packed in salt, and are an unthreatening tan color. After they've been soaked and rinsed, they resemble 15-ft condoms. Filling them is.... an experience. (Like Brekke, I am easily amused.) -- Brighid ni Chiarain Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 17:42:01 -0400 From: "Carol Smith" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Making To: "Cooks within the SCA" Lamb casings are available from The Sausage maker, address (again) www.sausagemaker.com I cannot recommend them too highly, and No, I am not a shill. Just have used their products many times, and found them reliable. Brekke Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:26:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Sandra J. Subject: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sausage Making To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org IMO, Don't bother with the Kitchen Aid sausage stuffer attachment, if you were thinking about that route. I can stuff as fast, and much more ergonomically correct, just using my trusty ceramic funnel. My first few sausages I had issues with the salt, so bewarrrre the amount of salt one puts into these things. I really recommend mixing in your seasoning, frying a small bit up in the pan to taste, then adjusting the seasoning. Clara von Ulm Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 12:36:13 -0700 From: Susan Fox Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Re: Sausage Making To: Cooks within the SCA Funny, how you find one thing whilst looking for another... While I was googling for information about Kobe Beef to make sure I was writing the correct things on LJ topic "Food Porn" today [http://community.livejournal.com/food_porn/] I ran across what looks like a very good site that includes sausage making equipment, casings, even "sausage kits." Also a DVD on basic beef processing and knife care, which I may actually purchase. [http://www.askthemeatman.com ] Selene Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 16:05:42 -0400 From: "grizly" Subject: RE: [Sca-cooks] Adventures in Sausage Making To: "Cooks within the SCA" If you find one of these at a garage sale or antique mall, it is a high volume stuffer (also lard press, fruit press, etc.). Given a properly lubricated farcemeat, it will crank out many pounds of sausages, and with less relaoding . . . no electricity either! Found mine on eBay for just under $150 delivered. http://www.sausagesource.com/catalog/cr-no35.html niccolo difrancesco Date: Wed, 17 May 2006 08:53:01 -0700 From: Susan Fox Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Adventures in Sausage Making To: Cooks within the SCA Stefan li Rous wrote: > Muiriath reported: >>>> > So I did a trial run to speak, see how all this works out. > > First thing, it takes alot longer to stuff the casing then I > expected. Took me 10 minutes with an electric grinder/stuffer to do > 1 12 inch test sausage. > <<< > > That is a lot longer than I would expect. Perhaps it is the equipment. > Using the sausage stuffer on the mixers I seem to remember doing them > about ten times faster than that. However, had your previously ground > the meat? I think we might have ground the meat first, then mixed in > the spices and then stuffed it. Ya know, the last time my grinder took that long, it turned out that there was a piece missing from the insides. M, do you have the little plus-sign shaped widget that goes in, impaled on the spiral-shaft, just before the output? That is what messed me up the last time I tried to do large-scale grinding and it makes a BIG difference. It cuts up the meat and helps propel it onward so it can actually get through the holes in the plate. This is important even if the meat have been ground already. >>>> > BTW, they are English bangers. > <<< > > Sounds a bit obscene. Can any of the British folks here tell us where > this name comes from? Somehow I don't think it is period. Victorian prudery is post-period for the SCA [as I often say when my humour gets a bit, um, earthy]. Some websites suggest that the name "banger" originated circa WWII, because this sausage contained so much water that it tended burst during frying. So Muiriath did it right after all! Maybe the name is anachronistic but there's nothing "too modern" about a highly spiced pork sausage. Some banger links: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2284846.stm http://www.fletchingbonfiresociety.co.uk/bonfire_night_banger.htm http://sausagefans.com/ http://www.graigfarm.co.uk/pksaus.htm Selene Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 23:36:02 -0700 From: Maggie MacDonald Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausages To: Cooks within the SCA At 10:48 PM 5/18/2006,Caointiarn said something like: > Then Muiriath shared: >> I am the proud owner of 3 1/3 pound sauage links .<> I put them in >> the freeezer and will take them out in a >few days and cook up. I am >> planning on making them next week and freezing for Caid's Coronation the >> first >week of June, but if they don't freeze well, I will just make >> them a day in advance (but was hoping to avoid that >due to other timing >> problems) > > From my experience, the sausage shouldn't give you a problem making them > ahead & freezing. Especially since it is for a short period of time {2 > weeks?} Thank you for sharing your experiences! > > Caointairn In my experience with the sausages, the only thing you have to keep in mind is that the seasonings will change in strength when they get frozen. (i.e. garlic grows, a lot). Maybe test freeze one and thaw it out a couple days ahead, so you'll know what to expect? But yes, I froze all mine to keep them nice and food safe til the day of the event. Maggie Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:13:57 -0400 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: Cooks within the SCA On Apr 30, 2007, at 5:22 PM, Michael Gunter wrote: > I just got a new sausage stuffer attachment for my Kitchenade > so, of course, I simply MUST make link sausages. > I have a couple of wonderful recipes to try. But the problem is > that I can't find a source for the casings. So far every grocery > store butcher shop I've gone to does not sell casings. Not > even the places that make their own sausage! > > I've been told to check out the more ethnic markets like > Fiesta so that is my next step. Mistress Clara told me she > got her casings through the mail but can't remember the > vendor. > > So, any suggestions for sausage casing vendors in the Dallas > area? Remember about a million years ago, I posted a little essay about making friends with your butcher? Most shops that make sausage wouldn't mind dipping into their own supply of pre-soaked casings for a buddy... [See the HC-butchers-art in the FEASTS section - Stefan] But yes, failing that, ethnic markets are a good place to look; I've had good luck getting casings in Italian pork stores (this isn't a butcher shop, per se; while they do butchering, they're more like the Italian equivalent of a French charcuterie, but in English, among Italian-Americans, they're mostly known as "pork stores", salumeria in Italian. I've also seen them in some generically, default-ethnic (read discount) meat markets which tend to cater to a variety of ethnic groups. And failing that, there's always Sausagemaker.com. They're in upstate NY someplace, maybe Buffalo, but process and ship orders _very_ quickly. And, of course, they have just about anything you could possibly want in that general area. http://www.sausagemaker.com/ Adamantius Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:09:55 -0400 From: Jehan-Yves Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: Cooks within the SCA > So, any suggestions for sausage casing vendors in the Dallas > area? > > Gunthar Heinshon's Country Store is closer to Houston, but has all of the Sausage Goodies you could possibly want, (and lot's more). http://texastastes.com/ JehanYves Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:04:59 -0400 From: "Carol Smith" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org http://www.sausagemaker.com The address above is for the Sausage Maker, located in Batavia, New York. they do e-mail and mail-order business, and I have found them very reliable. I buy a pound or so of casing every few years, and keep them refigerated in their original packing, to which I may add more Kosher salt, if needed. Their casings come in various sizes, packaged in salt, and will be shipped promptly. they carry both natural and collagen casings, and may even have haggis casings. I didn't check that thuroughly. Brekke Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 19:05:01 -0700 From: "Maggie MacD." Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: Cooks within the SCA At 06:57 PM 4/30/2007,Sue Clemenger said something like: > *Collagen* casings? Truly? Are they considered kosher? That would really > rock....(Jewish friends) I've been thinking that it would be a *blast* to > teach a class on sausage making, or offer different sausages at a feast, and > we lost the only place in town where I knew I could get (regular, pork) > casings a couple of years ago.... > --Maire, who inherited a sausage grinder/maker from her folks.... The experiences I had with the collagen casings were very unhappy. It never had the same texture as the natural casings, and the flavor while not bad, just wasn't .. "right" either. Maggie Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:45:59 -0400 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: Cooks within the SCA On Apr 30, 2007, at 9:57 PM, Sue Clemenger wrote: > *Collagen* casings? Truly? Are they considered kosher? That would > really rock....(Jewish friends) My guess is that collagen casings _might_ be Kosher, or potentially Kosher-able. There's no particular reason why collagen has to be derived from piggies. It's probably mostly from cattle hides, feet and hooves. Collagen casings tend to be very soft, good for small sausages like bangers and chippolatas, but since these cook quickly it's less of as big deal if they burst somewhat. You can also get big casings of collagen, fiber-reinforced collagen, and various other synthetic substances. I bought some for haggis a while back, because I needed quite a few and the various beef caps and bungs would have run to a fairly large amount of money when bought in bulk, and I've had haggis made in artificial casings before, and they were fine. Adamantius Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:17:34 -0400 From: "Saint Phlip" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: "Cooks within the SCA" Better than collagen casings, they have sheep casings. Suspect your not-extreme-but-practicing kosher friends might enjoy that ;-) On 4/30/07, Sue Clemenger wrote: > *Collagen* casings? Truly? Are they considered kosher? That would really > rock....