Fred Slyfield

ok...clearly i'm missing something.....why would you cook it before freezing it? then when it thaws you cook it again. How is that any different from multiple cooked sausages that turn rubbery from being reheated?

I know meat can grow bacteria...so is that why? is it a safety issue? if that's the case then why don't we cook slabs of meat prior to freezing then cook them again? what's different about sausage?

I plan on using the brats as brats....I love me some brats...and the bit I had sure was tasty....but there is going to be lots that gets frozen

Purely an issue with ease with what I'm talking about. Brats are fine frozen raw. It is just nice to put them in the fridge the night before to thaw and about 10 minutes on the grill to heat up once thawed. If not over boiled then they won't get rubbery. Not anything you have to do it was just one suggestion.

There is a difference with ground meat then slabs of some meat. Not an issue with something like brats that are cooked fully. When you grind things the bad stuff on the outside is mixed all the way through. The reason why you can eat rare beef steak but shouldn't eat anything but done burger.
Click to expand...
 
Dani, you should check out Michael Ruhlman's book called Charcuterie. Wonderful book on preserving meats, making sausage, and so on. Steve Rinella did some interviews with Michael recently where he took his recipes but used meats like wild boar, bear, venison, etc. Also, Hank Shaw's blog (http://honest-food.net/cured-meat/) has some great recipes on sausage making.

Hope you make some great gator sausage. That sounds delish!



Very best,
Nate
 
aaaahhhhhh got it Tim. Thanks....makes more sense now

Nate, thanks I'll see if I can get a hold of that book and I'll check out that blog

Dani
 
Ok Matt. I made sausage...ground everything and put it in a bag. Made some patties last night and the texture was outstanding. Had to wait to find some casings but when I went to stuff them, it made the sausages finer than we like texture wise. I made the mistake of putting the sieve behind the tuber thingy that you slip the casings on, but after I could no longer tube meat, there was still meat in the grinder and it too was ground further smaller. Is there a way to make it not so small?

Also what is left of the casings....can they be frozen and used later?

thanks again

dani
 
Ok Matt. I made sausage...ground everything and put it in a bag. Made some patties last night and the texture was outstanding. Had to wait to find some casings but when I went to stuff them, it made the sausages finer than we like texture wise. I made the mistake of putting the sieve behind the tuber thingy that you slip the casings on, but after I could no longer tube meat, there was still meat in the grinder and it too was ground further smaller. Is there a way to make it not so small?

Also what is left of the casings....can they be frozen and used later?

thanks again

dani
Click to expand...


I'm no Matt, but I 'm guessing what you describe is why people use a plunger stuffer not an attachment on the grinder. It can be done with a grinder attachment with success (I have been able to get a very good product with ours), but the meat has to be cold and move through fast to keep it from getting ground too fine/emulsified (one person loading full-time keeping the meat moving).

As far as saving casings, yes. Salt heavily and keep in the fridge, freezer can weaken them.
 
Last edited:
Ok Matt. I made sausage...ground everything and put it in a bag. Made some patties last night and the texture was outstanding. Had to wait to find some casings but when I went to stuff them, it made the sausages finer than we like texture wise. I made the mistake of putting the sieve behind the tuber thingy that you slip the casings on, but after I could no longer tube meat, there was still meat in the grinder and it too was ground further smaller. Is there a way to make it not so small?

Also what is left of the casings....can they be frozen and used later?

thanks again

dani


Dani,

There should be a special "blade" that you use when you go to stuff the sausage. It's the one with the large slots in it. That one will not change the size of the grind, but rather just allow you to get the end plate attached to the grinder. Some grinders will work with out a "blade" insert in them. Just replace the grinder plate with the stuffing plate, and stuff away.

In regards to storing leftover casings. I use natural casings, and they come in water from my local butcher. I just change the water and freeze in a block. Thaw when using again and they are as good as new. Kind of loke freezing fish in a block of water...NO freezer burn.

Just what I've experienced!

Art
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top