WD Daily Chat - Talk about anything You Like

Deer Sausage · Post by **Deer Sausage** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 05:20

Hello sausage stuffers!
Just thought I'd toss in a hello. Been reading your site a bit and contacted chuckwagon...he sent me some pretty helpful email. I was impressed and I'm hoping I can learn more from this community! I'm a new sausage maker and I've got it all to learn so I think this forum will be my training wheels.

I live in the Okanagan valley in south central BC, Canada. I'm a hunter and I get a couple or three deer every fall. I've been getting sausages made at our local houses and theyve been ok. just good, not phenomenal. If youve ever had phenomenal I think youre completely ruined for just ok. I think maybe someone taking very special care and putting all they have into it can do better with a little practice. So away we go with project sausage.

Where am I on the road to sausage Valhala? First baby step! Well my broadheads are sharp!...that's a start. I have the sausage making books by Marianski and Kutas and have read them both. I've ordered an LEM 32 grinder and an LEM 5 # vertical stuffer. For smoking I've ordered the Amazen smoke maze and plan to smoke in a small block enclosure without heat and then poach the sausages to cook them. I'm not planning for the old school multi day coldsmoke, just didnt want to lay out huge dollar for a complex smokehouse and didn't trust the controls on the cheaper ones. Some casings and some cure #1 have already made it here by post. I haven't got a deer ....yet! But that will come as the weather gets cooler. The deer and the remaining gear should be coming to the house about the same time, say within a month.

I'm looking forward to picking all your brains! maybe I'll start with a question here? I will of course be adding some pork fat to my mix. What sort of cut should I be getting? Will pork butt be fat enough or should I get some straight fat? What are the cuts of fat...I've read about back, side etc...is there a difference? Thanks for your help and thanks for having me along!

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 09:21

Hey DS,
Again, welcome aboard. There are lots of folks here that will help answer your questions. Not many of them have a "babe catchin" moustache as good-lookin' as mine is, but what the heck, not everyone can sport a "stache" that's drop-dead gorgeous!

It's been fun chatting with you by email and we're delighted that you decided to sign on with this incredibly intelligent group of gristle grinders and meat mashers. Lookin' forward to seeing your posts.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

BriCan · Post by **BriCan** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 10:04

Deer Sausage wrote:I'm looking forward to picking all your brains! maybe I'll start with a question here? I will of course be adding some pork fat to my mix. What sort of cut should I be getting? Will pork butt be fat enough or should I get some straight fat? What are the cuts of fat...I've read about back, side etc...is there a difference?

If we are talking about adding to the game[deer] meat I would suggest belly trim the stuff that I did/do for the folks out this way book ahead at lest a year. Never made phenomenal sausage more like exotic where they beg for more

By the way welcome

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 12:49

Welcome aboard,
When I go to my local butcher shop I get 50/50 pork trimming in 8 to 10 pound bags. The deer meat is already very lean. The pork butts that I can but are pretty lean so if I mixed them with deer meat i would try to add fat.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 23:30

Deer Sausage wrote:

What sort of cut should I be getting? Will pork butt be fat enough or should I get some straight fat? What are the cuts of fat...I've read about back, side etc...is there a difference?

Hi Deer Sausage,
Backfat is ideal. However, these days if you come home from the grocer`s meat shoppe with back fat, the cops might follow you home and question you for suspicion of burglary. It is next to impossible to find a source of back fat in modern grocery and meat shops. It`s not that they don`t have it, it is because they make their own sausage using the stuff. Folks who butcher their own hogs have plenty of access to it and may sell you some if you have a nearby source. Remember, the further from the center of the animal, the softer the fat becomes. This explains the creamy texture of fatback.

As far as the ideal meat for sausage, pork butt (shoulder) is preferred and it happens to contain just the right amount of fat for the average sausage. However, as you know, you`ll need a little help with the deer meat by adding straight fat to compensate for the lean venison. Don`t overlook a "fat replacer". I`ve used the one available from the Sausagemaker™ ever since they began selling it. It is a zero-calorie product made from natural grains oats and barley and it work like a charm. It provides a creamy texture to all types of sausages and even burgers on the grill. Originally it was developed by the USDA and I believe it is marketed as Oatrim by the Quaker Oats Company. Today there are other manufacturers as well, including Nabisco and Beneo Orafti in Belgium. Some of the brand names available include: Caprenin, Salatrim (Benefat), Bohenin, Neobee, Captrin, Captex, Olestra (now called Olean), and Sorbestrin. All mimic the sensory characteristics of fat but pass through the body unabsorbed. Needless to say, these replacers make a much more healthy sausage. Oh, don`t get me wrong! I haven`t stopped using fat in sausage. I just use less of it.

One last item. Many folks don't know how much is enough. Plan to make sausage using from 25% to 30% fat content. How do you measure it? Separate it from the lean and weigh it.

Here's a hint: Keep a notebook of sausage making. Write down the measurements of spices, meats, fats, water amounts, etc. AND temperatures. Include all processing information also. Yeah, it may be a pain in the *, but if you mess up a batch, you can go back and determine just where the project went south.
(Hmmmm.... I wonder just why those projects don't ever go west, or east, or north!

