Klink's Sausage Diary, Day 1

[col klink]

Sausage Diary, Day 1

I have a hot smoker and I’ve smoked a lot of different meats. However, I am getting to the point where I am reaching the limits of what I can do just short of expanding the scale upon which I smoke. That is except for smoking my own sausage. I've smoked sausage before, but never my own and never for the pure interest of smoking sausage. The beauty of sausage is that you can use very economical (but still high quality) cuts of meat and transform them altogether into a new art form. Plus, it runs in the family.

My great-grandparents on my mother’s father’s side used to be butchers in the Polish section of Detroit. You could visit the store, go into the back yard and pick out a fresh chicken and my great-grandmother would run it down, kill it, pluck it and dress it for you all while you were waiting. They also made the best the best kielbasa in the city. They gave the business to my Grandparents and they took over and after they got older, they eventually they sold that to an uncle and eventually he sold it (behind everyone’s back) because the liquor license that went along with it went against his wife’s theological beliefs. Of course that famous recipe is now long gone, but I’m hoping to duplicate it with the help of my grandparents while they are still here. As a side note, my grandfather’s name is Skomski, and as the last male in his family alive, when he goes, so does the name. Reviving the family’s kielbasa is my way of lengthening the legacy of his name. At one point though, my mother did ask for the recipe from Uncle Ed after a few mellowing drinks on his part. He was very ready and generous to share it with her. He told her to get a pencil and paper and then sat there holding an unlit cigar and swirling it on his lips in his typical, happy fashion and says:

“OK, here goes, are you ready? Good, get 400 lbs. of pork butts and…”

Mom: “WHAT? Four hundred pounds?!?”

So this basically means I’m starting almost from scratch. I have made sausage only once before, about two weeks ago with a buddy of mine who used to work in a local sausage shop, Schultzy’s here in Seattle, for three years. We had just come into some fresh venison and I was able to help out. We made some spicy venison sausage, some mild pork and some chorizo. We chopped up the large cuts into small cuts and seasoned them. After the first grind (coarse), we tasted the initial results, seasoned again and then went through a final grind (still on the coarse setting) and stuffing at the same time, all the while the meat was kept as cold as possible without freezing to avoid gumming up the works. Natural casings of medium size were used.

For the most part, they were good though I don’t think there was enough pork fat in any of them, especially the spicy venison as we only relied on the natural fat of the shoulder roast to compensate completely for the lean venison. The proportion of pork to venison was about 60/40. But even the mild sausage with just pork was too dry. The only other thing I would change besides the seasonings is using a fine ground for the final stuffing.

It’s my turn now. For my kielbasa, I’m going to use a basic recipe of 80% pork, 20% ground beef, roughly a 2 to 1 ratio of meat to fat, lots of garlic, some mustard seed, salt and pepper. Perhaps other spices as I see fit before the final stuffing. I have the use of Kitchen Aid and the accompanying sausage grinder attachment as well as my hot smoker. Instead of the large casings, I will use the medium casings as the Kitchen Aid grinder only has small and medium. I’ll use cherry wood because that is what I have on hand and I will smoke the links first at around 100F for around an hour and then finish them off with 225F for half an hour. But before I smoke them, I will let them dry overnight in the fridge, hanging from a contraption that I will build either tonight or tomorrow and then use in the smoker so I won’t get grill marks. I understand it’s wise to let the liquids drain from the links so they don’t “shrivel” and they look better as a final product.

Since these temperatures put the links in the “danger zone” I will use an agent to reduce the possibility of botulism. I’ve read that salt is a tried and true method, but enough will make the end result too salty. As a diner, I prefer my food to be saltier than the average bear and I will salt the links for taste, will that be enough? I plan on sending my results to my grandparents in Detroit for advise and confirmation. I have one of those vacuum food savers and plan on sealing the links immediately after they’ve been pulled out of the smoker. I am also aware of sanitation theory since I used to be a home brewer, but am still learning the ropes when it comes to food preparation, especially sausage preparation.

