High Mountain Bratwurst

Neat gift. You could always throw in a bunch of garlic and call them garlic brats. Or onion. Or heat.

I'll defer to the sausage makers for the rest.

I did the Hi Mountain brats some time ago. Made 25 pounds and did just like the kit said. I thought they were very salty. I think there is too much cure in the kit. I smoked them about 170 in the FEC 100 till internal 140 or so, vac sealed them and froze them. I sold some, they were good, just a little salty.

Congrads on your new toy. I tried stuffing a few times with my grinder attachment, and It worked ok, but I bought a small 5 pound LEM stainless steel stuffer, which is well worth the money and makes sausage stuffing at least five times faster. Besides, sometimes, you need to add water or other liquid to the ground mix and that's hard to do then re-stuff wetter ground mix down that little grinder whole.

If it is your first time stuffing something, you might try the collagen casings, as they are a bunch easier.

I'd do a small batch your first time. You can reseal/salt the casings that came with the brats and put them back in the fridge. Try some without the cure as fresh sausage and then smoke it, I'll bet they'd be good.

I just finished a 15 pound batch of onion sausage Monday night. I ground 18 pounds of pork butt along with five pounds of rib tips I had left over (boneless) and mixed with Rib Rub and chopped yellow sweet onions and stuffed them in regular casings. I then smoked them all night long in the FEC at 160 to an internal temp of 140. We jsut had some tonight with potatoes. Not bad.

Remember, when you make your meat mix with your spices, fry a little patty in the skillet and taste it first before going whole hog with the entire batch. Keep the meat and stuffer parts very cold, if not partially frozen, it grinds better. Get rid of all the silver skin you can, it really cloggs up the blade and you get mush coming thru rather than a good grind.

Another little trick for natural casings, before putting them on the stuffing tube, put a small (wet) ice cube in the side you're about to insert on the tube. This kinda re-wets the inside of the casing, moistens the stuffing tube and guides the casing on the tube then falls out the other end.

I use staples to close both ends of the sausage, but you've got to remember to take them off after they are smoked or cooked and clean the stapler before your wife tries to use it on her correspondence.

Always clean all your grinder/stuffer parts good, I use a little bleach in the water and don't take a chance.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Chaplain Bill:

Always clean all your grinder/stuffer parts good, I use a little bleach in the water and don't take a chance.

Good luck.

Now THAT is funny.

Great Post Bill.

Wow! What a great response. Thanks so much for taking the time to put that down. I will give it a shot this weekend and let you know my results.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:

quote:

Originally posted by Chaplain Bill:

Always clean all your grinder/stuffer parts good, I use a little bleach in the water and don't take a chance.

Good luck.

Now THAT is funny.

Great Post Bill.

I guess I missed something. It was a great post, but I fail to see anything funny about food safety

quote:

I use staples to close both ends of the sausage, but you've got to remember to take them off after they are smoked or cooked and clean the stapler before your wife tries to use it on her correspondence.

I copied the wrong part (I was multi-tasking). I didn't see anyone comment about using a home stapler. No Food Safety isn't something to play around with.

My multi-tasking skills have seemed to diminish with age.

Nah, it's not age, it's 12000+ posts and having three or four monitors going at once. LOL

Naw, I think it's age because those other things would just make you get better, no?

PorkPie, you're calling me old, you should have agreed with me.

You're now on Double Secret Probation for a week

You guys have inspired me. I bought the grinder and sausage attachment for the KA last year, but have been reluctant to use it. I am gonna take CB's recommendations and just jump in! But of course I am gonna search the forum as well. Just incase I can't find it, how much fat to meat ratio do you use, anyone???