(Jewish friends) I've been thinking that it would be a *blast* to > teach a class on sausage making, or offer different sausages at a feast, and > we lost the only place in town where I knew I could get (regular, pork) > casings a couple of years ago.... > --Maire, who inherited a sausage grinder/maker from her folks.... >> http://www.sausagemaker.com >> >> The address above is for the Sausage Maker, located in Batavia, >> New York. -- Saint Phlip Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 06:02:40 EDT From: Etain1263 at aol.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org countgunthar at hotmail.com writes: <<< So far every grocery store butcher shop I've gone to does not sell casings. Not even the places that make their own sausage! >>> Do you frequent any of these butchers? I went to the butcher we always purchase from at market and they don't sell casings either...but he brought some in the following week..just for me because I am a good customer. They usually buy in such bulk that they can't be bothered to break them down into managable size for individual use. Etain Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 08:39:03 -0400 From: "Nick Sasso" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Looking for sausage casings To: "Cooks within the SCA" You might even try Whole Foods, if there is one nearby. Several, several years back I bought casings at Harry's Farmers Market here in North Atlanta. Whole Foods bought them out. I seem to recall buying frmo them once after the changeover. It's worth a phone call if you have one locally. niccolo difrancesco Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:23:56 -0500 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Problems with sausage To: Cooks within the SCA On Jan 7, 2008, at 10:13 AM, Michael Gunter wrote: > I'm really enjoying making and researching sausage and I want to do more > presentations and feasts using cased sausage. But I've run into problems. > The main problem is that every sausage I've made has been too lean and > a little dry. For 12th Night I even added lard into the mix to get enough > fat into them but all that happened was once cooked the outer surface > was greasy and they were still too lean. When you say lard do you mean rendered fat? When heated, what is rendered fat? (Hint: it starts with a "g" and ends in "e" ;-) ) Or do you mean something akin to uncured, fatty bacon or belly meat? Or even salted fatback, trimmed of rind and soaked to remove some of the salt? You want a source of firm, sweet-tasting fat from actual adipose tissues from certifiably chubby animals. Some of the modern recipes I've seen call for fat pork, which generally means belly or side meat, or a mix of lean pork (say, loin or shoulder) and fat pork (again, belly). Or a mix of lean pork, like loin, shoulder, or fresh ham, and kidney fat (I think on a pig this is known as the flead or leaf lard; lard is rendered from this -- mostly-- and if the animal were a cow or a steer it would be suet). If the fat, when heated, just liquifies, it's going to have a very limited effect on the sausage's mouth feel. You want something which, when heated, is transformed from waxlike to jelly-like. Obviously liquid fat will add to juiciness, but as anyone who's had lean, overcooked pot roast knows, dry meat with gravy on it is still dry meat... > Talking with Master Modius made me think that one of the problems is there > is no filler in the forcemeat. I can see how filler of breadcrumb, rice, groats > or whatever can hold in the fat but in redacting the recipes I see no kind > of filler mentioned. So is filler the secret or did period sausage stay lean? > Both my bratwurst and zervelat were tasty but didn't have that rich mouth > feel I associate with a good sausage. Grain-based fillers (and in the end, almost all of them are grain- based) are generally something (surely there will be exceptions, but I'm speaking in general) that will appear in what are known in late period as "puddings". True meat sausages tend not to include starchy fillers. At various times and in various places, there have been consumer protection laws about this in effect, akin to the Rhineheitsgebot. I'm not sure if late medieval Germany and Austria are among those places, but it's conceivable. Adamantius Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:17:08 -0500 From: "Nick Sasso" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Problems with sausage To: "Cooks within the SCA" -----Original Message----- You want a source of firm, sweet-tasting fat from actual adipose tissues from certifiably chubby animals. < < SNIP> > which generally means belly or side meat, < < SNIP > > (I think on a pig this is known as the flead or leaf lard; lard is rendered from this -- mostly-- and if the animal were a cow or a steer it would be suet). If the fat, when heated, just liquifies, it's going to have a very limited effect on the sausage's mouth feel. You want something which, when heated, is transformed from waxlike to jelly-like. Obviously liquid fat will add to