)

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

uwanna61 · Post by **uwanna61** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 01:02

Deer Sausage

Not many of them have a "babe catchin" moustache as good-lookin' as mine is, but what the heck, not everyone can sport a "stache" that's drop-dead gorgeous!

Good grief, don`t even get him going on the whole mustache thing! Next he will invite himself to your place for a BBQ, eat all sausage and ribs and then glare at the misses with that caterpillar under his nose

I'm looking forward to picking all your brains! maybe I'll start with a question here? I will of course be adding some pork fat to my mix. What sort of cut should I be getting? Will pork butt be fat enough or should I get some straight fat? What are the cuts of fat...I've read about back, side etc...is there a difference?

Over the years, I have experimented with sausage and salamis using venison and Moose meat. The method I use for venison would be 40% venison and 60% pork butt. Usually if I pick through the meat counter at the local butcher, I can find the right combo of pork and pork fat on a 5 - 10lb pork butt.
I know Moose was not mentioned, but I thought I would add it to this post. Moose is my favorite wild game, this stuff is lean and a great meat for the at home salami maker. The one thing I have learned and will share with you, I always no matter what kind of game I use for whatever I make, it may be jerky, salami or fresh sausage, I will always leave the meat to drain (blood) out of the meat in the fridge for at least 24 hours. This will mainly clean out the game taste and I have even noticed the meat will be tenderer. So there is my 2cents good luck, and welcome aboard!
Uwanna

Deer Sausage · Post by **Deer Sausage** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 04:31

Thanks guys...If theres one thing I know about deer its basically lean protein...any fat a deer carries is usually on the outside...like no marbling. Also the fat is pretty much what carries any sort of gamey taste so we usually trim it and let it drop on the floor when we're skinning. I think of deer in about the same categorie as a tuna steak...its great grilled or roasted but it needs some kind of added fat as it's basically lean. I also figure pork fat is about the best tasting food there is so I cant wait to wed the two in a casing! I'm still waiting on the hardware for my sausage making and also for the deer! The good news is weather here is going from indian summer to regular cool mid september very quickly! That can only mean more deer activity and very soon an animal will be coming to our abbatoire/garage! I will begin soon looking for some pork fat to pile up in my freezer for the approaching sausage job! I'll look for some pork back on your advice or maybe a particularly fatty butt or two. Moose is something Ive tried but never gotten myself because in my area they are on a lottery system and i have yet to win it or be bothered to go up north. It is probably the best game meat however and its all the better because when you get it you get A LOT! when the time comes I don't want to lay my whole windfall on the line with a first attempt so I will try small batches as experiments and see what I get. I would guess fresh sausages would be a more likely success because they are simpler to process well? I would figure on about twenty five pounds trim on a deer so with pork added that likely 30-40 pounds raw material?...i will likely try small ten pound batches and see what i get out of it and adjust per taste. I think my wife and kids like brats and smokies about the best so here i go to surf the recipe pages here for some ideas! Cheers!

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 05:02

Projects that go south are referrenced to maps and charts, going south takes you off the bottom of the page. If you make a wrong turn you may go off the east or west side. That is how you find yourself out in left field.
Just remember when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, no matter which way you go, you are going somewhere.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Sep 14, 2011 08:46

Uwanna wrote:

Good grief, don`t even get him going on the whole mustache thing! Next he will invite himself to your place for a BBQ, eat all sausage and ribs and then glare at the misses with that caterpillar under his nose

Yeah, well I'll have you know that Errol Flynn would have put out a contract on me... out of sheer jealousy!

And then Ross wrote:

If you make a wrong turn you may go off the east or west side. That is how you find yourself out in left field.

Ross, are you "directionally challenged"? And did you know that although "two wrongs don't make a right", that actually three rights do make a left!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 02:05

Some time back I found a dozen porkchops up against the sell-by date and brought them home. I cut the eye out and brined and smoked the bones for soup stock later. This week I bought some butts and boned those out and brined the bones. Text book brine one gallon of water one pound of salt, 4 ounces of cure#1 and some sugar. Made a 50 degree brine. 18 hours in the brine (the meat is very thin) and 8 hours in fresh water and two hours in 150 degree oak smoke. pictures follow when the camera will down load.
Went to the boat this afternoon and the marina crew has repaired the ramp so that we can get to the boat in clean clothes.

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 03:46

Smoked pork shoulder baldes

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 18:37

Hey boys, this is my ride!

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 18:43

But in old age, every scooter jockey must slow down. Here's my current sled!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 02:50

Back on the serious side for a minute!
Our site has many members in Texas. Not one has uttered a word about the tough conditions they`ve had to endure this past summer. At first it was relentless heat that just wouldn`t drop below the triple digits. Consequently, everything dried up and then the fires started... devastating fires. With those conditions, it doesn`t take long to decimate a cattle herd. Some Texans were all but wiped out. Guys, our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 03:50

The difference between profit and loss in any business is usually not much over plus or minus 10 percent. That is just one cow in ten. Or it can be the lack of enough feed to gain enough weight for proper marketing. here in the east we can run an average of one cow per 3 acres year round. In some parts of Texas 2 or 3 cows per hundred acres is a lot. I knew a man in Oregon that ran fifty head on 1800 acres. And he couldn't make any hay, the stock just did the best they could from November to April.

WD Daily Chat - Talk about anything You Like

Re: New kid!

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