kyle that sounds great

Jamieson22 that’s my problem too, I keep making all these flavors to try and don’t eat them on a normal basis. Was hoping I was gonna sell more. Now it’s not grilling season sooooo……

Brezer74 That looks great!!

twilliams My bunch loves mustard seed so I use a tablespoon per lb. on SS
Also don’t overlook the possibility of making custom mustard. My current favorite is coarse grinding the seeds and blending with pureed fresh garlic and caper brine

johnsbrewhouse thanks and think fat the processor uses could have extra salt too. I will try cutting my seasoning back

Congratulations mrobisr ans kyle , well done.

Jonathon looking forward to it, should be out of my training and home.

Retired157 It can get someone into overload, but it is all good info and many good people to help sort it out

johnsbrewhouse Ran in to one in Kansas, after he was done checking all the licenses (I think there were about 10 hunters from 5 different states), he told us about some farmers who he thought would let us hunt their land. We had plenty of areas to hunt but I thought that was very nice of him.

Yep, more good info.

bocephus Hmm… One never knows… LOL

JohnG5 I’m just getting back from a week of having COVID. I was lucky enough to avoid it this entire pandemic until now. My appetite is just coming back and man does all of this look good. Ill take one of each please! I think this is one of the hardest pics for me because they all look awesome, but since a choice has to be made zbigjeff for the recipe and mrobisr for the processing. Great looking food everone!

Looks like good emulsion.

lkrfletcher nice and well deserved. Thanks for all the solid advise along the way.

PR butchering Okay, talked to some of the old timers in commercial sales and the consensus was…there is no consensus! First thing is, Meat Block. It if is Wild Game, toss it. That is going to hurt but not as much as food poisoning! 2nd, like I asked above, any graph data on internal temp would be an enormous help in answering. Figure it hit 140 and then shut off, so it dwelled for a bit at least. Since it was -17 it probably dropped REAL quick but how quick is real quick? Even if it is -17 hangingin in a smoker, that might have taken a bit to cool off. IT at 140 is 12 minutes which really isn’t that long. Lastly, for the Kielbasa I am assuming you are planning on reheating it before you eat it, so make sure it gets reheated past 160.

For the sticks it is a little different. I wouldn’t hand this out to anyone else, this is the type of thing if I chose to assume the risk of eating that would be my choice but I wouldn’t let anyone else eat any of them.

Of course, the quality of the meat is a question too. If they were beef/pork then how good did they look, smell and feel before you processed them? How careful were you with sanitation?

I upgraded from a #8 to a #22 about 15 years ago. I have been very happy with the #22, grinding 500 to 600 lbs a year with it.

Jonathon thanks for the update. I honestly forgot to check when I hit 1500. Apparently it was awhile ago. Thanks for all you guys do.

Garry Tarpley we haven’t cooked any links yet, but we sampled the meat left in the stuffer and the single blowout. I would say the flavor is more like a breakfast sausage than what I would consider a brat.

gus4416 Looks like you have a fine helper there to help with making sausages & cured meats far into your future!

PapaSop - Nice

twilliams said in Vertical Pellet Smoker:

tomhancock those natural casing or collagen?

They look like collagen to me.

I agree. I plan to leave frozen and cook as needed. Thanks.

DennyO ha ha ha 😂 yes it would 😄

Lance ok. It sounded to me like a gooey or slimy word thanks for correcting my definition.

Never heard of it, but the recipe I found has me very interested.

HerbcoFood I bet it is.

Lance Very Nice & tasty looking too! Great Snackin.

mrobisr Thank you

Fat_Bob
Try a custom built smoker from Cotton Gin Smokers

zbigjeff I got the email earlier this week for the cutting board, so we shall see!!!

Both are fantastic and if in the area of Temple, TX Green’s sausage house is in the same league, all of them making wonderful food.

Bob Stehlik that’s the way I have usually seen them presented. You could lmix and match

dncerdmann carrot fiber has about 14X the water holding power which will give you a juicier product compared to sure gel. That is one of the reasons it is recommended for fresh sausage.

davew1 you also. Good luck 👍

Dr_Pain said in Cooking stall in my smoker HELP:

DennyO said in Cooking stall in my smoker HELP:

Dr_Pain said in Cooking stall in my smoker HELP:

Sheesh! I need to get back to cooking so I can compete with you guys. That is some good looking product

Doc, you just take care of you first! Take your meds now so you can make your meals later!!

Getting better everyday. I made a dish last night (from my childhood) that I will share soon. It is a simple all in one and cooked in the microwave. Simple enough and TASTY!!!

Ohh, Very glad to hear! Push yourself mindfully a little and keep it slow and steady.

Dr_Pain make some of that Kabanosy and let him snack on them he will help you to convert that room, hehe.

craigrice said in New to waltons some advice would be appreciated:

if you dont want the tang of ECA then you can use smoked meat stabilizer as a cure accelaretor then smoke the same day with out the tang

or Sodium Erythorbate and stop the browning too.

Lance said in Got another load going in.:

cdavis Thanks. I get to work on my taxidermy stuff from around March through September.

Then the cycle starts all over again.

welcome you will find people from many different professions all with the same desire of learning this and a good atmosphere !

pepperettes Those look delicious. If thermal processing before drying is giving you the results you want I wouldn’t change it.
l will say that cure #1 has only nitrite and salt and is sufficient for 1 month or so drying . #2 adds nitrate which converts to nitrite over time and is generally used for longer dry cures

macsinsac Did you pull the skin back, rub the spices and then put the skin back over the thighs?

Jonathan, I haven’t seen a post recently with the “Troubleshooting Meat Processing” any new updates.

Dr_Pain So, crispiness is attainable in the oven with the Chicken on the run breading. I brine most of the time (especially on breasts) to get that juicy taste when frying or baking. But, only 40-50% when sous viding because the juiciness is always there during that method. Thanks for you input.

I have a I phone but don’t really know all about it but hang in there you sound better every time you post I will keep praying for you and your family and I no you got this

Lance over 250lbs . WOW nice job 👏

Yes, everything was cold. Most of the deer meat was partially frozen as I had precut the pieces before freezin, and the pork while not frozen was cold with some of it approaching solid (1/2 hour in the freezer after cutting it in strips that my grinder can tear through). Didn’t see any schmere of the fat. As I mentioned, I only coarse grind my pork for summer sausage so that I get small pieces of fat in the final product. I like it to have a typical salami look rather than looking like a homogeneous mass like bologna. Something else I will watch for as well, but I do understand the need for it all to be cold.
Thanks
Peter

processhead said in First Attempt At Snack Sticks:

Agree with every ones comments and great looking sticks.
Did the ECA release? You should be able to taste it when you take the first bite as a tangy flavor.
I don’t think you would otherwise taste unreleased ECA unless you chewed it very thoroughly.

Thanks! Yes there was a definite tang, so I think I was good to go! I’m going to try a batch without it and let it cure overnight to see what i think of those.

Dr_Pain said in Heat Control While Grinding Meat:

processhead said in Heat Control While Grinding Meat:

Dr_Pain said in Heat Control While Grinding Meat:

processhead said in Heat Control While Grinding Meat:

Are the plates and knives sharp?
Dull knives will grind slow and cause things to warm up.
Does the drive end of the auger (back end) have a fiber washer where it contacts the grinder housing?

That was going to be my suggestion. He could start by buying a sharpening stone and resharpening the plates and cutter. If that does not work then that may be a good opportunity to UPGRADE LOL!!!

I don’t mean to derail the main topic, but what you want to sharpen your own grinder knives and plates is an absolutely flat surface abrasive. Unless unusually large, a sharpening stone will not have the size and flatness you need.
What works well for grinder plates and knives is a flat counter top with a sheet of wet/dry silicon carbide abrasive paper, about 400 grit.

