Homemade Sausage Making

Hi CW and fellow sausage makers, Well I've just finished cutting up a batch of beef sticks for our up north deer hunting camp.I made them out of a 10# ground beef log at $1.99 per lb.I must have been thinking of Ross when I saw the price on this 10% fat ground beef. Some of the folks up north don't care for sticks if there made with venison since CWD has become an issue. I know that you fellows out west have been dealing with that issue for quite a number of years. I used the Kutas slim Jim recipe. This recipe has been an favorite with the guys.

2 level tsp. cure #1
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1 tsp. ground celery
1 tsp. granulated garlic
4 Tbsp. paprika
6 Tbsp. ground mustard
1 Tbsp. mace
1 1/2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
3 1/2 ozs. kosher salt
1 1/2 ozs. powered dextrose
6 ozs. Fermento
10 lbs. lean ground beef
I then stuff into sheep casings. After stuffing it's off to the cooler (38 degrees) until the next morning.remove from the cooler and allow sausages to accumulate and form preclinical.
Hickory smoke at 90-110 for 8 hours then keep at this temperature for an additional 12 hours to allow tang to fully develop.Then raise smokehouse temperature until the meat reaches 145 degrees internally. I am going to try to get a batch with your recipe finished in time for deer gun season.Lets see if I can pull off a taste test . Just maybe well be able to have two favorite beer sticks.

John

Those look like very fine utilization of good resources. Now if you make a batch of bread to take with them and find a bag of good apples. You will have food for several days. Well done.

Hi John,
You surely picked the right sausage to take with you deer hunting. I've made Rytek's recipe for years and never get tired of the combination of spices. I especially like the celery in it and, of course, the "tangy" fermento.
Hey ol' pard, because the recipe is Rytek's, I cannot place it into the MRI (Member's Recipe Index). I like your smoker. I hope you keep making this fine recipe. It's a good one.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

I have to presume that the ground celery herein refers to celery seed. Yes?

Celery seed yes

has anyone ever used bactoferm or citric acid to make these?

Checkerfred wrote:

has anyone ever used bactoferm or citric acid to make these?

Fred, due to its smaller circumference, this semi-dry-cured stick normally drops to a safe water activity (Aw 0.85) in about a week or more. Bacteria prefer meat with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 acidity. This is about the neutral range on the scale. Using Bactoferm™ LHP you can attain increased acidity (a drop on the pH scale) to 5.0 pH or below (with about 45% loss of moisture) in an incredible 2 days!

My advice would be to forget about the citric acid and GDL and go with Bactoferm LHP. It`s consistent and reliable. Yes, I`ve used it. Many times. It's terrific and the reason is actually because most Americans have come to expect a more tangy flavor from dry-cured products, unlike those made in European countries. So, the reason for starter culture in this smaller-diameter sausage is not necessarily the quick development of lactic acid, but the consistent and pronounced development of lactic acid - although it`s nice to have a batch of sausage ready to go on a hunting trip in two days. It makes it nice and tangy!

If you use Bactoferm™ in the above recipe, be sure to omit the "Fermento™" and add 1.8 grams of LHP.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Hi Members,
Can somebody explain what CWD is. I have never heard of it.
I have buttermilk in powderform in the deepfreeze, can I use this as a substitute for fermento. Any issues with it being frozen?
Regards,
Jan.

Hi Jan. CWD is "Chronic Wasting Disease". See this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=5751

As far as a substitute for Fermento™ goes, I would recommend only Bactoferm™ for the lactic acid producing microorganisms. (See this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?)t=5196

Big Guy in Ontario has done some sausage using buttermilk, but I don't believe it would taste quite the same. You may wish to contact him.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon