I want to make my own sausage/Burgers where do I start? (burger, charcoal grill)

[lubby]

I have a meat grinder attachment for my Kitchen aid mixer with the sausage stuffer. I am a pretty Savvy cook so all I need to know is:


Spices for the meat (no fennel)
what cuts of pork/lamb/veal
Where to buy the casings.
What cut of beef for my burgers, I like a fatty burger so If I have to add beef fat I will.


I think it would be cheaper to make my own plus I can control what goes into my sausage. Hubby can't have fennel seeds. I'd like to make some with cheese and basil too. BTW this set also comes with a vegetable shredder and fruit and vegetable strainer. It's brand new never used but now I want to use them.

[DontH8Me]

Charcuterie preparation is an art form. If you really want to go there, I would recommend investing in a good book dealing specifically with sausage making. Once you see everything that goes into sausage making, you can decide if you really want to invest that much time and effort. There is definitely a learning curve, but if you are patient it can pay off.

My parents have been making their own sausage as far back as I can remember because they came from the old country and none of the sausages available commercially were even close to what they grew up on. In order to save time and effort, they would prepare a huge batch all at once (we all helped out, everyone had a role in this activity) and then smoke or freeze the finished product. The casings they would buy from a proper butcher, and they would usually order the quantity they needed and go pick it up when it was in (the butcher/meat market didn't typically keep their own inventory so would order it from their supplier). Whatever casings were left over froze well, and they would then defrost the casings and use them the next time.

For burgers, that's another story - if you want the best flavor burger I would suggest grass fed beef sirloin, if you want to grind your own.

[mainebrokerman]

buy pork butts, cut them up and grind

if you want seasonings,,,you can buy the packets off ebay legg"s old plantation is an excellent choice

if you want to grind your own burger

buy chuck steaks or roasts on sale and grind those ,,,you can often find these on sale cheaper than the going rate of burger retail,,

remember you need some fat for flavor,,,, if its too lean it is dry and tasteless..
grind it thru 2-3 times



for sausage grind the pork butt pieces thru once then mix in the spices... the mix ratios are on the packet

if you want to put sausage in casings,,,,buy a sausage horn,,,, and casing called "hanks" you can also buy these on ebay

if you were closer id set you right up


I've made hundreds of thousands of pounds of sausage and millions of pounds of burger



if you get to reading on sausage making this is the easy stuff,,,the raw,,uncured sausage - keep it simple,,




you can also grind your own ground chicken from boneless chicken breasts or thighs - I prefer thighs not as dry and good flavor

[lubby]

what is a sausage horn? I have the attachment that you slip the casing on and stuff the sausage. Is that it?? What about lamb and veal cuts??? I plan on making the easy sausage. Don't have the tools or equipment to smoke them.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by lubby

what is a sausage horn? I have the attachment that you slip the casing on and stuff the sausage. Is that it?? What about lamb and veal cuts??? I plan on making the easy sausage. Don't have the tools or equipment to smoke them.

yes the casing goes over the horn,,,it look a little like a funnel,,


lamb and veal are quite expensive...
if that isn't an issue,,,,you can buy veal stew often on sale for 4.99lb in this region,,

lamb - you can buy the lamb leg and bone it out or buy the boneless lamb legs,,,



id try some basic ground pork sausage first to get the hang of it..

go with pork butts some folks buy the boneless pork chops or cutlets thinking they are leaner -
which you certainly can,,,,but flavorful sausage has some fat in it,

here is a pic of a sausage horn

[gguerra]

I make my own sausage and it's almost always pork. I buy pork butt when it's on sale for about a $1 a pound. I make Polish, Italian, Andouille, Breakast or Mexican Chorizo. The last two I do without casings. I buy hog casings at my local supermarket or you can order online. I bought a good meat grinder and paid about $150 for it but it is a good quality one that will last for years. As for the kitchen aid for grinding, that should be just fine for casual use. The stuffer is another matter. You can buy the attachment for the kitchen aid but that is not as good as a dedicated machine. I use an LEM brand sausage stuffer that does 5lbs at a time. I would start reading. There are youtube videos and many online resources available. Amazon.com and ebay sell many books. There are also some websites. Here are a couple

A forum for sausage making
www.sausagemaking.org • Index page

As many recipes as you will ever need.
Sausage

I personally wouldn't mess with pre-made spice mixes. Scratch made is so much better and not hard at all to do as you will see after reading some recipes.

I would also just google for "homemade sausage" or anything similar to get started. Read as much as possible and even then it may be trial and error for a while. The hardest part for me was actually stuffing the sausage. The grinding and spices are the easy part. Just remember that the colder the meat the easier it is to work with.

[Threestep2]

Been there!

Start with small quantities 2-3 pounds of meat. Be prepared to stop and detangle. The KA blades seem to roll up stringy fat/tissue like a thread spool. Cut your meat in small chunks, chill it. Start out with simple spices you have on hand. Salt, pepper, sage, garlic, ... Mix well, chill! Make the first batch or two as patties.

We bought casings at outdoor stores such as Academy, Cabelas, ...

We tied the sausages with colored embroidery yarn to identify spice mixes. Blanch in almost boiling water, hang to dry.

I found it very hard to work the KA stuffer by myself. It is a four-handed job.

Please keep us posted.

[biggunsmallbrains]

Two words. Meat. Grinder.

[grampaTom]

I was looking around Academy Sports yesterday and they have the sausage casings for sale in the charcoal grill accessory area -- along with meat injectors, spices and such. I also 'read up' about making sausage online (I am also interested) and there are fabulous websites with step by step instructions and spice recipes. Good luck!!!

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by biggunsmallbrains

Two words. Meat. Grinder.

I agree!



here is a small counter top grinder that comes with a sausage horn - these are tough little units I give them away for xmas gifts
and also have one I use a lot


and they are cheap!! under 70.00!! click on the link below

this grinder will grind a chicken leg, with the bone and keep on going


this is great at making sausage,,



you can even grind your own ground chicken when boneless thighs or breasts are on sale
and grind your own burger when chuck roasts and steaks are on sale








2000 Watt Meat Grinder Electric 2 6 HP Industrial Meat Grinder 3 Speed w 3 Blade | eBay