Seasons just keep ending

[tod osier]

First duck closed, then goose and now it is officially the close of sausage season.

Goose season was a fun one getting Beaver out there and enjoying some springish weather and hunting at the same time. Our late goose season is mostly on the saltwater and with it being really in the middle of winter the water temps are low enough that even a mild night can freeze the salt water.

Lotta mornings there were miles of soft saltwater skim even though it wasn't that cold.

Lot of seawater slush ice that I'm sure is very cold to walk in.

We did find some birds, even if I had to leave my favorite spots to do it.

Went 4 for 4 on bands this day and 0 for 5 the previous (yes, there are only 3 birds in the photo).

Young 'un learned to handle the big birds. Got quite a few 12 pounders, which seem to always be males.

With the seasons all finally closed it was time to give the Benellis their annual deep clean bath.

Sausage season opens when everything else closes. Made 20 pounds of goose sticks. These are a hot smoked kielbasa recipe with quite a bit of extra brown sugar.

Goose sausage in process - meat, fat and seasonings ready to grind

Goose sausage in process - meat, fat and seasonings bound and ready to stuff.

Stack of sticks.

Started 40 pounds of Venison Pepperoni (L) and Tuscan Salami. Fermented for a couple days at 70F and then dried for 2 to 3 weeks.

Seasonings.

Meat, fat and seasonings read for grinding.

Salami turned out pretty good.

Salami ready to be vac sealed.

Pepperoni (first) and Salami cut for the deep freeze. My sausage was a little long for the vac bags, so I sliced a bit off the ends and froze in packs.

Pepperoni in action.

And just remember the world is your oyster, just hope someone doesn't pick it and broil it on you.

 

[Kenmorris]

That looks delicious, now I?m hungry

 

[Mac Prawdzik]

Those are some good looking meat snacks! I've actually got about 15lbs of goose breasts I've been meaning to make some pepperoni's (or something similar) out of but so far I have never found a recipe that hit quite right with ducks and geese. Any recommendations or recipe books to suggest?

Cheers

 

[Al Hansen]

Nicely done, Tod. That first picture tells a lot. The shot of Beaver on the retrieve was a dandy. Glad to know that you got a magical goose!
Al

 

[tod osier]

Those are some good looking meat snacks! I've actually got about 15lbs of goose breasts I've been meaning to make some pepperoni's (or something similar) out of but so far I have never found a recipe that hit quite right with ducks and geese. Any recommendations or recipe books to suggest?

Cheers

Thanks Mac. Almost all the recipes I use start from "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman (Author), Brian Polcyn (Author), Yevgenity Solovyev (Illustrator).

https://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Salting-Smoking-Revised-Updated/dp/0393240053/


Any of their smoked sausage recipes can be made into sticks and they have a ton of dried sausage recipes too. I used to use pork backfat exclusively, but I've been using pork belly, which is about 50-50 fat to meat. That extra light meat in there pushes those sausages out of the overly gamey zone into perfect in my opinion. I use 3 game to 2 pork belly to get the desired ratio of meat to fat.

 

[J. Overland]

Great post. What a beautiful area you hunt. I love those late season hunts where "crazy hunters" are the only ones out on the water. It looks like your sausage game is as on point as your hunting.

 

[MIKE-SID]

Tod,
They look delicious! What are you using for grinder and stuffer? I have to get my but in gear and make some sausage too.

 

[Dani]

Some nice lookin sausages there. Soon turkey season will be in!!

You find out where the geese were banded?

 

[Mac Prawdzik]

Thanks Tod, I'll have to giver a try as soon as I can get a couple days off work.

 

[Steve Sanford]

Good morning, Tod~


Great tale and photos as always. Of course, there is nothing like saltwater ice - a world unt itself!


I smiled when I read of your post-season deep clean. I am guessing you begin with hot water to banish the salt? That is how my Dad taught me - and I still practice the ritual - followed by more conventional gun cleaning/protecting products.



All the best,


SJS

 

[tod osier]

Good morning, Tod~


Great tale and photos as always. Of course, there is nothing like saltwater ice - a world unt itself!


I smiled when I read of your post-season deep clean. I am guessing you begin with hot water to banish the salt? That is how my Dad taught me - and I still practice the ritual - followed by more conventional gun cleaning/protecting products.



All the best,


SJS

Thanks Steve, appreciate the kind words. Yes, on the hot water soak, you might not be able to tell, but I have the parts soaking in the photo. I try to get the stuff as hot as possible and then just wipe dry with a rag, air dry and then oil. The recoil spring in the stocks some years gets removed, but not this year and I try not to get water in there. Have had very good luck with Breakfree every few trips and the wash at year end. I used to wash a couple time per season, but haven't in a long time, just laying oil on (with its own salty oil rag) does the trick.

