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GENERAL BOARDS => Other Artisan Crafts => Topic started by: Crystal on April 22, 2012, 02:49:57 AM

Title: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 22, 2012, 02:49:57 AM
Hi guys,
Long time, no see hey! I have been trying to read up on sausages, but im so lost! I have a grinder with stuffer attachment, which is a great place to start i know... i have sausage skins too. WHat i need is a very easy sausage recipe for something plain just to start off with. Beef would be great. The eaiser the better for now. I have made sausage before. About 13yrs ago in college. We made emu snags (debi, u wanted to know of aussie snags ;-)) but ive forgotten everything we did! Any help is appreciated, even a site for beginners would be good!

Thanks,
Crystal
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: MrsKK on April 22, 2012, 05:29:35 PM
I recommend you start out by searching through Debi's website - I think she has recipes, etc. there.  I know I need to dig in and do some research, too, because I plan on smoking all of our own meat this year.  I want to make dried beef when we have our calf butchered, hopefully next month.

Good luck with your venture!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 22, 2012, 08:46:40 PM
I was on debi's site! But as im on my phone i cant download her wonderful sausage book! Dont worry ill be visiting her again... the idea of home smoked bacon is calling to me...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 23, 2012, 12:12:32 AM
Crystal I also have section like here that just show individual sausages. I have never use a phone for websurfing so I have no idea what to tell you. If you give me an idea of what you want to do maybe I could post something here. I don't think John would  mind. Can you see an entire thread on a phone? Sausage is my #1 favorite thing to make!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on April 23, 2012, 01:17:19 AM
As far as I can tell sausage making is devided to various styles required the mastering the basics of various techniques including proper grinding (in the required size and proper handling of fat portion), stuffing, emulsifying, smoking, drying and fermenting.   Once you get the hang of it you can just invent your own stuff in that style you want to creat and play around with spices.
If you want to fork out 20$ I recommend the book "Charcuterie".
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 23, 2012, 01:38:41 AM
Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing
by Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn, Thomas Keller (Foreword by)
(http://ts3.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4740171262133346&id=0db1382636e3e9e6893ab86d9e0c2216&url=http%3a%2f%2fcache1.bookdepository.com%2fassets%2fimages%2fbook%2flarge%2f9780%2f3930%2f9780393058291.jpg)
Is a really good book!



Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Ptes
John Kinsella (Author)
Is not worth buying!

another good book although not just about sausage is
Garde Manger: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen (Culinary Institute of America) [Hardcover]
The Culinary Institute of America (Author)
There are two editions get this one:
(http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4524684179867544&id=0f43e9533ae9b935941bd0c27fd6c3dd&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.ciaprochef.com%2ffbi%2fimages%2fbooks%2flgGardeManger2.jpg)
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 28, 2012, 10:01:16 PM
Sorry, i was too busy making sausages to check back rotfl!! Debi, i made a few from other recipes, all were ok. Each needs tweaking. On he plus side, i found out i have office on my phone, so i can d/l an read ur sausage book! I can see everything on my phone, same as a computer. i have a smart phone. The only thing i cant do is upload pics :-(  i really enjoyed making the sausages, and being a meatatarian, sausage and bacon and salami, ham ... all meat really...Mmmmmmm! Pork is very pricey here, so i will stick to beef for now. Also, iys cheaper to buy already mknced meat. I couldnt get chuck yet, the shops dont feel its cold enough... i can tell u now its a chilly 11c here in sydney this morn and im outside freezing my fingers off! K have found my butcher ok for casings, though i think they made a mistake... i was told i would have enough skin for ten kg of snags, but only managed 3kg. Now i doubt i stuffed up that bad that i understuffed and think he didnt give me enough.

I have a question though. Is there some soaking i should be doing before i use them? I have hog casings. And a book i have, which is old, says to soak them in water and vinegar...? Is that still done these days?
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 29, 2012, 03:28:15 AM
You should always wash the caings several time by running water through them they do come from a very nasty place and you want to be sure they are clean.  Once you've rinsed them just hold them on a bowl of water with a few drops of vinegar until you use them.

If you don't use then all run them between your fingers to get out as much water as you can then put them in an air tight bag and cover them in salt really well to preserve then. They should last about a year but if they smell weird toss them out.

