Sausage Question

scott6049

Member
Has anyone every tried the Smoked Polish Sausage Kit from SausageMaker.com, and if so how is it? Every since I got my MAK 2 I have been wanting to make some fresh smoked sausage. I thought I would try the fresh first then move on to some of the cured sausages. Thanks
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I moved the thread here because it's a great question for the "All things Cured" section! :)


I've never used their spice mixes, but that's only because due to allergies I use all my own spice mixes. The SausageMaker spice mix may already have cure in it (sodium nitrite).

If it doesn't and if you're not curing the sausages then avoid cold-smoking. Go strictly with a hot-smoke to get the sausage through the danger zone as quickly as possible (165°-185° - Smoke mode on a MAK). Botulism is not something to play with.

Also be aware that uncured sausage won't be pink all the way through. It will have a nice thick smoke ring, but will be gray in the center (this does not affect flavor at all).

Hot-smoked sausage on the MAK is actually quite good and smoky! http://www.pelletsmoking.com/pelletsmoking-com-gallery-10/mak-hot-smoked-kielbasa-3994/
 

scott6049

Member
Thanks Tent, I would love to cold smoke some sausage, just don't know enough about how to do it and you are right Botulism is not something to play with. Hopefully someone could give me some good instructions on the steps to cold smoking sausage. maybe even some good smoked sausage recipes.
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I would love to cold smoke some sausage, just don't know enough about how to do it and you are right Botulism is not something to play with. Hopefully someone could give me some good instructions on the steps to cold smoking sausage. maybe even some good smoked sausage recipes.


That's exactly why we started this new section! :) As it grows, there will be more tutorials, recipes, etc. posted by our great members, and it will open up a lot more possibilities for using our pellet grills!

In the mean time...


Polksa Kielbasa Wedslona (Smoked Polish Sausage) is actually not hard to make at all.

Here's a link to the Wedliny Domowe site for Hot-Smoked Polish Sausage.

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You can also buy some fresh sausages and hot-smoke them like Ffvillager did here. He did a nice job explaining the steps!

http://www.pelletsmoking.com/searching-cure-26/smoked-italian-sausage-5967/

You will note, as I mentioned above, the sausages are slightly gray in the center. Perfectly normal when not using cure, and again, this does not affect flavor at all!
 
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scott6049

Member
Here's a link to the Wedliny Domowe site for Hot-Smoked Polish Sausage.

Man thanks Tent, this website is very informative, I really like it. I really want to make my own smoked sausage, but I am just too nervous to, until I fully understand the process. When I was little my grandpa used to smoke sausage all the time. he had an old out building that he hung the sausage in and he used a wash tub full of wood, that he wood get to smoke, no heat just smoke. it was the best sausage, I wished I knew his recipe. Hopefully with the help of some of the sausage experts on here, I will be able to make my own sausage without worrying about Botulism.
 

Salmonsmoker

New member
scott,
It would appear that some reading is in order so that you don't end up using some unsafe urban legends on sausage making.
There are a few "sausage bibles" that are very helpful in understanding the sausage making process. Two that I have and refer to often are " Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas ( he started The Sausage Maker company) and his book is available there, and "Charcuterie" by Ruhlman and Polcyn . I've not used their Polish sausage kit, but everything I've purchased from them has been quality. Enjoy your newest hobby. :)
 

TentHunter

Moderator
Once you make a batch or two your nervousness will subside and you'll be hooked! But like SalmonSmoker said, do some reading so you understand what's what.

Both of those books he recommended are great!
 

Salmonsmoker

New member
scott6049,
I don't know if you have any sausage making equipment yet. It may be time for some new toys! Yahoo! A few thoughts....I started out with a few "not so handy" appliances that made the process very tedious. An Oster "kitchen center" with meat grinding and stuffing tube accessories, then graduated to the Kitchen Aid with the attachments before finally jumping to an actual grinder and vertical sausage stuffer. The KA did fine at grinding although the volume was low, but these grinder attachments literally "suck" at stuffing. The stuffing of the casings took forever because the screw won't push the sausage into the casing once the meat is ground and you have to use the tamper to push the sausage through the machine. It's extremely important to keep everything cold and that made it impossible to stuff a whole batch without having to put everything back in the fridge to re-chill. If I had to start again the first tool would be the stuffer. If you're starting small, you can buy your meat pre-ground. I buy Costco's 88/12 ground beef to make my summer sausage because I don't care for the higher fat content of the commercial SS and I don't have to drag out my own grinder(lazy).:rolleyes: Then mix in the spices, etc. by hand and stuff the casings using your brand new handy dandy made for this purpose sausage stuffer. :D:D
 

scott6049

Member
Salmonsmoker,

I already have a kitchen aid mixer with grinder attachment and stuffer tubes. I have always ground my own hamburger from chuck roasts. What would be a good starter stuffer for me to get? I would really like a better grinder because as u know it takes forever to grind meat with the kitchen aid. I really want to start making my own sausage, so any advise you could give me or anyone could give I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks
 