 

[tod osier]

Some nice lookin sausages there. Soon turkey season will be in!!

You find out where the geese were banded?

Thanks Dani, those geese were all local, that is how my coastal birds have been over the years.

I had a good year with bands and all the birds were local which is unusual for me but the norm overall. All within 30 miles - a mallard, a brant, and the geese. The brant are usually good for a long distance traveler, but this one was banded in NY last year. An additional note is that 2 of the geese were 8+ years old, so that went into the decision to make sausage - [].

 

[tod osier]

Tod,
They look delicious! What are you using for grinder and stuffer? I have to get my but in gear and make some sausage too.

Thanks Mike, I really like making sausage, fun to think about where I'll eat them on what adventures and fun to remember the animals taken when eating them.

I have a Cabelas 1/2 HP (#8) grinder and a 15 pound horizontal stuffer that l love make by Hakka. I had a 5 pound stuffer and it just too too many refills. I do a lot of 20 or 25 pound batches (but never over that since I can't fit more in one batch in my meat lugs), so the 15 is a great fit.

 

[Dani]

[quote tod osier}
I have a Cabelas 1/2 HP (#8) grinder and a 15 pound horizontal stuffer that l love make by Hakka. I had a 5 pound stuffer and it just too too many refills. I do a lot of 20 or 25 pound batches (but never over that since I can't fit more in one batch in my meat lugs), so the 15 is a great fit.[/quote]

What's a meat lug?

 

[tod osier]

What's a meat lug?

Same as a table buss box that you see at restaurants for clearing dishes (usually black, but sometimes gray), but butchers call them meat lugs (gray or translucent white). Hold 4.6 gallons - 25-30 pounds of meat. Lugs with lids are nice since they stack.

https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Products-FG334900GRAY-Standard/dp/B000JCKCQQ/

 

[Neal Haarberg]

Hi Tod,

I turn almost all of my ducks in to sausage as well. Usually Toulouse, Linguica, and Italian and snack sticks. Have been toying with the idea of salami's for a long time. What do you use to control the drying of sausages? I have considered converting an old fridge but just don't have the space. My main resource has been Ryteks book but I think I will get Rulhman's as well, the more information the better!

 

[tod osier]

Hi Tod,

I turn almost all of my ducks in to sausage as well. Usually Toulouse, Linguica, and Italian and snack sticks. Have been toying with the idea of salami's for a long time. What do you use to control the drying of sausages? I have considered converting an old fridge but just don't have the space. My main resource has been Ryteks book but I think I will get Rulhman's as well, the more information the better!

The dried sausages are so fun if you are into it. We have 3 freezers in the food room, two 12 cubic foot and one 9. I use a 9 cubic foot chest freezer as a box to make dried sausages in (no chilling, just a box for sausages). I have an air circulating fan in the freezer and a humidity sensor and just crack the lid 1/4-1/2-3/4 inch to let moisture out. I always make a lot of sausage (20 pounds min), so the sausages emit enough water to keep the humidity in the correct range. You can control humidity very precisely by just altering the gap with a stick.

Sausages hanging, you can see the little fan to the left to move the air.

The rest of the year the 9 cubic foot freezer is a chiller. Works great for beverages, bulk veg storage and aging animals.

This fan is used both refrigerate and sausage mode to keep it air moving:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Q3Q2354/


I use one of these to set the chiller temp with in refrigerate mode:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002EAL58/

 

[Craig F]

Awesome stuff Tod. I've been gradually going through all my duck from this season making snack sticks and this weekend I made my first foray into italian sausage. Everything has been so good I'm kicking myself for outsourcing it in the past. A great way to spend time between the end of duck season and the start of fishing season.

 

[Brad Bortner]

Nice story Tod. I might have to try some of those.

 

[Neal Haarberg]

Thanks Tod. That's a slick setup. I typically do 10lb batches and have considered converting my minifridge. I was always under the impression that a humidifier was required as well to keep it from case hardening. Not being a chest I don't think cracking the door is a good idea. The minifridge is used for aging ducks during the season and keeping corny's of my cider cold the rest of the year so it would be great if I can make it work. I have been wanting to do dried sausages for a long time. I find it interesting that you do not use a humidifier like I have seen in all my research and use the freezer as just an insulated box. Now you have me thinking with the environmental conditions we have here in the Northwest this time of year I may have some other options to make something work with what I have on hand.