Lay the sheet of abrasive paper down flat on the counter and just work the grinder plate in a circular pattern on the paper till you get a uniform smooth polish on the plate and have removed all knife wear patterns from it. Use the same process for the grinder knife.

This works for plates/knives with light to moderate wear. It won’t work that well for stainless or disposable knives and plates.

I have never used the grinding stones that the sausage maker sells but I thought it was a good concept. Eric at 2 Guys and a Cooler seems to advocate for them (but let’s face it he is sponsored by them) but I believe I have seen another video where he did what you mentioned with the sandpaper.

I looked that the stones sold by TSM and watched the video.
For those not familiar with them, the stones are round and fit inside your grinder head with the plate or the knife, depending which you want to sharpen.
When the auger turns it rotates the knife against the stone and puts a fresh edge on the knife.
The second stone rotates the stone against the stationary grinder plate.
I have not used this product but I would have some reservations. Using them in an electric grinder looks like it would be easy to break the stones if you were not extremely careful adjusting the grinder head nut.
Over time, the stone for the plate is also going to cut a groove in your grinder plates because it is smaller than the plate is.

Man, the double grind sounds like a awesome system

Greg Tishkowski It was really a good prize, they do a wonderful job sharpening the knives.

smokinbubba That looks terrific.

Chris Scheppers I sent you an email.

Thank you!

twilliams

Sure gel was one of the ingredients that I did add in with the seasoning. In the past I have also added carrot fiber to help retain moisture. And I had no issues. But this time I didn’t add it and having different problems. So confusing.

I will say after tasting some jerky made by vacuum tumbling I will be getting a tumbler very soon. I was very impressed with the very complete flavor and texture of the meat.

Randie N I have those and they do work, the real advantage is they are stainless steel so when done I just put them in the dish washer and call it a day.

calldoctoday yeah the bacon cure won’t make it taste like bacon. I’d definitely add some chopped and ground bacon if you want to add a bacon flavor to it. Could do that as a fresh or smoked brat still just fine.

JohnG5 yep. Havnt had a chance to try it. What was the puffs to meat ratio. So I dont have to experiment with it. And did you run them through the grinder or just crumble and mix with seasoning?

Yes that Waltons 7lber is the best for us home hunter processers…

Parksider I picked some up recently and really like it. You are right about the consistency.

Jamieson22 said in Helpful forum “Community”/post updates:

Can better photo handling be added the downsizes photos uploaded automatically? If I try to post original photos from phone I always run into errors.

Can it be made easier to see if you have upvoted (liked?) a post in the forum? At least in chrome the icons look identical if you have clicked or not. SO often I go to upvote a post and the number goes down - making me realized I already had liked it.

Apologies… Couldn’t resist. ;). LOL

At the risk of jinxing myself here… I was using a photo resizer for a long time when using my phone for posting or transferring to laptop. For some reason it quit loading pics to this site. Decided to upload pics directly from my phone’s gallery and it worked. Now it uploads the pic and automatically resizes it. No idea why, but if it’s not broke…

I typically use my laptop when reading through the latest posts. Use the “Dumb” phone when I want to send pics. Another reason I use the laptop is because I’m sitting at the kitchen table chilling with a bourbon in hand! :)

We are fans of corned venison and we use the Walton brine mix. I will say after it is complete, we cube it and pressure can it with a little beef fat so it is ready to just warm up and use.

nicholls47 Always worth a try, you never know it might have turned out great.

Jamieson22 Not a problem, just another set of eyes looking.

twilliams If you have a hard time getting past the appearance then send them to me

This Meatgistics University post on making snack sticks can help you nail down a cooking schedule. https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/763/cured-sausage-106-basics-of-making-snack-sticks

lkrfletcher said in Sweet!:

Sweet!

Dude!

Revisting this thread. I noticed that I was not on the map either. Tried updating my profile and it still wouldn’t show up. Found out the map will not accept NE and a valid state. When I entered “Nebraska” my location showed up on the map. If anyone else is still having trouble, you might want to spell out your state name. Worked for me.