Funny here beef and lamb are really expensive and pork is less expensive.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 29, 2012, 07:20:48 AM
I guess all our meat is expensive. Lamb is just a vague memory for us... some of my kids have never tasted it because its become so expensive. Chicken was pretty pricey for a while during the drought, but has come down a bit. Pork... hmm... well, i dont really like pork, so its not something i usually buy, but the prices i saw te other day seemed too much for meat... especially ony budget! Maybe you can tell me soething debi:

Why do bought sausages give me a headache after just one? Its the main reason why i want to make them, cos im sick lf the migranes. But what do they put in them??
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: MrsKK on April 29, 2012, 03:28:38 PM
I know I'm not Debi, but my guess would be the nitrates, as they are well-known to cause migraine.  I believe they are in red wine, too, which is why that is another migraine trigger.  I've been fortunate in that most of mine were triggered by hormones and stress, most of which has dissipated over the years.  I now get only 1-2 per year (instead of 3-4 a month), mostly due to sinus & nasal allergies.

Thanks for the book recommendations, Debi!  I just requested Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing from the library.  As we have a steer going to the butcher soon and I want to try making my own corned beef from the brisket and dried beef from the round, this book should come in handy.  It will probably inspire me to try other good things, too.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Caseus on April 29, 2012, 06:09:48 PM
I don't suffer from RWH, but as a winemaker, I have an interest in it.  As I understand it, nobody actually knows what caues RWH.  Neither sulfites or nitrites in wine have ever been proven to be a cause.  White wines often contain more nitrites and sulfites than red wines, yet they don't cause red wine headache.  There are numerous foods that contain more nitrites than wine, including shellfish, canned tomatoes, pickles, orange juice, celery, carrots, lettuce, and spinach.  So if you can eat these, then it's not the nitrites causing your headaches.

In the context of cured meats and sausages, Michael Ruhlman, the author of Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing that Debi referenced earlier wrote a blog article about a year ago called The "No Nitrites Added" Hoax (http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/).   It's worth a read.  Some bacon and sausage producers are trading on the fear that people have of nitrites and nitrates in cured meats.  Some producers claim they don't "add" them, implying that their meats are somehow safer to eat as a result.  In reality, their meats do contain nitrites and nitrates from natural sources, such as from celery, which is very high in nitrites.  Without the nitrites and nitrates, their products would not be safe to eat. 
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on April 29, 2012, 07:26:29 PM
Your confusing nitrates with sulfits which are completly different substances.
As far as I can tell, wine doesnt contain added or naturally accuring nitrate.   Red wine headaches are likely allergy driven - histamins,tannins and bi products produced during malolactic fermentation rather then sulfits.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 29, 2012, 09:39:17 PM
Ok, well i get them from champagne too, and all alcohol when im pregnant. But always snags. Although, i can eat snags that arent fried. So i can eat them in a casserole type dish no trouble. But snags on the bbq, forget it! Im just really hoping i can eat my homemade ones without the headache. I had a few the other night without one. Lets hope it stays that way!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on April 29, 2012, 10:59:37 PM
Some people dont react well to alcohol in general.  Do you hydrate yourself well with water while drinking?   Thats the best way to avoid a hangover aswell.

Some sparkling wines accually go thru malolactic fermentation too as means to naturally deacidify the wine. (get its total acidity from as high as 11-12 g\L to 8-9 g\L).
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Caseus on April 29, 2012, 11:15:21 PM
Ok, well i get them from champagne too, and all alcohol when im pregnant. But always snags. Although, i can eat snags that arent fried. So i can eat them in a casserole type dish no trouble. But snags on the bbq, forget it! Im just really hoping i can eat my homemade ones without the headache. I had a few the other night without one. Lets hope it stays that way!

Hi Crystal, I've never heard of snags.  Are there other names they go by?   I'm thinking that if I liked snags at all, I'm pretty sure I'd like them fried.  Most anything is good when its fried.

As for the headaches, maybe it's the alcohol that's causing them.  But you never know.  If you drink scotch and soda and it gives you a headache, and you drink gin and soda and the same thing happens, then you try rum and soda, bourbon and soda, rye and soda, and so forth, and they all have the same effect, I suppose it is possible the culprit could be the soda.   ;)
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 30, 2012, 01:51:38 AM
Snags are an Aussie term for sausages. I believe usually cooked on the bar-be. I have several Aussies on my forum.

Crystal - You can substite any meat for the most part in any of my recipes. I jusr use a lot of chicken and pork becasue it's the cheapest here. Many of my recipes were originally designed for beef but worked equally as well with porl and chicken so I do. I was drooling at some lamb just the other day. I piece just bigger than my fist was $27! I got pork butt AGAIN! LOL

As for as nitrates they are in the ground and in higher concentrations in root vegetables. You could get more nitrates from eating celery than a sausage. In fact they found that you can actually puverize, dry and turn celery into a power and use it's "natural nitrates" in curing meats - it's what the "All Natural - Nitrate free" sausages are made from. Kind of deceptive they are still using nitrates but from celery instead of extracted from the ground directly or produced in a lab. I don't understand why the govt lets them lie that way.

