The holidays finally over. It’s frigging cold. And I’m out of sausages.

15# summer sausage ( cracked pepper and garlic)
10# breakfast sausage (110 southern pork)
10# snack sticks ( jalapeno & pepper cheese)
10# brats (Jerry’s seasoning)
5#. Hot dogs ( Excalibur chilli dog)

Found this a lot to do on a weekend with no helper but got through it. To much cleaning between batches. Hands are still wrinkled. Some pics and notes along the way.

25lbs each of venison and pork. The nine pound tube of ground pork saved one step but the meat was pretty smeared. Wouldn’t recommend if your wanting particle definition.

Snack sticks and dogs. First ever try for hot dogs and linking them. Not bad but over stuffed the dogs.

Breakfast sausage and brats. A little difficult to stuff by yourself using natural casing. Got these a bit tighter than I wanted but…a few blow outs when twisting.

Had these stuffed so tight one split where the meat probe went in. That’s a first.

Used my new sous vide circulator for the first time. Worked great. Everything smoked went here to finish. What a time saver. Tried this last spring and won’t go back. Thanks@parksider.

Everything turned out great. The kids loved everything. The sticks were the best I’ve ever made. Used Walton’s collagen casing and sure gel for the first time. Even when stuffing the casings I could tell these were better quality. Perhaps the stickiest meat as well. I’m guessing the sure gel had something to do with that. Started to get a little wrinkling but water bath took care of that. All casings will come from Walton’s exclusively.

Whew…I need a beer.

A bit off topic but… Just had a short thunderstorm pass through. Not a big deal to folk’s in warmer climates but huge deal here in the great white north. It means the last of the white stuff is being washed away.

Although we’re sheltered in right now, those few rolls of thunder mean better time’s ahead. Being outdoors, grilling, smoking, camp fire’s and gathering with family and freinds.

Stay strong people… We got this!

Taking a week off work during a lock down is actually kinda boring. No where to go and not much to do. Ok, enough about that. Time to make some sausage.

All seasonings going forward were Excalibur except the cracked pepper and garlic.

Fresh sausage
Five pounds each.
#110 southern pork
Hatch green chili
Andouille
Philly
Last three done as brats.

in

Bagged and let them set overnight to meld the flavors. Still need some practice on the sizing and twisting but whatever.

Tried a patty test on the three new ones. #110 is a repeat. The Hatch is very good, the andouille as well. The Philly brat is exceptional. Wow. Almost a creamy taste profile. Can’t wait to grill these.

Smoked sausage

10# H unit
15# CPG
5# each of Willie’s/with pepper cheese, Gigawatt and Habanero BBQ. These for sticks. First two, summer sausage.
My son and wife came over to help with mixing and stuffing on these. Huge help, went must faster.

The smoked summer and sticks were all finished in a hot water bath. Sous Vide style.

Final results came out very well. Matt & Jen were most impressed with the Hatch, Philly, and Habanero BBQ.

A good few days work. It’s time.

Well… An unreal opening day in a way. This is not our norm on the the farmland we hunt.

My son Christopher and his brother Nathan who looks just like him caught these early Saturday morning.

Two of the other guys here got these.

This is so not typical of the bucks we see. Usually the small basket in the second pic is more the normal.

Was it just our turn??? I don’t know. Sure was fun. All gotten in a one hour time frame. Made for some good stories and BS over a lunch break.

Like a heart attack waiting to happen. But it sure tastes good. Can’t remember the last time I had corned beef hash. Yum.

Back to that old sausage recipe. Found out it’s not my grandfather’s but belonged to his brother Wes. So now it’s called “Wes’s Sausage”. I asked mom how she remembered the texture. She thought somewhere between a bologna and a brat… Hmm. She also spoke with a brother that said Wes definitely had a smoker and they used a beef casing. Time to grind.

Broke the seasoning down to a 5lb batch. Aside from the salt and sugar it didn’t look like a lot. But once mixed together and the aroma of the onion and garlic soaking in warm water totally filled the kitchen.

Next day I ground and stuffed the meat. Didn’t have any beef middles or rounds but had some hog casing about brat size. Did a couple pounds in that because she remembered the natural casing and the rest in a fibrous casing. Hand mixed this only to the point of starting to get sticky. Wanted this a bit looser. Bagged and left sit over night.

Next morning took out to warm up and dry out in the kitchen. To the smoker we go. Used my regular smoking schedule which is nearly identical to Walton’s. 6 1/2 hours later… Done. Ice bathed, hung for 3hrs in the garage and back to the fridge overnight.


This was absolutely amazing. A semi soft texture and the taste is wonderful. Mom took a piece and said OMG. Greatest compliment I’ve ever received.

Wish I could send you all a sample. This is a keeper.
Thanks Uncle Wes.

Bacon wrapped venison back straps. Two different ways. The open pit was much preferred by all.

On the lighter side of all the corona talk. Just talked to a gal who exclaimed…

" I feel like I’m sixteen again. Gas is cheap and I’m grounded"

Yep!

Grabbed a three pack of sirloins from Sam’s club a few days ago. Sirloin is not my go-to but the price was right. Grilled one the first night. As expected a little chewy but taste was great. Vac sealed the other two. Took one out today and put in the Sous Vide. 135 for about 1 1/2 hours. Just a little over a minute direct sear each side.

What a difference. An even pink throughout and a lot more tender. Perhaps go 2hrs Sous Vide next time.

A note on the foil potatoes. Usually add some garlic powder to them but seen the Garlic Romano wing shake. Yep, it works. Very good. Added more after cooking. As Jonathan and Austin said… Good on everything.

Donovan Mercer
Don’t ever worry about bothering someone around here. Kinda what this whole community is all about. Good luck on those sticks.

Jonathon
Noon? Wow. That’s even early for me, still at work. See ya @ 1-130. Save some coupons

gChart
Not gonna sugar coat this. IMO a #22 is a beast compared to the rest. #12 will serve your purpose for a long time but… Just depends on how much you process and your budget. The #22 is worth it to me even if doing a smaller batch. So much easier… especially the second grind.

Chef
I think the problem with chili recipes is that it’s to wide open and varied. Everyone has so many likes and dislikes. Other than a few basic items I usually just wing it. Things I like in there my boy’s and families tend not to so I’ll change things up depending on who’s going to be eating.

As for a recipe to die for…

Well… An unreal opening day in a way. This is not our norm on the the farmland we hunt.

My son Christopher and his brother Nathan who looks just like him caught these early Saturday morning.

Two of the other guys here got these.

This is so not typical of the bucks we see. Usually the small basket in the second pic is more the normal.

Was it just our turn??? I don’t know. Sure was fun. All gotten in a one hour time frame. Made for some good stories and BS over a lunch break.

Meatman65
Just looked. Not seeing it either. Strange. I’m sure Jonathon will chime in on this. I believe this is a newer product.

lkrfletcher
Perfect. Thanks. Gonna try this once gun deer season is done here. Was just thinking about pistachios as well… But usually get the ones still in shell. May not work as well.

lkrfletcher
Those look very similar to the ones Sam’s has. Thanks for the info. Actually thought you were cold smoking all these nuts. I have to try this, especially with cashews. One more question. Do you punch holes in the foil pan as well or just stir?

lkrfletcher
Think I’d just like the smoke itself to start with. How long to smoke and are you using a top grade cashew? I see Sam’s sells large containers at a reasonable price. Was thinking apple or alder for smoke. Thanks.

lkrfletcher
Awesome. I gotta try that.

Not sure where to post this. Here, what did everyone cook today or chili recipes. Start of good things to come. Annual chili after day one of hunting. Me and my boys and families get together for a chili supper. Hopefully hanging some deer as well.