So, I made cevapi and Texas hot links in the last few days, and they turned out very well. However, I have questions for next time.
SheilaAnn for recipes
Cevapi:
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sau...bian/cevapcici
Hot Guts:
https://wpstage.amazingribs.com/test...moked-sausage/
Results:
https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...20#post1053920
Questions:
1) Casing. I bought this casing ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFAGFWW/ ) assuming it would be similar to commercial sausage, but it was too chewy for my taste. It was also over a year old, but I think that's probably fine. Would these ( https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B00FFAGFGI/ ) be closer to what I'd eat in a restaurant/buy in a store?
2) I made about 5 pounds of sausage. Grinding the sausage took about 1 hour using the KitchenAid attachment, and stuffing it took another hour and required my wife's assistance. She was happy to help, but it's not her thing.
If I bought a dedicated sausage grinder/stuffer, what kind of savings can I expect in terms of time, physical effort, and can I do it all without my wife's help?
3) The Texas sausage was dryer than I was expecting (still good, just dryer). I understand that this could be not adding enough water, not keeping the meat cold enough, and potentially pricking it. I followed MH's steps here ( https://wpstage.amazingribs.com/test...king-pictures/ ), and I'm wondering if the pricking was the cause, as I read this is not recommended on other sites. Do y'all prick before smoking or not?
4) My wife loved the cevapi so much she ran out and bought some 80/20 ground lamb for next time. This time I bought beef chuck and lamb shoulder, and ground the meat myself with a 70/30 meat/fat split. I am planning to buy some fat to boost the ratios to 70/30, but what else would you recommend I do to ensure that I can deliver the more or less same result next time, since I'd be starting with ground lamb? I can probably buy beef chuck and grind it to 70/30, but I'm expecting a difference in terms of using pre-ground lamb versus freshly grinding it myself.
5) Common question, I'm sure, but what is the general recommendation for a good sausage grinder that won't break the bank?
I understand the hand cranked ones (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B01LWZ6AEI/ and https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B002L84GJU/ ) require substantial physical effort, clamping to something (a non-starter), and are simply massive, so maybe something like this ( https://www.lemproducts.com/product/...-meat-grinders and it's $50 cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-.../dp/B01IUWHAA2 for some reason) would be better? Any better recommendations?
I'm expecting if I use a thinner casing, the stuffing part will be even more challenging next time.
I fully expect the wife will sign off on a grinder purchase if it means she does not have to do any more work.
SheilaAnn for recipes
Cevapi:
https://www.meatsandsausages.com/sau...bian/cevapcici
Hot Guts:
https://wpstage.amazingribs.com/test...moked-sausage/
Results:
https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...20#post1053920
Questions:
1) Casing. I bought this casing ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFAGFWW/ ) assuming it would be similar to commercial sausage, but it was too chewy for my taste. It was also over a year old, but I think that's probably fine. Would these ( https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B00FFAGFGI/ ) be closer to what I'd eat in a restaurant/buy in a store?
2) I made about 5 pounds of sausage. Grinding the sausage took about 1 hour using the KitchenAid attachment, and stuffing it took another hour and required my wife's assistance. She was happy to help, but it's not her thing.
If I bought a dedicated sausage grinder/stuffer, what kind of savings can I expect in terms of time, physical effort, and can I do it all without my wife's help?
3) The Texas sausage was dryer than I was expecting (still good, just dryer). I understand that this could be not adding enough water, not keeping the meat cold enough, and potentially pricking it. I followed MH's steps here ( https://wpstage.amazingribs.com/test...king-pictures/ ), and I'm wondering if the pricking was the cause, as I read this is not recommended on other sites. Do y'all prick before smoking or not?
4) My wife loved the cevapi so much she ran out and bought some 80/20 ground lamb for next time. This time I bought beef chuck and lamb shoulder, and ground the meat myself with a 70/30 meat/fat split. I am planning to buy some fat to boost the ratios to 70/30, but what else would you recommend I do to ensure that I can deliver the more or less same result next time, since I'd be starting with ground lamb? I can probably buy beef chuck and grind it to 70/30, but I'm expecting a difference in terms of using pre-ground lamb versus freshly grinding it myself.
5) Common question, I'm sure, but what is the general recommendation for a good sausage grinder that won't break the bank?
I understand the hand cranked ones (e.g. https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B01LWZ6AEI/ and https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-...dp/B002L84GJU/ ) require substantial physical effort, clamping to something (a non-starter), and are simply massive, so maybe something like this ( https://www.lemproducts.com/product/...-meat-grinders and it's $50 cheaper at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/LEM-Products-.../dp/B01IUWHAA2 for some reason) would be better? Any better recommendations?
I'm expecting if I use a thinner casing, the stuffing part will be even more challenging next time.
I fully expect the wife will sign off on a grinder purchase if it means she does not have to do any more work.

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