Sausage making time

[slow-smoker]

Here we are on the first of June already. I have a 4th of July BBQ cookout coming up and no sausage made. Since it ain't gonna make itself,
I got busy on the first batch of Kielbasa. I made ten pounds this go-round and I'll do another ten or fifteen next week.

I'll probably make some Bratwurst and some Texas style hot links just to have some variety.

Thanks for looking!

 

[cgwaite]

Looks great!

 

[Adjg04]

Looks great! Have you ever made sausage with the stuffing tubes that come with those grinders? I see most people still use a seperate stuffer I didn't know if it didn't work good to stuff with a grinder.

 

[jsperk]

Looks great.

 

[bluetang]

Nice dang linkage!

 

[slow-smoker]

Looks great! Have you ever made sausage with the stuffing tubes that come with those grinders? I see most people still use a seperate stuffer I didn't know if it didn't work good to stuff with a grinder.

I started out with a Kitchenaid grinder/stuffer attachment for my stand mixer. It took all day to get as much sausage made. The upright cylinder stuffer is faster and easier to use,
and if you need to slow it down, you just stop crankin'. Mine will hold 5 lbs at a time, but there are much larger ones available.

 

[LYU370]

That's a lot of sausage. Do you have a good Texas Hot Links recipe you could share? Been looking for one.

 

[slow-smoker]

That's a lot of sausage. Do you have a good Texas Hot Links recipe you could share? Been looking for one.

That's a good question. I sort-of wing it from memory. I grew up in Texas, and every grocery store had anywhere from two to
six brands of hot links (some good and some not so much).

Last year a friend of mine came to visit and he brought me a full packer Brisket and five different varieties of hot links. After we
picked the best tasting hot link, we tried to re-create the flavor. Much of the flavor (and the color) comes from red chili peppers.
I use a red chili from New Mexico that comes my way via family Texas. After removing the seeds from the dry chillies,
I add boiling water to soften them, then puree them in a food processor.

We started out using the Kielbasa recipe out of Rytek Kutas's book " Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing".
From there we added the pureed chillies and some chipotle, etc until we got to a flavor that was similar.

I'll write it down this time when I do it. If any of the Brethren has a good hot link recipe, I'd love to have it.

-Mike

 

[Trailer Trash]

Mike, they look great! Very good job on stuffing. It takes a little practice to get them so consistent in size. Makes me want get out the grinder!

 

[cameraman]

Great photos. Any secrets you can share regarding how well stuffed those bad boys are.

 

[slow-smoker]

Great photos. Any secrets you can share regarding how well stuffed those bad boys are.

One of the hardest things to remember is to not over-stuff the casing because when you twist the links there has to be some room left or it'll break.

 

[gtr]

Phenomenal pix Mike - just beautiful!

That Rytek Kutas kielbasa recipe is my go to. Adding the chilis sounds incredible. I'm gonna do that. I renewed my obsession with TX sausage after my last trip there and wanna make my own.

 

[chicagokp]

Those look really great! You using lamb casings? They look too small for hog. You do fine work!

 

[slow-smoker]

Those look really great! You using lamb casings? They look too small for hog. You do fine work!

Hog casings, and yes they're a little smaller than I'm used to, but not too bad. If I get really huge casings, I end up cutting them along the bias or length-wise when serving them anyways.

 

[slow-smoker]

Phenomenal pix Mike - just beautiful!

That Rytek Kutas kielbasa recipe is my go to. Adding the chilis sounds incredible. I'm gonna do that. I renewed my obsession with TX sausage after my last trip there and wanna make my own.

I use Rytek's book a lot. This kielbasa recipe was mostly his, but I made it with 80% pork shoulder and 20% beef chuck roast. I also added a wee bit of smoked paprika and Adobo powder.

 

[sbramm]

most excellent!

I went through my trimmings stash yesterday and have enough for a batch of sausage. not sure what I will make but hot links sound like a great idea! have some roasted jalapenos from last season in the freezer so those may just make it into the mix!

 

[Trailer Trash]

I use Rytek's book a lot. This kielbasa recipe was mostly his, but I made it with 80% pork shoulder and 20% beef chuck roast. I also added a wee bit of smoked paprika and Adobo powder.

His Kielbasa recipe is very forgiving and is a great beginning for any special blend.

Thank you for the post.
Gerry

 

[legendaryhog]

Fark yes. Love sausages in all forms (insert joke here). Grind it, stuff it, smoke it, eat it!

 

[Hoosier1960]

Looks great!