Homemade Sausage Making

Way number one: Last week the price of chicken leg quarters went up to 69 cents per pound in ten pound bags. I bought a bag anyway and carefully removed the back portion and searated the drum from the thigh. I cooked the back portions for stock and fat and picked enough meat for a snack size serving of chicken salad for two. The thighs and drums I weighed and added salt at 1.5% and for several days I have stirred the bucket with my hand and removed a couple of pieces for supper now and then. Tonight I took the last three thighs and drums and stewed them with onions, carrots and celery in the stock with some added black pepper. When the meat and carrots were done I moved the solids to a pyrex dish in the oven to stay warm and reduced the stock to about one third of the original and poured it back over the chicken. There is a lot of leftovers. These leg quarters came in at 9 to a ten pound bag.

Tonight I took the last of the leg meet and shredded it as with pulled pork and used it as BBQ on freshly made buns. Not the same as pulled pork but still a very worthy substitute.

Because of the back portion and chunk of fat on leg quarters, I've found that whole chickens are usually a better deal.
The back and fat never go to waste, but I've found that, pound-for-pound, I get a better meat yield and more meals from whole birds.

It depends on the price per pound. Generally I get a yield of six pounds of boneless meat from a ten pound bag of leg quarters. I cook the back portion for stock and to render the fat and I pick the meat from the bones. At 70 cents per pound the yield is 1.17 per pound of boneless meat and the rest is just valuable by product. Sometimes I can get whole chickens for .79 /pound but that is rare. Usually the price for whole chicken is above .89 /pound. I would have to determine how that works out.
Not too long ago I found leg quarters against the sell by date for .39/pound.

The chicken was started on August 16. Two halves 2.25 pounds each seasoned as follows: 22 grams of salt, 1 teaspoon of celery seed,1/2 teaspoon smoked ancho pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper corns crushed, 1/2 teaspooncoriander seed ,crushed, 1 tablespoon sugar,2 garlic cloves crushed,1/4 teaspoon ginger. The small bones were removed and the seasoning mix was distributed over all of the meat, the meat was turned each day. On the 18th I roasted the first half and tonight I roasted the second half. I served it with mashed potatoes, carrots and gravy. Nancy approved.


The seasonings are the total for both halves not for each half.

That looks good.

ssorllih wrote:It depends on the price per pound.

That's for sure, but whole chickens are rarely more than 20 cents a pound more than leg quarters around here.

One of the advantages of leg quarters is the back portion with the fat. I always cook those for the stock and the rendered fat.

I picked up a 10# bag last week at Walmart in Port Huron 59 cents a pound. I got 7# of meat and skin for sausage making, I roasted the bones then boiled them and made a great chicken and barley soup.

I like whole chickens because I get the giblets. I save the livers and hearts in the freezer until I have enough for a meal or a pate.

For grilling, a whole chicken is nice because you get a variety of cuts for your guests, and also the carcass for stock.

But if I just wanted to make chicken sausage, would get the leg quarters.

My daughter keeps chickens and she wants me to dispatch a few old timers this Saturday. Hey...good opportunity for some chicken sausage!

Day three on a 2 pound half of a chicken.
Along witha batch of biscuits I think we will get two meals from this.

Hey Cabonaia,
How about posting your recipe for chicken pate'? Is it lip smackin' good?
If you wish to share it, post it in the "Offal Products" section please. Here's a link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewforum.php?f=11

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Oh it's mighty good...mostly because you can hardly go wrong with chicken liver pate. I'll be honored to post it, but tonight I've got 15 lbs of sausage to mix and stuff. It's 9:15 already. Aiyeee!!! Better get going!

Wow, thank you sir! Post it whenever you have some time. No rush. We'll put it in the MRI.
Thank You!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

I have two mutant chickens in the smoker today. Free range chickens from Iowa. One weighed in at 11 lbs. and the other at 7.5 lbs.

I am smoking them for a brother-in-law, and wondering what he fed them, and how old they are! I also have a 12 lb. turkey for him, still in brine. I will need to smoke that one on Sunday as the smoker is full up now!

Jim