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I was watching a bit yesterday. Very nicely done, Dawn!
You're a few steps ahead of me on the sausage gig...I'm just doing loaves/snack sticks/jerky strips right now..chopping meats with a food processor if whole muscle, or buying ground...I'll will be ordering a grinder in January...can't wait...still need a stuffer and good size meat mixer though...things to look forward to anyway. I am getting a good feel for the meat curing and seasonings...it's great to play with flavors and eat the results!
Hey, is that the Bandera that your the Kielbasas is hanging in? Looks like some heavy-duty rack supports...nice smoker!
Yes, that's my baby, lol. It works great for sausage, plenty of room for hanging as much as I want. I'm going to order a couple more hooks and racks for it soon.
Cure in fresh sausage is not a perservative. You must keep the sausage refrigerated, or it will spoil. I would not ship it unless you could package it to keep it cold until it arrives.
Nitrates and Nitrites in Cure prevents botulism from forming if you slow smoke the sausage for hours and the sausage is in the "danger zone" of 40-140F for hours. If you keep the sausage below 39F until you fully cook it, you don't need to use cure. Personally I use it anyway.