Our bodies even produce nitrates to some degree. It's just the level of nitrate we absorb that can be harmful. Nitrates are also used for treating heart problems like angina. If you want to find out for sure if you are nitrate sensitive eat a several stalks of celery and see if you get a headache.

For fresh sausages you do NOT need to add nitrates. It is only if they are cold smoked, or dry cured you have to worry about it. So if it is in fact nitrates you don't have to worry. They also use nitrates in the commercial product because of color. It turns the meat pink.

Karen

- for corned beef go here (http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/CornedBeef.htm):
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: dthelmers on April 30, 2012, 03:00:20 AM
As for the headaches, maybe it's the alcohol that's causing them.  But you never know.  If you drink scotch and soda and it gives you a headache, and you drink gin and soda and the same thing happens, then you try rum and soda, bourbon and soda, rye and soda, and so forth, and they all have the same effect, I suppose it is possible the culprit could be the soda.   ;)
This sounds like a fascinating line of research; I'll give it a try and let you know the results...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 30, 2012, 07:51:17 AM
Rotflmfao!!!!!!

Caseus your a crack up!! Snags are sausages... guess its an aussie thing to call them snags...? And, ive tried plenty of alcohol, its not the soda... champagne always gives a migrane. Southern comfort im allergic to. And im talking half a glass and im sick (tomer) so the water isnt an issue ;-) guess ill never know, i do think it may be a hormonal thkng combined with an ingredient. Since its wirse when im pregnant. Or it could just b that im weird hey..? All i know for sure is bought fresh beef sausages give me a headache! And as an australian its very 'Un-Australian' to go to a bbq or any school or sporting function and NOT have a sausage sandwhich!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on April 30, 2012, 10:32:36 AM
Almost all sold prepered meats contain them, people no longer use to seeing gray looking sausage or cooked\smoked sandwich meats.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on April 30, 2012, 06:01:57 PM
Sounds very much like it could be the nitrates. Just don't use them in your homemade sausages. Now that being said do not make dry cured or fermented sausages they NEED nitrates. Only make the fresh sausages and if it says add nitrates don't. My recipes are generally made by people that smoke all their meats so it's often listed as an ingredient.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 30, 2012, 08:54:20 PM
Alrighty! Ill not be eating celery!! I actually didnt see a few replies here, they were posted while i was posting and i missed them till now! So, i will avoid nitrates in my sausages! But whats that mean for salami? Pepperoni, etc? Do they nees nitrates? Or can i make them without?
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on April 30, 2012, 09:00:06 PM
No, its unsafe to make dry cured meats without them.   

You should stick with cooked sausages.  I made some fantasic bratwurst (both coarse and emulsified) last week.
Precooked in water and then BBQ along side some romaninan mititei (skinless emulsified sausages with lots of garlic) and pork neck.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 30, 2012, 09:22:57 PM
Ok, well i reckon that as i dont eat so much of them, and thy hav never been a problem it should be fine to make them properly and just not eat so much?

Thank you everyone for all your help on this! It really is a huge problem for me to not be able to eat sausages,y DH and the kids adore sausage sandwhiches but i usually go hungry or have to eat one quick before the headache kicks in! Atleast i know now that if i make my own i wont have that problem and i will he able to enjoy them! Guess dh will be making more sausages than he thought... my grinder is manual ;-)
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Caseus on April 30, 2012, 10:02:21 PM
A lot of sausages contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a flavor enhancer.  I see it in homemade sausage recipes too.  Accent is one brand of MSG that is very common in the stores here in the US.

Some people believe that MSG is the cause of their severe headaches, so you might want to check labels to see if the foods you are sensitive to contain MSG.   Some other ingredients that I have seen listed as sources of monosodium glutamate are Hydrolyzed protein,Sodium caseinate, Yeast extract, Maltodextrin, Autolyzed yeast, Textured protein, Calcium caseinate, Yeast food, Hydrolyzed oat flour, and Spice Extractives.  I can't vouch for any of that, mind you.  I just googled it. 

Glutamate is found naturally in protein-containing foods such as meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables and milk.  It's said to be partly responsible for the umami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami) taste, one of the five basic tastes. 

