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SAUSAGE INFORMATION
MEAT SELECTION FOR SAUSAGE MAKING
Sausage making has evolved over many years and generations, and as a result there are countless
types of sausage you can make using the basic ingredients of meat, fat and a few carefully blended
spices. Following are a few simple guidelines that will help you make the best tasting sausage
possible.
Any type of meat can be used for making sausage: pork, beef, bison, moose and caribou, even
antelope make great sausage. It is important when preparing venison or other red game meats to
trim all the fat from the meat, as red game tallow will turn rancid in as few as five days. Replace the
fat with either pork or beef fat, depending on the type of product you are making, at a ratio of 1 pound
(0.5 kg) of fat for every 4 pounds (1.8 kg) of game meat.
The fat content of your sausage will affect the taste, texture, cooking characteristics and shelf life of
your product. Most commercially made sausage has a fat content of about 20%. Using less than
12% fat will result in a very dry tasting sausage, while using more than 20% may result in a sticky
flavorless sausage that will be difficult to cook.
CURING
It is important to properly cure meats to preserve meat and poultry, and to destroy undesirable
microorganisms on the meat surfaces that cause spoilage and food born illnesses. There are
many steps that help in this process, including smoking, cooking, drying, chilling and the addition of
cure ingredients. The oldest means of accomplishing this is by introducing salt into the meat. The
resistance of bacteria to salt varies widely among different types of bacteria. The growth of some
bacteria is inhibited by salt concentrations as low as 3%, e.g., Salmonella, whereas other types are
able to survive in much higher salt concentrations, e.g., Staphylococcus. Fortunately, the growth of
many undesirable organisms normally found in cured meat and poultry products is inhibited at low
concentrations of salt.
Modern curing is based on Nitrates and is very scientific. The best way to ensure proper curing is to
purchase one of the many commercially available curing agents from either a grocery store or your
local butcher. A very common cure is Prague Powder, which is available in two types (#1 and #2).
CASING
There are many different types of casings available, the right choice depends on personal preference
as well as the type of sausage you wish to make. For most sausages, your choices are natural
or collagen. Don’t let the names fool you; collagen casings are not a synthetic product . They are
made from beef skin and other tissues. Collagen casings are uniform in size and texture and require
almost no preparation. “Natural” casings are the intestines of lamb, sheep, hogs or beef. They
are less uniform in size and require substantial preparation. For those reasons, more than 75% of
commercially made sausage in the U.S. is made with collagen casing. There are also fibrous non-
edible casings that are used for some varieties of smoked sausages and bolognas.
TYPES OF SAUSAGE
Most sausages fall into one of four categories: Fresh, Smoked, Cooked or Dried. All sausages,
except dried, require refrigerated storage. There is also a sub-category of uncooked smoked
sausages.
Among the fresh and uncooked smoked sausages, you will find such flavors as kielbasa or Polish
sausage, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage and many others. Both fresh and uncooked smoked
sausages require cooking before eating and also require refrigerated storage.
Smoked and cooked sausages include salami, bologna, the ever-popular hot dogs and many others.
Proper smoking requires a smokehouse or smoker. These can be simple home-built structures
made from metal drums or even old refrigerators or they can be elaborate manufactured units. Most
smoked sausages are warmed before serving. Many people think that a smoked sausage will last
much longer without spoilage, but this is not true. Smoked sausages should be treated the same as
fresh sausage in terms of storage.
Dried sausages require the longest processing time, as they are air dried over a long period of time.
Some types of dry sausages are pepperoni, prosciutto and a variety of ham products, just to name a
few. The conditions under which the meat is dried are very exacting; temperature, time and humidity
STUFFER ASSEMBLY
1. A. If you are using a clamp down,
#8
or
#10 Grinder
, slide the
Protector Pad
onto the foot of the
Grinder
and tighten the
Clamp Screw
to secure the
Grinder
to
the work surface. Allow ample room for the
Handle
to rotate.
B. If you are using a bolt down
#22
or
#32 Grinder
, the body of the
Grinder
can
be attached to a solid work surface using appropriately sized screws. Allow ample
room for the
Handle
to rotate.
2. Insert the
Auger Bearing
into the
Grinder Body
through the hole in the back of
the
Grinder
.
FIGURE 3
3. Insert the
Auger
into
the
Grinder Body
, rotate
the
Auger
while inserting
to fully seat the
Auger
into
the
Grinder Body
.
4. Slide the
Stuffing Star
over the round portion of
the
Auger Pin
.
5. Attach the
Stuffing
Flange
to the
Funnel
that
will be used. Slide the
Stuffing Funnel
through
the
Front Ring Nut
.
6. Snugly screw on the
Front Ring
Nut
.
DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!
(
If the
Front Ring Nut
is screwed
onto the
Grinder Body
too tightly,
the
Auger
will be hard to turn/
will not turn. The
Front Ring
Nut
should be snug, allowing the
Auger
to spin with ease.)
7. Slide the
Handle
over the
exposed end of the
Auger
and lock it in place with the
Thumbscrew
.
FIGURE 4
Auger
Stuffing
Star
Funnel
Flange
Front
Ring
Nut
Auger
Bearing
Auger
Pin
Grinder
Body
FIGURE 3
Handle
FIGURE 4
Thumbscrew
Funnel
STUFFER ASSEMBLY
.
For the best stuffing results, two people are recommended for this operation.
.
Fill the
Grinder
hopper with pre-ground, seasoned meat.
.
Slide a sausage casing over the end of the
Stuffing Funnel
, leaving 4-6” (10.2-
15.2 cm) of casing off the end of the
Stuffing Funnel
. Tie a knot in the end of the
casing.
.
While holding the casing on the
Stuffing Funnel
with one hand, rotate the
Handle
clockwise (when facing the
Handle
side of the
Grinder
) to move the meat through the
Grinder
and
into the casing. Gently lay the filled casing on a plate as the casing fills.
.
Do not fill the last 3-4” (7.6-10.2 cm) of the casing. When finished stuffing, twist
and tie the end closed.