juiciness, but as anyone who's had lean, overcooked pot roast knows, dry meat with gravy on it is still dry meat... > > > > > > > Fat PLUS gelatin (soluablized callogen tissue) is far superior in mouthfeel and tenderness than fat alone. As Master A mentioned, liquid fat just melts and runs away . .. the other tissue will help hold moisture and velvety feel. niccolo Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 13:21:40 -0500 From: "Nick Sasso" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Problems with sausage To: "Cooks within the SCA" < < < < I want it to not only taste right but have a much better texture. So, I guess I need to experiment and add a much higher percentage of pork fat. Perhaps I'll use salt pork instead of bacon or at least less bacon since I still want that smoky flavor from the German black bacon. > > > > > > I use fresh belly whenever I can get it. It is predominately adipose tissue, and little lean meat to get in the way. Fresh belly won't add extraneous sat or smoke or other flavors, giving me total seasoning control. Your meat guy should be able to put you onto it. If nothing else, ask for stray pork trimmings. It gives you a variety of fatty tissues to add to the mix. I aim at 60% to 65% lean in my sausage, and cook to just a little past medium. No pricks in the casings. niccolo difrancesco Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:34:36 -0500 From: "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Problems with sausage To: grizly at mindspring.com, Cooks within the SCA On Jan 7, 2008, at 1:17 PM, Nick Sasso wrote: > Fat PLUS gelatin (soluablized callogen tissue) is far superior in mouthfeel > and tenderness than fat alone. As Master A mentioned, liquid fat just melts > and runs away . .. the other tissue will help hold moisture and > velvety feel. What he said. I had intended to mention that connective tissue of the right sort (collagen, the translucent stuff like you get in pork skin and pig's feet, etc., GOOD, nasty white fibrous elastin and plain old abject cartilage, BAD) was a bog contributor to mouth feel. Gunthar, the typical modern fat-to-lean-meat ratio for sausage is anywhere from 10-15% (10% for "lite" sausages which may well have fillers added) up to as much as 35%. 35% is probably too much, but some of the really cheap bulk sausage meat, made from trimmings, can be that way. Unfortunately, when you cook it, it's like you've got nothing left to show for your efforts. 20-25% is pretty common, and should do the job for you. Adamantius Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:39:10 -0500 From: "Elise Fleming" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Problems with sausage To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" Gunther wrote: > I also plan on not grinding this entry, since it is for a judged > A&S but instead mincing and pounding the meat. You might like to look at the texture that the Hampton Court Cooks have achieved when they mince meat into teensy tiny pieces. There are some photos on their web site (www.tudorcook.blogspot.com). I'm not sure if there's a video of them doing the chopping but I think there might be. It's really amazing the texture they got! Alys K. Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:36:42 -0500 From: aldyth at aol.com Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org I know we have had prior discussion on where to find/buy sausage casings. Today on my way home, I stopped by our local feed store and well, found some. Hanging on one of those handy dandy strip things next to the check out were many kinds of jerky, gummy packaged candy, and "natural" sausage casings. It really did make me just stop. I pointed out to the store manager that sausage casings probably were not considered a snack food. He agreed, but he did laugh and shake his head wondering if someone had accidently bought the casings thinking they were jerky. Aldyth Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:41:19 -0700 From: "Kathleen A Roberts" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage To: Cooks within the SCA "Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius" wrote: > I'm not sure what you'd do with casings in that form... > I'm familiar with them packed in salt, somewhat drier than when they > came out of the animal, but not easily confused with jerky. i saw some of those this weekend at sportsman's paradise (whilst window shopping for estrella) and wondered at them. i couldn't begin to imagine how hard and delicate it might be to reconstitute and stuff them. yep, they were crunchy feeling. cailte Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:59:47 -0600 From: Michael Gunter Subject: [Sca-cooks] Sausage Casings To: Cooks within the SCA > i couldn't begin to imagine how hard and delicate it might be to > reconstitute and stuff them. yep, they were crunchy feeling. > cailte Not too bad. You have to reconstitute them for a bit longer than usual and make sure they are thoroughly rinsed out. I've found them to be a bit smaller and more prone to tearing. Otherwise, they are fine and keep much longer than the brined casings. Gunthar Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 11:17:45 -0600 From: Michael Gunter Subject: [Sca-cooks] Sausage stuffing To: Cooks within the SCA This weekend I finished