Modern scientific studies that I found on the net (yeah, I know this is not reliable) do not find any link between MSG and headaches, but you never know. 
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on April 30, 2012, 10:15:29 PM
Yeah, id heard a lot about msg. Im not 100% sure if its allowed in some foods in australia. I guess i should check it out. I really think the only way to avoid food additives is to avoid packaged food!! I can ask at my supermarket about what they do to the food. Atleast so i cqn get an idea of what to avoid... its so hard. Why can food just be good for you??
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 01, 2012, 02:19:14 AM
Crystal you can eat salami? Is it a small mouth watering salami or it it a big soft salami? There are cooked salamis that are usually large in size and cured salamis that are small and cured. Peperoni is almost always dry cured so if you can eat that it's something else not the nitrates. Commercial sausage also often add Sodium erythorbate for color and fast curing. They also use potasium sulfate as a preservative to prevent mold. Maybe it's not the nitrates ...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on May 01, 2012, 07:22:37 AM
I can eat soft salami an the small snack sticks, we call em twiggy stix. I jusy assumed that because you dont eat as much that they didnt cause headaches!? Now i have no idea what the problem is... maybe it is just me? But i do know a few other women with the same issue. And its always with plain fried beef snags. I can eat them cooked in something, like i make a rice an sausage thing and baked sticky sausages, thejr fine, no headache. I suppose it doesnt really matter what causes it in the end. I just wondered if it was just something in the snags that i could avoid by making my own. Guess we will find out next week when i make the plain beef ones hey! Ill also ask my shop what they put in, just out of curiosity...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 02, 2012, 02:44:09 AM
Odd it appears you can eat nitrates (salami and twiggys) but not fried sausages. When you fry them do you cut them down the middle or keep them whole? And when you cook them in something do you slice them or leave them whole? I m wondering if it is the gases that build up under the casings maybe or some used to process the casings that stays inside when fried?

Maybe for your first beef sausage you should make patties and not use casings and see how that works? Now I am thinking something in the casings.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on May 02, 2012, 07:57:54 AM
Hmm, some times they are cut and fried, but ive never paid too much attention if one way is worse. Ill experiment on that. And same for in other dishes. One i fry them then slice and mix with rice and stock and cook again. No headache there. The other way i bake them whole in pineapple juice and tom and bbq sauce, again, no headache from that. Im going to assume that most my bought snags would use collagen casings?? So i can test some next week with fried whole and some cut...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 03, 2012, 12:59:09 AM
Snags fresh here are generally hogs casings and twiggys collegen I really don't know for sure about there but I know my frineds in Queensland and Victoria also use hogs casings.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on May 03, 2012, 08:22:22 AM
Hmm, yeah, my butcher gave me hog casings. Im just assuming that due to our large muslim population alot of sausages wouldnt use hog casings... ofcourse, im only assuming, have no idea really!

Ah well, i guess ill find out soon enough if its the additives or not. Im aiming for wed next week for sausage making!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 04, 2012, 01:56:08 AM
KEWL! Good luck - hope you find out what makes you ill.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: MrsKK on May 04, 2012, 08:24:02 PM
Thanks so much for that link, Debi!  Stewie goes to the butcher on Tuesday and I have big plans for him.  I'm surprised to see that pastrami is nearly the same process as corned beef - my hubby dislikes corned beef, but craves pastrami!  Now I can make it for him.  He'll never get out of my grasp now!  Haha! 
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Boofer on May 05, 2012, 12:33:48 AM
Modern scientific studies that I found on the net (yeah, I know this is not reliable) do not find any link between MSG and headaches, but you never know.
Years ago I read "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock (http://www.amazon.com/Excitotoxins-The-Taste-That-Kills/dp/0929173252)".  "Ex-ci'-to-tox-in: a substance added to foods and beverages that literally stimulates neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate, aspartame (NutraSweet®), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid."

Here's a link (http://www.cascadewellnessclinic.com/sports/excitotoxins.shtml).

Want something sweet? Don't make it Splenda. (http://www.splendaexposed.com/)

You be the judge. Guard your health. Read the label.

-Boofer-
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Caseus on May 05, 2012, 04:02:00 AM
Modern scientific studies that I found on the net (yeah, I know this is not reliable) do not find any link between MSG and headaches, but you never know.
Years ago I read "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by Russell Blaylock ([url]http://www.amazon.com/Excitotoxins-The-Taste-That-Kills/dp/0929173252[/url])".  "Ex-ci'-to-tox-in: a substance added to foods and beverages that literally stimulates neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Can be found in such ingredients as monosodium glutamate, aspartame (NutraSweet®), cysteine, hydrolyzed protein, and aspartic acid."

Here's a link ([url]http://www.cascadewellnessclinic.com/sports/excitotoxins.shtml[/url]).

Want something sweet? Don't make it Splenda. ([url]http://www.splendaexposed.com/[/url])

You be the judge. Guard your health. Read the label.