Tomorrow will be the actual grinding and stuffing of the kielbasa, and Friday I will smoke them. I’m about to leave right now to pick up my pork fat and later tonight I will coarsely chop the pork and brine it. Since this is my first time I appreciate any and all help and advise.

I should point out that this is only the beginning of a large investment in time and energy in what could be a giant meat empire but at least it will be an homage to my heritage. I will be keeping an ongoing diary here and I will also be taking as strict notes as I know how on my methods, ingredients and times of each processing step. I also appreciate advise that might not mean much on the home or hobby scale but relates more to the small-scale sausage production, the more I learn, the happier I am. Hope you enjoy this as much as I will!

Next Installment >>

[Fat Guy]

Wow. Thanks for posting this, and I'm eagerly anticipating subsequent installments!

[Jason Perlow]

Kick ass, Klink.

BTW: One thing you might want to consider in addition to the preservative agent is to freeze the kielbasa right after vacuuming them, this will add additional safty margin when shipping to your folks. And to me

[col klink]

BTW: One thing you might want to consider in addition to the preservative agent is to freeze the kielbasa right after vacuuming them, this will add additional safty margin when shipping to your folks. And to me 

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that.

[CathyL]

Col., you are embarking on a grand adventure! Thanks for taking us along.

If you haven't already, consider buying 'Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing' by Rytek Kutas. It can be ordered online through several sites; here's one that also offers a lot of information about, and products for, sausage-making: Allied Kenco

To guard against spoilage and the microbeasties it nourishes, curing agents like TenderQuick are more useful than salt.

Should you wish to swap stories with the fanatic, you can subscribe to a web mailing list for sausage makers here. Choose the digest version or you will be blizzarded.

[Jinmyo]

Klink, Klink, Klink, Klink...

[Priscilla]

Wow this is exciting! What a worthwhile endeavor.

[Dave the Cook]

I am on the edge of my seat, dude. This is going to be great!

A few questions, which you can ignore if you think you will be answering them in the course of the diary:

What is the purpose of the refrigerated drying? Can you explain about the shriveling it is supposed to prevent? Why would you want to remove moisture before cooking? How porous are the casings?

More details, please, on the drying/smoking apparatus.

Why did you choose those temperatures, especially as the first temperature seems like an open invitation to bacteria?

Where are you getting the casings? Is there a good internet source?

How will you maintain 100 F with any reliability?

What are you using for pork fat?

When can I expect the samples?

[jhlurie]

Klink, Klink, Klink, Klink...

Oh great Klink. Now you've started Jinmyo on another "meat rant".

[Bouland]

I will smoke the links first at around 100F for around an hour and then finish them off with 225F for half an hour.

I assume that you are referring to the smoker temperture and not the sausage temperature? The internal temperature of the sausages should reach about 160 to 165°F when finished. If you go higher, you'll dry them out too much. This is the final temperature I use when I make sausages that are poached, such as boudin blanc.

[col klink]

Cathy, thanks for the info on the book and the store, I've already ordered a catalog.

What is the purpose of the refrigerated drying? Can you explain about the shriveling it is supposed to prevent? Why would you want to remove moisture before cooking? How porous are the casings?

If water is not removed, then your sausages are spotted when they come out of the smoker and the refrigeration is to keep them out of the danger zone. I have first hand experience with this with the sausages I made two weeks ago that I smoked, they weren't the prettiest belles at the ball.

More details, please, on the drying/smoking apparatus.

Um, I haven't made it yet. It will be metal, probably stainless steel and will somehow hold up sausages for drying and smoking. To be less glib, I'm kind of thinking of just buying a metal dish drying rack if I can find one with the right dimensions.

Why did you choose those temperatures, especially as the first temperature seems like an open invitation to bacteria?

I chose the initial temperature (of the smoker Bouland) just so I can keep the sausages in the smoker for longer periods of time without overcooking them. Once my cold smoker is finished, I'm sure I'll keep the temp as low as possible for up to days at a time. But probably not for kielbasa.

Where are you getting the casings? Is there a good internet source?

I'm sure there is a good internet source, but there are a couple of butchers in the area that sell them.