my period produced sausage by adding some more spices to the forcemeant and re-mincing the lot. Then I went the distance and used the sausage stuffing funnel that was loaned to me by Mistress Clara. This is a large ceramic funnel with a smaller hole than I expected with a rim around the bottom spout to hold the casing. This definately took some practice. At first I threaded all of the casing onto the funnel as I do when using the Kitchenade. I discovered this didn't work well because gravity worked against me. This is why all of the mechanical stuffing devices I've found have the feed tube positioned horizontally. The meat would enter the casing and start to push everything down. It was impossible to keep a tight fit. The other problem was the casing would slip over the part being stuffed so everything would get tangled. The feed tube also felt small and sometimes forcemeat would get jammed. Luckily the size of the feed tube was the same as my wooden spoon so that was used at times to push the meat down. After some rather un-Christian comments and experimentation I found that leaving the casing laying on the counter and then forcing the meat down the tube worked much better. A lot of air was added to the casing but it could be pushed out by the meat. Period recipes instruct to "pour" the meat into the casing and this is more true than I expected. Although it didn't exactly "pour" into the casing it is much easier allowing gravity to work with you. I got about 3 lbs of links with the funnel and was happy to put it away. Still, it is nice to know that I could now make sausage on site using just a funnel and a couple of good knives. The handmade sausages are a bit lumpy and not nearly as even as my machine created sausage, but with more experience I'm sure I could fix that. The handmade sausage will be displayed alongside the machine ground and stuffed sausages to show the basic differences between the two. Gunthar Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 15:32:43 -0600 From: "Terry Decker" Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage stuffing To: "Cooks within the SCA" You really need to talk to John Hudson, an English potter who made most of the reproduction kitchen crockery at Hampton Court. At the Serve It Forth! CookCon in 2005, I watched him stuff about two pounds of sausage in five minutes using only a stoneware funnel and a pestle. He then proceeded to cook the sausage and some other items in his reproduction crockery. Since he makes his own tools and is obviously skilled at using them, he might be an excellent source for you. You can find his website here: http://www.hudsonclaypotter.com/ index.php . Bear > After some rather un-Christian comments and experimentation > I found that leaving the casing laying on the counter and > then forcing the meat down the tube worked much better. > A lot of air was added to the casing but it could be pushed > out by the meat. Period recipes instruct to "pour" the meat > into the casing and this is more true than I expected. Although > it didn't exactly "pour" into the casing it is much easier allowing > gravity to work with you. > > Gunthar Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:51:07 -0500 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Sausage stuffing To: Cooks within the SCA Ivan Day has the method down too. http://www.historicfood.com/English%20Puddings.htm Johnnae Terry Decker wrote: > You really need to talk to John Hudson, an English potter who made most of > the reproduction kitchen crockery at Hampton Court. At the Serve It Forth! > CookCon in 2005, I watched him stuff about two pounds of sausage in > five minutes using only a stoneware funnel and a pestle. Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:46:45 -0800 (PST) From: Katja Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP New Toy Acquisition To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org <<< What I found a little distressing was the small hopper tray on the KitchenAid; not only did it hold a small amount of the filling, but if you used the plunger that comes with it to push the meat down into the opening, it just sort of pushed meat over the top edge of the hopper onto your work surface. It got to the point where about half the time I was just forming balls of meat the size of the pipe opening, and pushing them down with my hand. Which, of course, does slow down the process somewhat. >>> When I began using my Kitchenaid to make sausages for feasts several years ago, I found that a nifty little attachment -- a special food tray that hooks on top of the grinder/stuffer's feed tube -- was absolutely invaluable: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-FT-Attachment-Stand-Mixers/dp/B00004SGFI/ref=pd_sim_k_njs_3/190-7376259-2281315 It makes adding handfuls of ground or chunked meat MUCH less annoying -- and it speeds things up, too! Katja Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:29:33 -0400 From: Johnna Holloway Subject: [Sca-cooks] Homemade Sausage To: Cooks within the SCA The latest issue of Fine Cooking (April/May 2009) includes a beautifully illustrated article on creating sausages at home. Pages 68-75. There's also a good article on making briskets at home. They are both worth a look. Johnnae Edited by Mark S. Harris sausage-makng-msg 31 of 31