Thread: Uncle Don's coffeehouse 2018

Well,

This attempt was way better than the last attempt @ Summer Sausage.

It’s in the Engel on it’s 3rd ice water bath. Seems that much either needs more water to cool, or a bigger tub.

Maybe I’ll get a Engel 65 for this next year.

Overall, it’s not a hard process. I like the results as I added more cheese. No need to buy a block of cheese and cut it to get that SS w/ cheese taste.

Over all, I would look into a Sausage Stuffer vs a grinder, but that can be resolved later.

Rich,
Zip ties worked fine, as I used ZT for all of them.

Worked well, closed the damper on the top, placed the drip pan in place. Put 2 clothes over the damper, and set the temp.

Top rack is equal to the bottom rack, so I am happy with that as well.

Did an hour @ 120,
Hour @ 160 with Cherry
Then to 180 until the temp was 162.

I saw mixed temps for the internal temp online, 155, 156, and anything from there to 165.

Being the first time in a long time, I stopped @ 162.


2 of my 4 kids tested one of the Cheddar sticks, and this was all that was left.



OE


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Good to know on the zip ties. As for internal temps, it really depends on what consistency you want. I shoot for 162 myself.

I have always wanted to do cured Salami and hard cured but am still a little scared of the process.

1/2 the sticks go to Uncle Fred & Aunt Gretchen (Where I am allowed to hunt)they wanted 1 stick.

They are getting 6 of each flavor.

Hopefully it keeps me in Aunt Gretchen’s good graces, that and killing the Dora’s that eat her flowers....... lol


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I used LEM seasonings for the first time this year. I'm not a fan of their summer sausage, either, but Steve liked it. My second batch was their trail bologna and I liked the taste of that a lot more and it has red pepper flakes so it has a slight after burn. I usually go 20 pounds venison and 5 pounds pork shoulder. I use the oven at 175 and give the sticks 1/4 turns every now and then. I have a large, single bowl sink in my basement that I ice bath the chubs in. When I did the large sticks I would use the bath tub. I save bread ties for the whole year to use on my hamburger bags and sausage casings. If I made more I would get a taping machine and hog rings and pliers. My jerky is soaked overnight in kosher salt, brown sugar and water, rinsed then strung on wires and hung for smoking. I have wires that I made to fit my smoker that I've been using close to 20 years. I always smoke with hickory.

Jerry, I threw away a taping machine. I hated the tape. Didn't stick right like I liked and wouldn't keep air out of my burger bags. I used bread ties for a while on them but switched to zip ties on those a few years back when I managed that hunt camp land and processed all of their deer, plus several others.

I still get calls asking if I do it. Everyone loved the sausage, brats, salami, snack sticks, and jerky. It was just too much for me to do even with dad helping.

I've played with several jerky mixes over the years and found that some were good, some ok, and some terrible. In the end, I too make my own. Teriyaki is a favorite of many as is the hot jerky. My favorite is the brine I make with 2 parts vinegar to one part water. Gives it a pickled taste and really carries the flavor of your seasoning. I used to smoke it all but gave way to the commercial dehydrator instead. Much easier!

All of the deer I did for others paid for me to have all the great processing tools that I have. So it wasn't for nothing I guess. Now I just do my dad's, Brian's, Abby's, and my own. Still ends up being over 10 a year but it is a far cry of some of the years I did for others. Plus, I usually have three well trained people helping.

I’ve never made summer sausage, made a little jerkey some years ago but just didn’t get into it like you guys do.
Did some smoking (yes the cigarette and cigar thing too) when I lived in the UP. One of the farms we bought had a smoker, it was really cool, all wood like a outhouse. Inside were lots of racks with 2 finish nails close together that were spaced about 6” apart, and a wire mesh well below the racks to catch any fish that might fall from its double nail holder. We had an abundance of old dead apple trees on my farm that we would use to smoke the fish with.
Where I lived was on Garden Bay and just across the bay was Hermès brothers fish processing...... but we usually bought our fresh whitefish from one of the “illegal” fishermen we knew. After cleaning the whitefish they would go in the saltwater brine for 24 hours. Then into the smoker. It was kind of a social event for us, start smoking the whitefish or chubs (my favorite) first thing in the morning then by afternoon friends would show up. We would have a little football game and drink some barley pops while the fish were doing there thing.
Still to this day a fresh smoked fish and a ice cold beer is one of my favorites!


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Please be advised:

I am traveling through Becky territory.

If you see my truck smashed, and I’m not near it, she is chasing me........

Please try and draw her attention away so I can escape.




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Steve, making that stuff is addicting. Not to mention way cheaper to make it yourself. The stuff I made this year cost me just over 1.00 a pound. Plus I know what meat goes into it. Hannas in Sunfield made me some one year and it was so bad that I took it back. Village market got an entire deer, minus backstraps, and when I went to get it they grabbed from a pile on a shelf in the cooler. They said there was no way they could keep every ones meat separate. That was after walking past several deer waiting to be processed that looked like they had been hit by a car and picked out of the ditch a week later. Learned how to make my own after that.