Meat Processing

@kzwisconsin We have “how to” videos on most if not all products on Meatgistics. For imityation bacon it is https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/434/how-to-make-homemade-imitation-bacon-recipe for others you can look here https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/category/16/how-to-make-meat-recipes or the recipes section which is a bit more specific https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/category/15/recipes

I do mine horizontal all the time in my pk100 they turn out great, the only thing i do is rotate the top and bottom rack about half way through the cook time just to make sure they cook even. I lay them across the grates.

@Joseph-Wilfong-Sr I’d agree that protein extraction could be a major factor. Can you give us some more information on your process? do you use a binder what is your fat content what seasonings are you using what is your smoke schedule

@Jonathon Eldon’s repackages their products from someone else. They are out of Spokane Valley, WA over the mountains from me.

@deanlorensen Yeah, that would be my thought as well. I’d think you’d want to add some phosphates and overpump it with water a little to mitigate that. Whatever solution you come up with I’d either make sure it has phosphates or add some. One note is that adding phosphates increases the pH of the meat which will shorten its shelf life a little.

Updated but only with weight. If you need something to base it off of it should be similar to the one directly below it.

@Joe-Christy What were you using to hold the auger up off of the throat? Were you using a plate or a star stuffing adapter? I would imagine you had a combination of too much mixing, too warm and the grinder overworking the meat as it stuffed it. Luckily in a few short days (shameless plug) our Sausage Stuffers are going on sale!

i would recommend that you use pork butts to add some pork and pork fat it will give you a better consistency and flavor

@Jonathon Yeah those burgers look terribly good. I dont use High temp cheese, but I have found that sharp cheddar works well in the patties. I cook burgers on a homemade flattop and the sear that puts on them really makes a difference.

@Jhutch91 I would recommend you go with @glen’s suggestion of adding the small amount to some meat and cooking it up but for the ratio summer sausage to snack sticks is a 1:1 ratio, no adjustments are needed so yes, just use the seasoning conversion chart https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/617/seasoning-conversion-chart-for-1-lb-and-5-lb-meat-batches

I do something similar with barbecue off the pit, but I just fold over or clamp the end of the bag. An hour or two in the deep freeze (depending on what I’m sealing up), and I’m good to go sealing from there. And, yes, I’ve forgotten some in the freezer overnight. Yep. Frost City.

@miller I don’t see any reason that it wouldn’t work with other cured sausages, I have done it with summer, snack sticks and bologna and was happy with all of them. We cover it in https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1099/cured-sausage-205-advanced-thermal-processing but almost tangentially and you are right, it probably needs it own video where we show the entire process and not only that but also a comparison between this and doing it in the smoker the entire time. We will do the test from the same batch, just pull some out of smoker and finish in water, some will go in bags and some won’t and we will compare it to the sausage that stays in the smoker the entire time. We will also cover it a little tomorrow during our weekly Meatgistics live stream where the topic will be smoke schedules and the stall, it fits in nicely there I think. The Meatgistics Livestream is every Thursday at 3 pm at waltonsinc.com/live and, unlike our Waltons live stream, this one will focus far more on meat processing and not as much on giveaways and tangents!

@deweymeats Its just a preference, nothing wrong with adding spices between first and second, or like you adding it before the first grind, though I think you would find more people who add between 1st and 2nd grind. I don’t like doing it because it sets up on the auger and in the head and makes it harder to clean the equipment, but plenty of people do like it.

@Jonathon Thanks for the reply, I will make a small batch and see how I like it

@dayjm1 Mmm… looks mighty tasty!

Thank you!

I’ll second the Willies Snack Stick seasoning for summer sausage.

@Jonathon Yeah its just an experiment. I used it to do the Canadian bacon and it turned out great. I might just follow the same process and see how it goes. $8 Turkey breast aint much of a loss if it goes sideways.

@Trevor-Abrams 12 is a little long but 10 isn’t unheard of for Summer Sausage. I don’t like this as it is very easy for something to be miscalculated but appendix a https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/fsis-content/fsis-questionable-content/oppde/rdad/frpubs/95-033f/95-033f_appendix-a/default/ct_95-033f_appendix+a from the USDA will show you time-temp lethality and at above 155 its mere seconds. The issues is that this is removing any safety net you have. Another option is to finish it in water. You ran into a late stall where your water evaporation energy was equaling out your thermal processing energy. Adding humidity or finishing in water. Check out the two most recent Meatgistics University Cured Sausage videos for some information on doing both of those things.