-Boofer-


I think it's a good idea that people understand what they are eating and investigate additives they don't recognize or understand.  Just because the FDA says something is safe doesn't guarantee that it is.  LIkewise, just because Dr. Blaylock says something is bad for you doesn't guarantee that it is.   Most of us are not food scientists, and so probably few of us are in a position to know on our own whether certain compounds are good or bad for us.

I don't know if Dr. Blaylock is right or wrong about glutamate.  There presently is no independent body of evidence that supports Dr. Blaylock's theories, and food scientists all over the world are in general agreement that the amount of glutamates used in food production do not pose health risks.  So for the moment I'll side with the majority, but I'll continue to keep an eye on developments. 

Glutamate and glutamic acid are among the most prevalent naturally occurring non-essential amino acids.  Did you know that the fermented foods that you reference in your signature and proclaim to be good contain naturally occuring glutamates?  That includes cheese.  Here is an interesting excerpt that I found in the Wikipedia article on Parmigiano Reggiano (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano) ...

Quote
Parmigiano is also particularly high in glutamate, containing as much as 1.2 g of glutamate per 100 g of cheese, making it the naturally produced food with the second highest level of glutamate, after Roquefort cheese. The high concentration of glutamates explains the strong umami taste of Parmigiano.


Whoa unto lovers of Parmigiano Reggiano and Roquefort cheeses, I suppose, if they are concerned about glutamates in their food.

I agree completely with your excellent advice that people should read the label, guard their health, and be their own judge when it comes to food.  Right now I see no evidence to support the rejection of foods merely because they contain glutamates, including Roquefort and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: MrsKK on May 06, 2012, 02:53:41 AM
To be honest, what I've noticed is that one ingredient gets vilified, when it is probably a combination of several that result in the negative effects that people suffer...

Debi, I just got "Charcuterie" from the library today and am thinking that I need to purchase a copy of it.  Very easy to read and what appear to be excellent, easy to follow recipes, too.  Now I can't wait to get our beef butchered and back so I can delve into a new kitchen art!
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 06, 2012, 04:54:31 AM
Karen -
 
In my opinion that is the best book available today.  Of course that's because mine is not ready yet!  ;)

As far as pastrami goes - you really need to be able to smoke it to get that great flavor but it can be ... dare I say it? Baked low and low. Just not great that way.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: MrsKK on May 06, 2012, 05:49:27 PM
I have a smoker available to me if I want it, so that's covered.  I also have crabapple wood chips - we've used them a bit for smoking on the grill, but I'm really eager to try them with bacon, pastrami, sausages, etc. of our own.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 07, 2012, 01:31:43 AM
Karen - You will love having your own meat products and with your own meat it will be heavenly! Store bought meat just isn't that good anymore unless you find locally grown farm raised critters. I love to use a cmobination of apple, hickory, cherry and pecan through my smokes. Cherry is one of my favorites. Just got hold of some nice mulberry - can't wait to try in a few months.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Crystal on May 09, 2012, 12:30:42 AM
Hmm, its getting to the point where someone can find something bad about every food we eat!! Apples have too much sugar, cheese has too much fat, packaged food has too many preservatives, bread is bad for you... i had one lady try to convince me that one of my kids was dying and has dermatitis because i gave him sherbet, and he wouldnt get better until i put him on a very unhealthy diet of beef stock for a few months... in my opinion, you gotta die of something right..? I may as well go down eating a friggin macdonalds quarter pounder cos it tastes good!!

Food is my passion, i love it, i love eating, i live cooking and really love making it for others to enjoy, i would really regret having to abandon all my good tasting food just because its all bad...

Oh, i wont be making snags today, bucher didnt have casings...
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 10, 2012, 02:26:06 AM
There are so many conflicting reports about food as well. One says only eat raw veggies, one says lots of protein, one says eat animal fat one says don't = only God knows for sure so all we can do is walk down the middle and try to stay balanced.

No snags tomorrow huh? Well they are coming hang in there.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: Tomer1 on May 10, 2012, 10:13:39 AM
Quote
Debi, I just got "Charcuterie" from the library today and am thinking that I need to purchase a copy of it
I just finished my laste italian style sousage (dominant fennel seeds), a recipe from that book.
Pan fried to crispt up the skin and served along side eggs sunny side up - providing a souce.    A real treat.
Title: Re: Sausages: where do I start??
Post by: DeejayDebi on May 10, 2012, 10:27:18 PM
His Italian sausages are all excelent! In fact I have pretty much been making his recipe for Soppressata since I first tried it with a few tweaks it's really good.