Subcategories

• Seasonings and Additives

  Learn the science behind why, when and how to use different seasonings & additives to make the best product you can.

  
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  Jonathon thanks I didn’t know if it already had it in it
• Fresh Sausage

  Learn the science behind why, when and how to use different seasonings & additives to make the best product you can.

  
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  spicemama Yup like Tex_77 says, just cut them. You can twist them first but it isn’t going to hold them closed on the end, they are going to open back up.
• Cured Sausage

  Learn about the equipment, casings and processes necessary to make Snack Sticks, Summer Sausage and Smoked Sausage and then watch as we go over how to process each type step by step.

  
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  chrisndee2 no worries! I thought this was my favorite drink topic, so our posts don’t belong, yours does! So, as you can see the HBC (one on the left) has a minimum water level at about 4.25" and the Wesotn has its around 3". The Weston also has a moveable clamp and is significantly cheaper. The downside is that it does not heat as much water as the HBC but you could pretty much by 2 for the price of one of the HBC.
• Jerky

  Learn about the equipment, best cuts of meat to use and seasonings and additives to use to make jerky.

  
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  BJ Anderton Yeah, your best bet is to call a local butcher or a even the Sam’s club in your town. I have found Sam’s meat cutters to be pretty willing to help if you are nice and patient.
• