SausageKingOfIdaho thanks.

johnrufi2 Thank youj

twilliams I typically follow the Walton’s schedule even if I can start as low as they recommend. I guess I got cocky watching some other folks who use higher temps faster.

smoke king – thank you. 17 mm collagen casings. Very little liquid added, perhaps less than a cup.

Jonathon the meat was just about mush when I started mixing, having run it through the grinder 3 times, once to grind the individual meats and then a couple more times to mix. I then hand mixed for several minutes. I did not use a a binder, but I will add some sure gel next time. I did not add much water, perhaps a little less than a cup. I did three batches of about 4 pounds each with different seasonings, after the grinding, so the batches were mixed separately. The Cookshack is small, so the last batch was cooked in the oven, and did not have the same issues, although I did start it lower and did not raise the oven temp above 170 on convection bake. I thought the protein extraction was pretty good, but its clear the fat separated as it leaked out. I am thinking the big jump was the big mistake.

I am by no means experienced, but I have made several batches of snack sticks successfully. This weekend, However, I had a major failure. Some of The casings snapped while smoking and on others the fat and liquid separated and ran out the cut ends. The batch was about 4 lbs ground beef 80/20 1 pound ground venison and about 6 pounds of pork loin. I added about a pound of pork fat since loin was fairly lean. No blow out while stuffing so I don’t think were too tight. 1 hour at 140 and 1.5 hours at 150 then 1.5 at 175-180 in a cookshack electric smoker. Any thoughts on the problem - too hot too fast?

Jonathon sounds like a great idea - Cookshack SM025, Big Green Egg and Portable Kitchen original here

Jonathon I believe so, but then again, I remain in a state of heightened confusion most of the time. I added the Excalibur steak rub, and it said invalid. Unfortunately, I had already placed the order.

Jonathon I tried the TMB19 code yesterday at checkout but it showed as invalid when I tried to check out. I know its only a $5.00 item but it was disappointing

Jonathan – thanks. I stuffed the bit that went through the grinder/stuffer then used a jerky cannon to stuff some, just to check, and the texture there was fine. I put the rest in 1 lb. bags. So, everything is frozen in vacuum packs now. Not sure photos will do it justice, but I will try.

The machine is literally brand new - second project. I made one batch of snack sticks last weekend, and tried the sausage this time. The meat was pork shoulder and some trimmings from a couple of racks of spare ribs from a month ago – the pork was frozen prior to the first grind, thawed just enough to handle in the grinder. It ground the first time perfectly fine. It sat in the fridge while we went to the football game - so several hours – and when i got home, I ran the the coarsely ground meat through the stuffer. The texture was just about the exact consistency of the snack stick mix when it came out through the stuffer - really mushy, almost creamy, like it had been whipped or something. I’ll try a different blade next time and see what happens. I think I followed the instructions, but maybe i put too much water in with the seasoning mixture. Next purchase will have to be a stuffer, i guess.

Thanks Jonathon.

First time trying to make pork breakfast sausage. Course ground one time (meat was partially frozen) using STX grinder and then mixed in the Hi Mountain seasoning and water. Looked like normal bulk sausage. Put back in the fridge for several hours. I put the grinder assembly in the freezer for several hours, tried to grind again with the fine plate but it was coming out really mushy, so I just tried to stuff the coarse grind. Almost instantly, the grind turned to mush and the casing filled and looked like a snack stick. The taste is fine, just no texture at all to the links. Not sure why everything turned to mush.

Thanks for your thoughts.