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Tips on sausage makin’

What specific brand of casings do you use. The last two times I've made sausage the casings have been so tough you need to use a knife, teeth weren't cutting it with some Xtra effort.
I don't know the brand, their pig intestine casing I buy from the butcher. I buy the fibrous casings from jbs usually, but don't know the brand
 
I use this recipe for andouille and cajun sausage but put less salt.
They also have recipe's for other sausages too.They are from Lake Charles La.
Supplies I get from LEM or Sausagemaker.com but will take a hard look at JB's stuff.
The prices of meat has gotten out of hand and hope for better health this coming year to get some elk and deer in the freezer for sausage.
 
I use this recipe for andouille and cajun sausage but put less salt.
They also have recipe's for other sausages too.They are from Lake Charles La.
Supplies I get from LEM or Sausagemaker.com but will take a hard look at JB's stuff.
The prices of meat has gotten out of hand and hope for better health this coming year to get some elk and deer in the freezer for sausage.
Thanks for the links I'm checking out the recipes. Yeah I've had Goodluck with jbs, they're really good to deal with. I like the thuringer summer sausage, hot n spicy snack sticks, honey garlic pepperette sticks, their pepperoni mix is good too, but their breakfast sausage mix is by far the best
 
We live in kind of a unique area for sausage recipes. Coastal Texas with Mexico on one side and Louisiana on the other. Original Appalachian settlers, immigrant settlement communities of German, Czech, Polish, with Cajun and French influence. Spanish and Mexican. Sausage lovers paradise. In my limited travels I always try local sausages.
My favorite is simple Czech style with salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. Can't eat Bohemian sausage without a cold beer. Thanks for posting. I like your smoker setup.
 
I would like to keep this thread alive as I love making my own sausage.I can't get authentic cajun style andouille here so about 10 years ago I started making my own.
To each that makes their sausage please post what grinder you use and stuffer as well as your smoker and seasonings.
I am always looking to upgrade and get better.
My breakfast sausage is no where close to great yet!I am working on it but with other sausage makers on this site I may get there.
 
Thanks for the link to Allied Kenco.Have you tried the Breakfast Seasoning pack yet?
The one's I have gotten from sausagemaker.com are too salty.I threw it out as no one I know could stand the pure salt taste.
I made a batch with 1/2 of what the jug says and it was better but I bet there are better seasonings than what I have used.
 
I would like to keep this thread alive as I love making my own sausage.I can't get authentic cajun style andouille here so about 10 years ago I started making my own.
To each that makes their sausage please post what grinder you use and stuffer as well as your smoker and seasonings.
I am always looking to upgrade and get better.
My breakfast sausage is no where close to great yet!I am working on it but with other sausage makers on this site I may get there.
Used to borrow my uncle's equipment, few years ago bought my own, I use a #32 Lem grinder, the big lem stuffer, mix by hand on a table after first grind, then season and grind again.
Dinner sausage I grind using 3/8" plate then 1/8" plate
Summer sausage and breakfast sausage I grind 1/4" plate then 1/8" plate
Pepperoni and snack sticks I grind with 1/4" plate then 1/8" plate twice.
When I use jbs breakfast sausage it comes labelled for 25lbs of meat, but I mix it in 30lbs, I find it plenty strong enough. Premixes I've found can be like that
 
I grew up butchering and proccessing all at home. Growing up we just seasoned whatever to our own taste. Have used everything from a hand grinder to full size commercial units lol. Now just use a smaller lem grinder and some with Kitchenaid. Always mixed by hand in tubs. Used to use natural casings but now just use the collagen ones. Mainly use the lem or high mountain seasoning blends now but can't say we've found "the one" yet. As far as the stuffer goes, the only thing we've ever had has been an old cast iron enterprise cider press. That's all anybody ever used around here before the days of mass produced stuffers like now. Yes we would make our own custom size flutes. We do our smoking on the pitboss nowadays. We mainly make sticks and summer sausage and use beef, pork, deer, and even goose. Here's a tip, bacon makes a great mixer/ fat adder depending on type of end product your making but really anything, I mean it's bacon lol.
 
My great grandfather had a big smokehouse that was always full. He had everything you could imagine in there. He came here from Germany and was very old school. He would wipe the crock he used to mix the meat with a garlic clove. He said that was all the garlic you need. The rest was just salt and pepper. When we would visit it was our job to run salt and sugar on the hams. We could bring him deer meat to make sausage with and it was the best I've ever had. I sure do miss that. I have tried to replicate his and never could get the same taste. My dad said it was because my smokehouse doesn't have 70 years of smoke and love. I tend to agree.
 
Thanks for the link to Allied Kenco.Have you tried the Breakfast Seasoning pack yet?
The one's I have gotten from sausagemaker.com are too salty.I threw it out as no one I know could stand the pure salt taste.
I made a batch with 1/2 of what the jug says and it was better but I bet there are better seasonings than what I have used.
The Williams hot is pretty good I go a little heavy on the seasoning about 10 percent extra I like it cause its not to heavy on sage I have my old family seasoning recipe for smoked or link sausage that we have used forever pm me and I would gladly share it with you
 
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I have a Thunderbird 1hp grinder #12, I currently grind and stuff with the same machine. Will prob buy a stuffer later when I get into more link sausage.
We use lots of HiMountain seasonings, a few local blends, and are working on our own personal home mixes to our tastes.
Grew up on a homestead, back then we just called it living in the country.
 
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