How will you maintain 100 F with any reliability?What are you using for pork fat?When can I expect the samples?

Skillz, pork fat and soon.

[Dave the Cook]

So out there in Seattle they have Pork Fat Stores (next to Todd and Lisa'a Scotch Tape Store, I'm imagining), and you just go in and say, "Gimme three pounds," and they weigh it and wrap it and you pay for it and go on your merry way?

[col klink]

That's basically about it, except I asked for 5 lbs. I have two butchers and all I did was ask for it. He had to place an order and because of beautiful timing, it was here the next day. His supplier asctually gave him 7lbs, but he said he could easily use the rest. The fat is in 1" to 1.5" cubes and I have no idea if they're even from the same animal, let alone a particular locale.

[Dave the Cook]

OK.

Just for the record, we don't have butchers here. The last one died of starvation in 1974.

[col klink]

Sorry to hear that Dave. You should really start talking to butchers at the super market. They're usually pretty nice to talk to since they don't do much talking all day long, they'll welcome the change. It really pays to know your butcher.

[mamster]

Dave, I buy pork fat (in smaller quantities) at the big Asian grocery. It's basically free. Got any Asian markets in your neck?

[col klink]

Dave, I buy pork fat (in smaller quantities) at the big Asian grocery.  It's basically free.  Got any Asian markets in your neck?

At Uwagjimaya? Don't get me wrong, I love the meat at A&J's and I love the guys at The Butcher Shoppe, but I think I'm getting ripped off. I had to pay $1.21/lb for my fat. Oh well, it's not like I'm making 1000 lbs of the stuff (yet). I'll know better next time.

[Shiva]

Thanks, Col. I'm right behind you. A little bird told me I'm getting a meat grinder/sausage stuffer for Christmas.

My friends, family, and neighbors will surely benefit from your mistakes.

[Batgrrrl]

Ahhhhh, the joy of being Klink's primary taster...

I just got to sample the coarse grind (Klink's going to tell you what all went into it later) and it's fantastic! Nice balance of garlic, very moist. I was already stuffed from dinner, but couldn't resist it.

Details to follow from the colonel himself. Back to grinding.

B-gal

[Dave the Cook]

It's both better and worse than I have made it out to be. For the most part, supermarket "butchers" around here are people who cut steaks from trimmed primals, grind scraps and check the expiration dates--that's about it. I tried to cultivate relationships--even let them sharpen a few knives (not my best ones, thank goodness) to establish some camaraderie. But I finally gave up after failing to explain what English-style short ribs were. They thought they might be able to order them. To me, this means they are not doing serious meat cutting. The cutting is done at a commissary that serves a whole bunch of stores, so if I want something special--like laughably common English-style short ribs, I have to wait two or three days.

OTOH, since Whole Foods took over the local commercial farmer's market (I don't know any other way to describe it succinctly), they have done a great job of stabilizing the work force, and there may be reason for hope.

Also, since reading up on the shopping card thing, I've decided to throw more business over to the non-card chain, and I'll make an effort to make friends there.

Anyway, thanks for your encouragement.

[tanabutler]

With 14,000 topics to read, you'd think I get to this one sooner. I am still interested in this thread, though Klinks's moooooooved to the upper tundra of America (I think that's what I read).

Boys, if the guys at Corralitos Market could type, with their bloodstained hands, I'd beg them to come here. (Google them. They rock.)

I do have the sausage attachment to the KitchenAid, but I haven't had the nerve or the ingredients to use it yet.

[phlfour]

Two things you don't want to see created....sausage and legislation

Ben Franklin

[Forest Gleaner]

I'm apparently confused - Either this is a dead end thread or I need some help in finding the rest of the diary. And if it is a dead end, why is it listed as a "Special Feature" on the home page when it is apparently a failed project?

Somebody help me. jm

[mnebergall]

I don't know, this discussion of "smoking one's own sausage" brings to mind a limerick about a certain gentlman from Nantucket.

[Jason Perlow]

Second Installment of Klink Diary

NOTE: As this is one of the older threads on the site, the inline images no longer work.