2024 butchering

[Hedgelj]

Today I ground and mixed and stuffed
7lbs wild turkey breakfast sausage (meateater recipe)
17 lbs chicken breast breakfast sausage
25lb venison "bacon" (bearded butchers recipe)
39lbs of three different trail bologna some with cheese.

Tomorrow will be the start of smoking it and clean up.

 

[switchhitter]

Just looked at the venison bacon video from bearded butcher, sounds really interesting. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[Dannmann801]

Man that's commitment

 

[Hedgelj]

Man that's commitment

Walt till we hang out in January

 

[jagermeister]

Dang son, you been busy! That all sounds great!

 

[finelyshedded]

Wow!!!! What a grind, literally and figuratively!

 

[Hedgelj]

 

[Hedgelj]

The venison bacon goes on

I'm smoking all the trail bologna for a few hours then packaging it and finishing it sous vide

Then it's not overcooked and yet pasteurized

 

[Jamie]

The venison bacon goes on
View attachment 203608

I'm smoking all the trail bologna for a few hours then packaging it and finishing it sous videView attachment 203609
Then it's not overcooked and yet pasteurized

I started doing this four years ago. There is absolutely, positively not a better way to make smoked sausages than finishing them in sous vide bath. You can put on the perfect amount of smoke to suit your taste and never overcook them or dry them out.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I was talking about getting a meat mixer today so I can start making my own summer sausage and snack sticks. You guys using a true tub-style mixer, a stand mixer (e.g. Kitchen Aid), or just multiple grinds before stuffing?

 

[Jamie]

I have a Cabela's meat mixer that is powered by my grinder motor. I submit that I do not think it possible to thoroughly mix 25# batches of sausages by hand, especially the kind with lots of seasoning and binders. I simply would not be making large batches of anything without the mixer. These mixes slowly turn to cement while mixing. Even if you had the hand strength and added extra water it would still take an hour or more to do what the mixer does in 5 minutes, and that is EVENLY distribute ALL the ingredients. I have mixed plenty of 10lb batches by hand and it is a pain in the ass, but less of one than getting out the grinder and mixer, plus having to wash the mixer, lol.

 

[giles]

It would depend on what kind of sausage tube you wanted to make. We do the small tube's with the grinder attachment. If i was to do the bigger (5 pounds or bigger) tube's I think i would want an actual sausage stuffer to pack more meat in. Firm it up a bit. I don't think the grinder attachment does a good enough job for the larger sleeves. That is 100% personal opinion/preference.

 

[Hedgelj]

I was talking about getting a meat mixer today so I can start making my own summer sausage and snack sticks. You guys using a true tub-style mixer, a stand mixer (e.g. Kitchen Aid), or just multiple grinds before stuffing?

I have a Cabela's meat mixer that is powered by my grinder motor. I submit that I do not think it possible to thoroughly mix 25# batches of sausages by hand, especially the kind with lots of seasoning and binders. I simply would not be making large batches of anything without the mixer. These mixes slowly turn to cement while mixing. Even if you had the hand strength and added extra water it would still take an hour or more to do what the mixer does in 5 minutes, and that is EVENLY distribute ALL the ingredients. I have mixed plenty of 10lb batches by hand and it is a pain in the ass, but less of one than getting out the grinder and mixer, plus having to wash the mixer, lol.

I have a cabelas mixer I would sell you. It works well but I want one attached to my grinder. Less arm stressand it sometimes tries to walk across my table.

I mixed it all by hand. But my mixer when I'm not grumpy at it for moving is great but a small pita to clean afterwards.

 

[Hedgelj]

It would depend on what kind of sausage tube you wanted to make. We do the small tube's with the grinder attachment. If i was to do the bigger (5 pounds or bigger) tube's I think i would want an actual sausage stuffer to pack more meat in. Firm it up a bit. I don't think the grinder attachment does a good enough job for the larger sleeves. That is 100% personal opinion/preference.

There's a difference between a mixer and a stuffer.

Yes you can stuff some sausages and bologna through your grinder BUT if you're going for old school charcuterie styled dry cured sausage where you're looking for a certain meat/ fat look it'll often end up smearing the fat.

A dedicated stuffer is the way to go. My suggestion is a vertical rather than pig snout style one. Get one with metal gears rather than plastic because the pressure with some items (think snack sticks) can strip the plastic ones.

 

[Hedgelj]

I have a cabelas mixer I would sell you. It works well but I want one attached to my grinder. Less arm stressand it sometimes tries to walk across my table.

I mixed it all by hand. But my mixer when I'm not grumpy at it for moving is great but a small pita to clean afterwards.

I've used my kitchen aid mixer but can only get 5lbs in the bowl so that's a lot of work in larger batches.

 

[giles]

Yeah, I squirreled a little bit. Lol

 

[Hedgelj]

Venison bacon is truly more like spam... good flavor though

 

[switchhitter]

A different way to use up some ground venison.
I think I will try it!