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Second attempt (good one I think)

V vickibMember
Good Morning. Last week I made some sweet Italian sausage, that was my first so so attempt. It was tasty but too dense (due to smearing because it too way to long to stuff the meat and it got too warm) and I believe I overcooked it a bit. The rest I have been removing from the casing and already used it for a fantastic bolognase sauce.


Well, after struggling with the Kitchen Aid stuffing attachment, I decided to buy an LEM 5lb vertical stuffer (what a dream to use, and all by myself). The KA grinder works and will do fine for the foreseeable future.

I made 6 lbs of Salciccia Toscano (Tuscan style fresh sausage) recipe from Sonoma Mountain Sausage.

Here is a photo of the links hanging, for lack of a better place to put them, they wound up hanging off a chandelier on my jerky rods because everywhere else would have been too close for the cat to reach, and I couldnt think of anywhere else.

Yes, I do have Pink Salt #1 in there per the recipe, and they are supposed to hang there for 6 - 8 hours until they develop a nice reddish color.

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FM Former Member
Inspired use of the chandelier!

I've got a LEM stuffer like yours and love it. It has totally changed my willingness to make sausage. I don't hesitate to make it whenever I feel like it. Even just a couple of pounds. I mostly make fresh sausage (brats, bangers, cajun pork) and boudin. I do (hot) smoke andouille on the Amerique, though.
S smokinmaineiacMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vicki B:
Good Morning. Last week I made some sweet Italian sausage, that was my first so so attempt. It was tasty but too dense (due to smearing because it too way to long to stuff the meat and it got too warm) and I believe I overcooked it a bit. The rest I have been removing from the casing and already used it for a fantastic bolognase sauce.

Well, after struggling with the Kitchen Aid stuffing attachment, I decided to buy an LEM 5lb vertical stuffer (what a dream to use, and all by myself). The KA grinder works and will do fine for the foreseeable future.

I made 6 lbs of Salciccia Toscano (Tuscan style fresh sausage) recipe from Sonoma Mountain Sausage.

Here is a photo of the links hanging, for lack of a better place to put them, they wound up hanging off a chandelier on my jerky rods because everywhere else would have been too close for the cat to reach, and I couldnt think of anywhere else.

Yes, I do have Pink Salt #1 in there per the recipe, and they are supposed to hang there for 6 - 8 hours until they develop a nice reddish color.


What a woman you are Vicki! Why, if I wasn't married I'd....oh never mind Roll Eyes
V vickibMember
Thanks guys, you made me laugh out loud for sure!!!

My husband gets to eat well. He enjoyed getting the pic via text at work and shared it with friends, they enjoyed a good laugh!

I love to cook, it's an expensive hobby, but I stay at home and have the time. Lots of fun, and the LEM was so easy to use it was crazy.

The sausage came out tasting nice, kinda like a kielbasa. I want to try andouille soon. I love them. I am gonna smoke the other 18 links tomorrow, vac seal and freeze. The 025 isn't that high, so I will be using the multifunctional jerky rods once again as a bridge on the rack rails from front to back draping the ropes across. It works in my head, so I hope it works tomorrow morning in the smoker Big Grin
chef-boy-arniechef-boy-arnie"If you can't smoke it, you probably shouldn't eat it!"
Vicki, I really like your equipment, particularly the sausage hanger. Do you have any information on where a fellow smoker could obtain one just like it?

I have the KA stuffer attachment and have recently obtained a stuffer/grinder from Cabala’s specifically for sausage making, but I just can’t seem to find the time to try them out
V vickibMember
Chef BA - You like that huh! Big Grin I would avoid using the KA for stuffing. The grinder for it works well, you have to cut the meat small to fit through the gravity fed tube and spiral toward the cutter, but that is okay. Your new one probably allows larger cuts. But, when you try to use the same set up to stuff the ground meat, it does not gravity feed well. It takes to long to push the ground thru, smearing it because it gets warm and you get a lot of air from the plunger trying to push it down. So, my first attempt was dense, but tasty, as I mentioned above. I kept the box, so it's going back to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

It doesn't take long to make Sausage, you can cut up the meat one day, put it in the fridge so it's nice and cold for the next day, then grind and stuff. With your cabelas machine it should be pretty fast.

Mike, don't hesitate! It's so worth it.
V vickibMember
Well I just smoked the last 18 links that I put in the fridge last night. I did them at 185 with pecan and apple wood until an internal temp of 150. They took exactly 2 hours. I rinsed them in cold water for a few seconds, then couldn't resist cutting one up. WOW! What a difference in flavor from last nights dinner. The smoke is real nice, but the internal flavoring totally changed. I can't believe what a nicer flavor it has. No more kielbasa flavor. Can't believe what a night in the fridge and a good smoke did. They are getting vac sealed and into the freezer, except for the portion for lunch tomorrow. If anyone wants the recipe let me know and I will post it.
FM Former Member
"Another one bites the dust"
You're hooked now Vicki.
I like your self serve Sausage Bar hanging over the kitchen table. Just reach up and cut one off. Plus, you know how many are left, so you can get started on the next batch. Wink

Great job. Once you get a bigger grinder, you'll need to get a dedicated freezer just for sausage. Big Grin
mike4258mike4258Registered Old Fart
I use an LEM 10# vertical, LEM 3/4 hp grinder, and a LEM 25# mixer. I am VERY happy with all the equipment. What ever you use, the trick is to keep the meat and equipment as cold as you can and not to warm it too much during the processing. Drying after processing to form the pellicle before you smoke and a light rinse in cold water after will improve the product.
V vickibMember
3 shot - yes, it seals like a dream, has a real nice gasket around the plunger that you use food grade grease on each time as well. I could stuff 5# in around 10 mins. Then I tie it off. It is a pleasure to use.

Mike - the recipe I used had me hang the sausage, hence the special sausage hanger in the pic, for about 8 hours, then after smoking, I remembered that one site I read mentioned rinsing in cool water. It came out great wih no funny shrinkage. SO, I guess I did it right...THANKS!!!
J joemMember
quote:
Originally posted by Vicki B:

Mike - the recipe I used had me hang the sausage, hence the special sausage hanger in the pic, for about 8 hours, then after smoking, I remembered that one site I read mentioned rinsing in cool water. It came out great wih no funny shrinkage. SO, I guess I did it right...THANKS!!!


Hey Vicki,
Next time hang them from a ceiling fan. They'll set quicker! Wink

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