Displaced Texan

Ha! We always cook up a bit before we stuff it into casings, just to taste it. The Italian is good. The pork, white wine and parmesan is even better!

First batch is done. That’s 20# of Italian.

Fuck them…because 2A…

Here’s the basic setup… I was able to grind the first 20# of meat in about 20 mins. I used a coarse grind for the Italian sausage, as we prefer the texture like that, and it doesn’t smear the fat as much. I use a hand crank stuffer that could use an upgrade..it works well, but doesn’t have much capacity, and is kinda messy to work with. I should quit being a cheap Greek and spend some money to upgrade. Lol Don’t be afraid to STOP and put the metal parts of the grinder or the stuffer back in the freezer for awhile. Anything that touches the meat should be cold as hell.

Ordering this now! Thanks for the recommendation!

For all you potential sausage makers (and those who just want to be better cooks), I HIGHLY recommend these books. Food Lab is one of those science-based cookbooks, kinda like Alton Brown did with Good Eats. There is an excellent, very comprehensive section on grinding your own meat, and making sausage. It’s a great read to learn techniques for ground meats/sausages. Food Lab covers a LOT of ground for cooking techniques, how to, and WHY you should do things in a particular way. Plus, recipes!!! It’s a MUST have in your kitchen! The other book was given to me for Christmas by Mrs. Tex. It has some good recipes to consider. If you are interested in making smoked or cured sausages, I suggest getting a copy of this one. We will talk about techniques later this eve, when I get set up. There is nothing difficult about making sausage (or grinding meat), but there IS a methodology to use so that you put out a better product.

When I get set up today, I’ll show you the grinder I use. Nothing fancy. I could use a better one. Same with my stuffer…I use a separate unit, although my grinder will stuff them. You should really use a separate unit, the grinder will introduce too much air into the casing. Casings (as is all the equipment), are available on Amazon.

I have a recipe for that!

Shhhh! I ground up some chick from North Jersey…

Once you put my sausage in your mouth, you’ll want to swallow…

Ha! I let my buddy hunt deer this year. He missed a shot at a doe. At 30 yards. I haven’t let him live it down.

Yes there is. I’m not a member, but I lurk there.

Yep, it’s that time of year again…time to make sausage. I’ve told this story before, but when I was growing up, it was tradition in my family to make sausage on New Year’s Day. We hunted between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and would take 2 deer and a pig. Dad and I would make venison sausage (while my mom cleaned up the mess!). My folks are gone now, but I still make sausage of some sort every year. No venison this year, so I’m making fresh sweet Italian, and pork sausage with white wine and parmesan cheese. I’m making it a little early this year, because I have to leave town on a business trip Monday. Today was prep day. I cut up 20Kg of pork butt, and broke it into two batches. Meat/fat is 70/30. I use metric measurements because it’s easier to get the right salt to meat ratio. Typically, one should use 15g kosher salt per Kg of meat. The basic recipe, per Kg is: 1Kg pork, between 80/20 and 70/30. I like 70/30 as it keeps the finished product more moist. Cut the pork/fat into 2” chunks. 15g kosher salt per Kg meat. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. 1 Tbs fennel seeds. (Soak them in the red wine vinegar for about 20 mins). 2 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped. 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper. 1 Tsp granulated garlic. 1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used fresh). 1 teaspoon dried thyme (I used fresh). I chose to jazz it up a bit with 1 teaspoon of fresh sage. The white wine and parmesan recipe is similar. Same meat/fat ratio, same amount of salt per Kg of meat. 1/2 cup white wine (I used Sauv Blanc, but you do you). 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper. 2 Tbs fresh parsley, finely chopped. 1Tsp granulated garlic. Roasted garlic would be amazing. 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese. (Don’t use the Kraft shit in a can!). I mix my batches up, and refrigerate at least overnight. This allows the flavors to come together. Make SURE the meat is evenly coated with the salt, and herbs. You should get your meat mixture as cold as possible without freezing it. You should also put the metal parts of your meat grinder in the freezer. You want everything COLD so the fat won’t smear when you grind it. Tomorrow, I’ll grind each batch up and stuff into casings. I had a couple of pounds of leftover pork chunks, so as a bonus, I’m making pork carnitas. They need to simmer for a few hours…this will be good in some tortillas with pickled red onion, cojita cheese, and a vinegar based slaw on top. Just sayen… More tomorrow.

After serving aboard 2 submarines, I’ve always wanted to build an RC attack boat. Tempting…https://www.rc-submarine.com/product-page/us-virginia-class-submarine-kit-in-1-72-scale

Back from the ranch, no pigs or deer were harmed. My buddy got a shot at a doe, but missed (from 30 yards! I haven’t let him live it down). I didn’t see any pigs…my buddy Lou and I had a few beers with dinner that night, and I didn’t feel going out with the thermal equipped rifle was a good idea after that. We did see a lot of hog sign at the water tank. This morning in my backyard in Georgetown, I had 4 bucks hanging around. I was able to get a better pic of ‘Lefty’, and found he has a damaged antler in his right side, so he isn’t a true one antlered buck. I also got a few pics of Lefty fighting with a bigger buck. The dead tree stump is 47 yards away from me, to give it some perspective. The other two bucks, a spike, and a smaller 8 point, were outside the frame. They just stood by and watched. Great way to start my work from home day!

Agree. Murphy is gonna get it broken off in his ass.

A pretty good sized buck was rubbing on this mesquite..

Out at the ranch today. My buddy is deer hunting, I’m sitting up under a tree with the AUG hoping to see some hogs move by. Will report back if there is a kill.

I have no personal experience with them, but one of my former neighbors had them install an insert of some sort over his tub/shower. He told me it was a nightmare. And an expensive nightmare at that.

Yeah, my play account is getting beat up too. I do think there is a lot of potential with MVIS. POWW…I can’t figure out WTF they are doing.

I think we have established that ‘Big Guns’ doesn’t do anything to be part of the solution…so I guess he chooses to be part of the problem. He seems…familiar…I suspect he’s a banned member who created a new account…

Merry Christmas y’all!

As has been pointed out to you ad nauseam, the tool to do all of this, the Bruen decision, is only 6 months old. You have avoided answering what YOU are doing to be PART of the solution..other than complaining on an internet gun forum.

Unfortunately, it’s a game. But it’s a game that has to be played. As I’ve said before, it takes time, and it takes money. It also takes people willing to fight the battles. If you don’t fight it, they win. It’s as simple as that.