Kielbasa Recipe Question With New Q-View

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red dog

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Jul 24, 2011
702
38
Central Oregon
I'm getting ready to make a 15lb batch of venison kielbasa this weekend and have a question regarding tripling my ingredients. The recipe calls for 1 cup of water for 5lbs. Should I be o.k. just adding 3 cups or should I do 2 cups and check consistency before adding the third?  
 
If using dry powdered milk [as I do, at 1 cup per 5 pound batch] stick to the recipe.  If not I would cut it down to 2 cups. The powdered milk is a binder and really helps in retaining the moisture, texture, and prevents shrinkage while smoking/cooking. The water also helps in getting the seasonings to blend within the meat mix. The mix should have a nice sticky texture after everything is said and done and ready for stuffing.  Reinhard
 
yeahthat.gif


Happy smoken.

David
 
 
If using dry powdered milk [as I do, at 1 cup per 5 pound batch] stick to the recipe.  If not I would cut it down to 2 cups. The powdered milk is a binder and really helps in retaining the moisture, texture, and prevents shrinkage while smoking/cooking. The water also helps in getting the seasonings to blend within the meat mix. The mix should have a nice sticky texture after everything is said and done and ready for stuffing.  Reinhard
Thanks Reinhard,

The recipe doe's call for the powdered milk. The meat was pre-ground when we processed the deer so  I plan to mix and stuff tomorrow  and start smoke Saturday morning. I will try to start a new thread with Qview if all goes well.
 
I was chastised on a sausage forum for using water instead of a beer or wine etc for added flavor yadi yada. I agree in principal, of course, and have used alcoholic beverages as the liquid.....just bringing it up to you as an alternative to plain water....Willie
 
 
You must be cautious when using wine in sausage as the alcohol tends to break the sticky bond within the meat. Stanly Marianski has presented all of his recipes as kilogram of meat and percentages of everything else.
Is the same true with beer? I had thought about using beer or wine but didn't want to screw up 15lbs of good deer meat so I am trying to stick to a proven recipe. I may save the experimenting for some domestic meat or some last years elk my brother is bringing over Xmas.
 
I have used beer instead of water plenty of times.  Same amount as water.  Wine is something I dont use much, but maybe because I dont drink much of it HA HA.  I think some use wine in Italian sausage.  If you feel more comfortable using water that's great.  If you want to use beer sometimes just make a 5 pound batch of something and see how you like it.  Reinhard
 
I agree with Willie on using something other than water. You could also use a beef stock/broth for a little added flavor. I've simmered homemade stock with a few mushrooms and used in sausage. Kinda adds that "umami" flavor. Even if you used the store bought broth it would add a little bit of flavor. Good luck!!
 
 
I think I smell the smoke coming from the South! I'll be watching for the smoke signals Saturday!
Hey Case! Wish me luck. This will be my biggest batch ever and I wouldn't even try it if it wasn't for the support of all the great folks on this site. I may get brave and try beer. Thanks guys.
 
Is the venison this years? I haven't been hunting. In so long I don't even know what a deer looks like!
Yes it is. My Dad and I got to hunt deer together for the first time in several years. My Mom had alzheimers so we were anchored pretty close to home. Well she passed away last year so we went on a killing spree. He shot a fork on opening morning and I shot one on day three. We hunted out between the Big Deschutes and Fall River. Not monster deer but dang does fresh venison taste good! By the way, my Pop is a gnarly 83 years old and going strong.
 
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IMHO 1 cup of water is too much for 5 lbs..... be careful, too much water can make for a grainy sausage......Add small amounts of water until the meat becomes tacky and binds together. My 2 cents

Joe
 
The amount of the water is different if a binder is used.  3/4 to a cup per 5 pounds is good if powdered milk is used.  That is what I do and I get a nice sticky mix with good results.  Without a binder less should be used, and I agree with the 1/2 cup or less per 5 pounds.  Reinhard
 
Thanks again for all the input. I ended up using 1 cup per 5lbs. I think the meat would have been very difficult to mix with less. It came out a good consistency and stuffed nicely. 


Here are the 15 1lb rings plus a couple of shorties hanging in the MES ready to smoke in the morning. I hope they end up tasting as good as they smell!
 
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Dang it Red Dog that looks great, I can smell them from here. 

A full smoker is a happy smoker and yours is going to be happy happy happy tomorrow 

DS
 
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