Stuffed vs Non

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nitrousinfected

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jul 19, 2007
190
11
Van Buren AR
Ran across a Summer Sausage recipe yesterday, the recipe requires no stuffing or casing of any kind, and doesnt require smoking, rather 300 deg oven til int. temp reaches 170, then let cool to room temp patting excess grease of as it cools.

Just curious, never having made any type of sausage, what are the advantages and disadvantages of stuffing or not stuffing?
 
This recipe calls for liquid smoke also (if it is the same one I am thinking about). Does it call for cure? I am assuming not. It is good but it isn't like real smoked summer sausage.
 
Advantages to casings....the fat doesn't get blotted off and stays in the meat, which keeps it moist. I have had non casing summer sausage from the oven, and the stuff I had was dry and really paled in comparison to what I make in the smoker. The casings are pretty cheap for summer sausage, and well worth the investment in my opinion.
 
You could always try some without casings but like Tlzimmerman said they are pretty cheap. I like the summer sausage that I have had to be in casing but I'm not you.
 
Yes it did require Tbl per pound of meat of TQ, Yes it does call for liquid smoke. The other thing about the recipe that caused question with me, there was no call for grinding of the meat. It actually called for venison, which is usually ground finer than lean ground beef, but again I have absolutely no experience in sausage making, ate tons of it, but made none
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The casings arent really the issue for me, I dont own a stuffer, I guess I can buy a cheap hand stuffer.
 
If you can find a cheap little meat grinder that would stuff summer sausages easy because they are so large you can use large stuffing tube, might be able to get into it for not much money if you watch ebay for a bit. If not, and you are interested in doing sausages, there is not a whole lotta risk in buying a sausage stuffer,either a small lever style or a large geared hand crank, they are worth their weight in gold and really keep their resale.
 
I have recently become interested in it, but I am bad about going from hobby to hobby, so likely wouldnt be interested in an expensive vertical at this point.
 
When I first started stuffing summer sausage casings, I did it with spoon and a 15lb batch took me like 2 hours it seemed. I then bought a tube stuffer with a plunger and it held like 1/2 lb of meat which in time took me like an hour to get everything stuffed. I finally bought me a stuffer and now it takes me like 15 minutes to do the same thing. The have them 3lb and 5lb horn style.
 
Years back when I was first getting into making my own sausage & bologna I had a way to make it in the oven. I took a soup can & cut both ends off of it. Then stuff can full & push out on plate. Let sit uncovered in frig over night to let meat dry out on the outside to form a skin. Then put on broiler pan & in the oven it went. I have gone past that now but it did give me decent results. Just remember this was the start of (for lost of a better word) an addiction. I'm always looking, learning, & trying different things & ways to smoke.
 
For summer sausage I just make little balls with my hands (skip the spoon)and toss them in the casings, when it gets to the top I twist to stuff the meat to the bottom and repeat till I can't fit any more. Way cheaper than a stuffer. That is what works for me. As described above, it does take a little bit of time. I am making 30# this weekend and will time myself, I am betting about an hour or so.
 
Coffee Junkie's method will work I've also heard of people using a jerky gun to squeeze it in. If the recipe is like one I saw recently it would allow someone without a grinder or stuffer to still make sausage by buying already ground meats. I see no reason you couldn't use that recipe and smoke it tho that way you could get the real smoke flavor instead of the liquid stuff.
 
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