# Matt Campbell new member



## macampbell (Jun 2, 2012)

Hi.  I'm Matt Campbell and I live in Seagraves, TX.  That's a little town in the panhandle a few miles east of the New Mexico border.  I grew up there working in my families small slaughter house.  I have some great memories from my boyhood years of making sausage there.  I would like to get back into the business.  I'm making plans to build another small plant in Seagraves in the next couple of years and I'm hoping to learn lots of new things about how to make the best sausage from this group. 

I want to install one single truck smoker and I'm trying to decide which brand to buy.  Does anyone have any advice?  Should I go with gas or electric?, wood chips or liquid smoke?, PLC controls or manual?


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## scarbelly (Jun 2, 2012)

Hello Mac and 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






to SMF - sounds like you have a great plan - looking forward to following this


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## southernsausage (Jun 2, 2012)

Hello and Welcome! You should get some serious educated feedback on this from some pro's!!! I am not one!!!


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## shoneyboy (Jun 2, 2012)

to SMF and I hope to see pictures of your new adventure .......SB


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## smokinhusker (Jun 2, 2012)

Hello Matt and welcome to SMF! Glad to have you here! I just started delving into the world of sausage making and I love it so far.

There's lots of info, recipes and helpful folks as well as the search bar at the top of the page. 

I'm sure you'll find loads of interesting reading!


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## macampbell (Jun 3, 2012)

Thanks everyone.  I'm really looking forward to learning more about making great sausage.  I appreciate the warm welcome. 

Does anyone have any experience making sausage on a commercial scale?  I'd really like to hear some experiences with different brands and configurations of 1 truck smokers.  What problems have you seen?  How did you work through those? 

I'm planning to start off with one single truck smoker.  I've kind of narrowed the field to two vendors.  Enviro Pak CVU490 and a small manufacturer in Mississippi named Rebel Butcher Equipment.  He builds his own line of smokers in a shop near Jackson. 

I'll probably start with a small vacuum tumbler and electric/hydraulic stuffer.  If things work out I may expand to some bigger more automated equipment later.


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## shoneyboy (Jun 3, 2012)

Matt, I have given what you are wanting to do a lot of thought over the last few years. I actually have been wanting to do the same thing myself for a while. Here is what I came up with, 1[sup]st[/sup] before you buy any equipment or spend a dime…..Check with your local board of health department, ask them what you need to do to get started…what are their requirements. I have been working with mine for the last few months, designing a plan for mine….They have been extremely helpful and have made suggestions that I would have never thought about......They are the people that are going to be inspecting your facility, so why not build it around their requirements…2[sup]nd[/sup] your facility will probably need to be inspected by the USDA also, so you may want to do the same thing with them too…It is not a fast pace process, so don’t get in a rush…it takes a long time to get help some times, be patient and take notes every time !!!  The smallest details can cause the most costly problems if you have to do them over … and the 3[sup]rd[/sup] thing, I have done was ( I work at a local college) I contacted the Animal Science dept. at the local college and asked for help…they are a very valuable resource. As far as it goes, the collage is the one that produces most of the inspectors, helped establish some of their rules and are the inspectors go to resource in many cases…I by far am not going to tell you how to handle your business or how to deal with people, but from experience, I have learned that if you just listen and ask questions the people that work within these feilds are extremely helpful and if treated with respect are willing to bend over backwards to help…..I actually took a class at the collage ( Animal Science 3900), I learned how the process works on the industrial level, when I had questions or problems he was their to help. Now, since we have a pretty good relationship, he is more willing to go the extra effort for me when I need his help… but it is a double edge sword too, he will tell me that I should investigate this more before I ask questions or for help also…..but that is my fault too ….He is a great teacher, but tough….As far as equipment goes these people are the ones that are in the field and know the requirements and in my opinion  will have the best knowledge of what you need to start off with….My question about the single truck smoker, how much will it hold ? I understand that your intent is to only make and smoke sausage, but these days you may want to look into something more versatile, something that you can smoke other things with too…..Just my thoughts…Hope this helps ShoneyBoy


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## so ms smoker (Jun 3, 2012)

Sounds like good advice from Shoneyboy. You are starting a new food service business and the 'government' wants to be involved. Always best to be on thier good side! Good luck and great smoking.

