new member... Need advice on making sausage

[davemo]

ok i am a new member;in fact this is my first post beside the roll call.i have been trying to make venision summer sausage every year but results have been less than i would like.here is what i have done in the past,grind 8lb deer thru a coarse and then fine plate/grind 2lb pork butt to add to it same grinding plates used/mixed with a 10 lb lem summer sausage kit according to directions/stuffed in casings/cooked in oven till internal temp hit 170.results were these/sausage showed alot of shrinkage alot of fat leaked thru my FIBROUS casings onto the pans/upon slicing i noticed the fat had a jelly like consistency, tasted alot like glorified meat loaf.Things i am planning on doing diffent=1.found out i didnt have the right plate for stuffing i was using the coarse plate not stuffing plate . 2.believe i am gonna add a meat binder like soy protein concentrate and immediatly after cooking soak sausage in ice water,both will reduce shrinkage i believe.3.Use encapsulated citic acid to add tangyness to the product.Ok any advice?are pork butt what i should use for the added fat in the meat?what about the jelly like appearance? help me out folks if ya can and.....I THANK YOU !!!!

 

[scotty]

Everything i have ever read about venison sausage refers to the fact that deer meat has almost no fat.

Decent sausages need about 25 percent fat. Some of the commercial sausages are allowed vrty much more fat.

I have also read that the flavor in sausage is carried in the fat.

In my own experience making italian sausages, I am always using a bit more fat in addition to adjusting seasonings to suit my taste.

Last batch of pork butts had an additional 20% fat added and i think a bit more next time is in order.


Mixing any sausage thoroughly is not only important for seasoning bit it also does something to the meat thatis necessary for texture I believe.

I was told to mix till it gets a bit sticky.


These folks(at the link below)) are masters at all types of sausage and as helpfull as the folks we have in this smoke group.

Try a visit. You will not be sorry((couldnt spess disapointed LOL))

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/

 

[salmonclubber]

davemo

sounds like you have it covered except you are cooking at a temp that is to high for sausage it is causing your fat to melt and turn to jelly i make my sausage i start at a temp of 120 and go up from there and i finish with a cooking temp of 175 when the sausage reaches a temp of 152 i pull it and give a cold water bath it turns out great
huey

 

[goat]

Welcome Davemo, IMHO you have a little ratio problem. I sould use 6 lbs venison, 2 lbs pork butt, and 2 lbs bacon ends. I would grind all the meat thru a 1/8 plate twice and then stuff. I think that you also over cooked the summer sausage. Take your summer sausage to a temp of 155* and then cool it. This will solve some of your gel problems also. I believe that you will always have a little gel but not to the extent that you describe. I also would not make additions to the LEM Summer Sausage Kit unless it was to add some pepper for your personal heat preference. If you do your part, the kit has all you need. Check the label for citric acid before adding more. I hope that this helps.

 

[cajun_1]

Darn ... forgot the water bath.

Guess I'll eat Wrinkled Sausage.

 

[seaham358]

I use the Hi Mountain summer sausage kits every year and they are great.
Pick one of them up and give it a try.. Easy to follow directions..
I believe it says to let set 24 hours before smoking to let the cure do its thing. I smoke till they hit 156, pull and let cool down. Never had a bad on yet..
Keep trying, sooner or later you will get it down..

 

[davemo]

Ok thanks folks for all the replys.I have a couple more questions.Ok on the fat content it is supposed to be 25%but how do i measure that? I have access to the pork butts"they call em boston butt" and i can get pure pork fat from my local butcher but that didnt grind very well the first time i tryed it lol.And of course i can get bacon,hamburger etc.And secondly the suggestion that i slowly bring the temp up to 155 sounds logical but is that a safe temp i am useing the pink curing salt but pkg says i believe 165? thanks for the replys again!!!

 

[goat]

Pork butts are 80 lean/20 fat. That is a benchmark to begin your calculations. If you are adding pork fat, you might get it real cold, just about freezing and grind it once separately, then add to the rest of the meat and grind as per your instructions. Most temps I have seen for summer sausage are in the 153* to 156*. You might call the manufacturer of the seasoning kit and clarify. Like I said earlier, I would add some bacon ends. You will love the flavor.

 

[deejaydebi]

I'm with Goat here! I use pork belly trimmings (unsmoked bacon) for extra fat and it works great! I don't get much venison anymore but it sure makes a nice sausage and jerky!

I like to do a fine dice on my fat (about 1/4 inch) and then mix it into the meat. Last past though the grinder it all goes in half frozen.