TrickyDick

New member
Salmonsmoker,

I already have a kitchen aid mixer with grinder attachment and stuffer tubes. I have always ground my own hamburger from chuck roasts. What would be a good starter stuffer for me to get? I would really like a better grinder because as u know it takes forever to grind meat with the kitchen aid. I really want to start making my own sausage, so any advise you could give me or anyone could give I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks

I have heard, but never personally used before, that the big cast iron hand grinders like they sell at TSC are good. You can thrown them in the fridge or freezer to chill them down to keep the fat from melting. You're way father ahead of the game than me though. Someone recently made homemade hot dogs and looks like they are quite experienced at it, and could probably steer you better than I can. Also someone made summer sausages and gave them as gifts within the last year I think. Forget who, but really a first rate production it looked like, even down to the packaging. I used to do uncased sausage for breakfast patties, and also did my own burger for a while with the KA attachment. Haven't done in a long time. Have never tried doing anything in casings. Would like to try doing my own pepperoni, but I think that is a whole different ball game.

TD
 

Salmonsmoker

New member
I have heard, but never personally used before, that the big cast iron hand grinders like they sell at TSC are good. You can thrown them in the fridge or freezer to chill them down to keep the fat from melting.

TD

They may have been good at one time, but they're now made in a foreign country with the first initial "China" and they're not worth the effort or $ to haul home. And.....they're really slow. My mom used one for years for small batch stuff(under 3 lb.) and it worked ok, but it was made in USA. With most all electric grinders you can take off the whole grinder head and put it in the freezer too. The most important reason for keeping everything chilled is to keep the meat out of the food poisoning danger zone. 40F - 140F, and getting the grind done quickly is important. If you're going to get into sausage making, starting with such a grinder would be like buying a cheap pellet smoker knowing full well you're taking a $$ hit because your definitely ending up with a MAK 2-star.:confused:
Ol' Pappy tol' me; Buy high quality tools and you buy them once, buy cheap, poorly made tools and you buy again and again......
 

scott6049

Member
[
Ol' Pappy tol' me; Buy high quality tools and you buy them once, buy cheap, poorly made tools and you buy again and again......[/QUOTE]

Ol' Pappy is a wise man, that is so true, I always try to buy quality when it comes tools.
 

scott6049

Member
I am going to try my first fresh sausage this weekend. Is it safe to start with the smoke setting on my MAK 2 to give the sausage some smoke? And what is the final IT to take it off? I guess if someone could give me the proper steps I would really appreciate it. Thanks
 

TentHunter

Moderator
scott6049 said:
Is it safe to start with the smoke setting on my MAK 2 to give the sausage some smoke?

Generally speaking, yes, but first a few questions to get a better idea of what you want to make.

What kind of sausage are you thinking of making? Do you already have a recipe? Will it be bulk and made into patties, or stuffed into casings?
 

scott6049

Member
What kind of sausage are you thinking of making? Do you already have a recipe? Will it be bulk and made into patties, or stuffed into casings?[/QUOTE]

I would like to stuff in casings and make just a smoked sausage like a polish sausage. I don't have a recipe I was just going to use a pre packages kit for polish sausage. What do u think I should do?
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I would like to stuff in casings and make just a smoked sausage like a polish sausage. I don't have a recipe I was just going to use a pre packages kit for polish sausage.

Good deal; now I understand what you want to do!

First, Yes it's absolutely safe to hot smoke these using smoke mode on your MAK with some care.

Mixes & Recipes:

If you haven't bought any mixes, hold off. Traditional Polish Smoked Sausage isn't hard to make at all, and I'm willing to bet you have most of the seasonings already.

If you already have a mix and want to us it that's fine! It may have a nitrite cure in it already (the package should say).

There are tons of recipes on the Web, including The Wedliny Domowe link I gave earlier in the thread. Or, here's my tweaked Lower-Salt version:

Lower-Salt Polska Kielbasa Wedzona (Polish Smoked Sausage)

Fresh (uncured) Version:
5 lbs ground Pork (20% fat)
5 tsp Pickling Salt or non-iodized table salt
1 tsp Sugar
2 1/2 tsp Marjoram
1 1/4 tsp Pepper
2 - 3 cloves Garlic - mashed through a garlic press) & minced very finely
5 oz. Ice Water

Optional:
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp

Spread the meat out in a tub or large mixing bowl. Mix all the seasonings with the water and mix until salt & sugar are dissolved. Pour the mixture over the meat and thoroughly mix by hand until the sausage is uniform in color.

Stuff the meat mixture into casings and use a pricker to prick the casings every inch or so, removing any air pockets. Pat dry with clean paper towels and place in the fridge until ready to smoke. DO NOT HANG TO AIR DRY AT ROOM TEMPS!

Follow these steps for: http://www.pelletsmoking.com/searching-cure-26/how-hot-smoke-fresh-uncured-sausages-6352/

PLEASE, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COLD-SMOKE THESE!
 
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scott6049

Member
Cliff,
Thank you so much for taking the time to post the information about hot smoking fresh sausage. Also thank you for posting the Polish Kielbasa recipe. I already used a mix today and made 5 lbs. of sausage, but I still have another Butt in the fridge and I will definitely use your recipe. I definitely need to get a stuffer, my KitchenAid did fine grinding the meat, but was horrible stuffing the meat. It took me forever to stuff the sausage. :(
 
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