Jonathon Austin These two guys probably have experience using it.

Nice! It is definitely my favorite brat.

Bob Stehlik that’s a neat little area of town, not as nice as it used to be. We still make our way there a couple of times a year when visiting family.

mfrievalt I don’t know if the others I mentioned are any more sensitive or not, probably not. I do know that you can adjust the sensitivity on mine & it is pretty sensitive, but I have never thought of using it for this sort of thing as I am still doing it the old fashioned way. On the other hand, my only worry is that it will only tell you that steel pellets are there, but not exactly where they are, so you still need to use the old fashioned method to find them.

Jonathon that is a good problem to have.

great, they will surely thank you very much. They will have a delicious and nutritious meal https://soundcloud-tomp3.com

PapaSop Well, there you go & you have a whole lot of referrals here to boot.

Tex_77 said in Meatgistics Maintenance:

Ugh that’s my favorite tome to be on.

Same here… If I set an alarm… LOL

Jamieson22 said in Stepping up to the “W” class:

Grimpuppy Is there no drip-tray on that MB or is it just out for the picture? Also, if it is anything like my PK 100, the smoke picked up by your sausage will increase greatly once the smoker itself gets a nice dark seasoning/coating on it.

Curious - how did oven compare to smoker?

The bottom of the smoker is considered the drip tray but there is a water pan that covers the smoke box and burners that will catch most of the drippings.

To my surprise the oven did extremely well. I have a convection oven. I set it at 170, the lowest it would go. No rotating product and it was done in 2 1/2 hours. Except for the smoke and a little more red color, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two in texture or flavor. I was very surprised at how well it worked.

Definitely have a few more smokes to get the new smoker completely seasoned.
31B2C0BE-FE56-4739-8856-A718C815ED9E.jpeg

pepperettes That’s a real wiener!

GWG8541 Thank you for your service!

bocephus thank you. Was scared I might ruin the blade. Going to save up for a new sharpening attchment but for now this works.

MAD KK I thought Austin set up USPS to Alaska about a year ago, reference AKDave. You might want to tie out with Austin and see if it is still available.

My brother was there at the time w 2/8

oldtimer I just use a rolling pin with the seasoning either in a gallon ziplock or it’s own bag. Here is a tip, once you receive the seasoning after order in the original bag cut a small slit, fold over or roll to get all the air out then put in a vacuum seal bag and vacuum seal it til ready to use. Another way if no vacuum sealer is put it in the freezer.

bocephus & making Tater Wine too!

Thanks all for the info

Johnboy13 if you are going to hold your product till the next day there is no reason to use a cure accelerator (smoked meat stabilizer). Holding it overnight allows time for the cure to work on its own. Hope this helps.

Congrats on the win 🏆 men.

Johnboy13 I ground my fat with a 3/16 plate and this is what it looked like 20211212_091757.jpg 20211212_085630.jpg

calldoctoday About the only thing I like peanut butter in is cookies, other than that no thanks.

Joe Hell You’ll have to reach out to the nerdery of Jonathon for deeper IT help on that. I’m just a regular guy!

I used collagen because I don’t have any Polish relatives.

calldoctoday Would you believe me if I said it was solar flares?

The recipe is for 3 sleeves/bags. If you use 1 sleeve/bag the recipe would be 1/3, if 2 sleeves/bags the recipe would be 2/3, if using 3 sleeves/bags if would be full recipe.

Jonathon did you add cheese to the sticks?

Jonathon But, do you have a 4 Wheel Drive…

mrobisr Exactly. I am with you 110%. My brother did the circuit for years with all the schedules, rushing from here to there, etc. It looked like a whole lot of work & stress to me & not much fun.

smokinbubba Great to know for planning purposes, thanks!

I had a bit of an issue with the web site earlier tonight but it seems ok for the last while now.