Mike


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## macampbell (Jun 3, 2012)

Thanks ShoneyBoy.  Sounds like very solid advice.  I've done several of the things you recommended.   One thing I haven't done is talk to the local board of health.  I'll start checking into that, but unless I decide to have a dining area I'm not sure they will come into play.  I have been working with a guy from the Houston area that builds these kind of facilities all over the country.  He and I have put together a plant design and plans to acquire a USDA grant of inspection.  I also visited with the head of the meat science program at an area college.  Nice guy and like you said, had lots of good advice. 

Sausage is not the only product I'm planning to use the smoker for.  Our business plans include a small retail outlet where we will offer everything from sausage to jerky....basically anything our customers want to buy that we can produce with our smoker...at a profit that is!!  We're hoping that now is the time to get back into the business with all the media attention on the big boys.  Locally grown, locally processed sort of concept. 

Where are you located?...didn't have a chance to look at your profile.  Are you planning to slaughter or buy boxed meat?


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## shoneyboy (Jun 3, 2012)

Matt, I would love to open a full processing plant, that was one of the main reasons I took the Animal Science class and what we covered…I have to say, I have never seen that part of the process before in my life, it was a very interesting process. I would like to, but I don’t have the time right now with everything I have going on. So what I have been thinking of doing is just opening a manufacturing plant part time … making a couple different types of sausage and marketing them though local stores for a start to see how they would sell…If they did good then build on that process…..I have a full time job that I can retire from in 12 years and I do not want to leave and loose that. So that is why I have not totally invested in a building and all of that yet….I have been working on my business plan and picking-up equipment as I come across it to save money….I was able to buy a commercial smoker several months back that sold for scrap. The controls were destroyed, but by having to rebuild it, I have learned all of the in and outs of how it works. I will never have to pay someone to work on it, because I know ever part on it, were to buy it from and how much it cost ……I have been working on it here and there, it’s not something that I have to have right now, so I can work on it as I can afford to, to get it back up and running….. So to start I’m going to buy box meat….I have met a couple of meat vendors locally that are willing to work with me. I just need to get a couple of irons out of the fire so I can free up some time to get into this….. I’m located in Denham Springs, Louisiana about 2 minutes East of Baton Rouge La…. Good luck and I hope to see some pictures of your work in the future…….SB


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## macampbell (Jun 4, 2012)

I know where Denham Springs is.  I crew change out of Morgan City and work in New Orleans pretty often. 

If you're really interested in getting involved in the meat business, we should talk offline.  I'm looking to either hire a manager or take on a minority partner who can help me run this business.  Of course you would have to move to Seagraves, Texas.  My plan is to open the front door summer of 2014.  I work offshore on a 14/14 schedule and will help manage the plant on my days off until I retire in 6 or 7 more years.


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## shoneyboy (Jun 4, 2012)

I fish down near Morgan City pretty often, 2 or 3 time a month, I love the area… Thanks for the offer, but I’m not looking to relocate anytime soon. I’m eligible to retire in about 12 years and I’m not going to screw that up….. But I would like to keep in touch to see how everything is coming along….I have been kicking around the ideal of just doing it part time for a couple years now and have built up a pretty good group of followers…I have been trying different recipes on my friends and family over the years and have to make around 500lbs – 800lbs a year just to satisfy their needs…. I know it is not much in the vast scheme of things, but when you are working out of your kitchen at home making 30-50lbs at a time it can get strenuous at times…..I have been looking at building a kitchen on my property just for this process…. I enjoy making sausage and it is a great hobby, but I’m just concerned that if I do build a building and start a business, that it will become a job and not get the enjoyment that I do out of it….I have a job, I need a hobby for now…….


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## macampbell (Jun 4, 2012)

I hear you.  Good luck with your plans.  I'll keep you posted as mine progress.

I'd love to get my hands on some of your favorite recipes and techniques if you're willing to share them


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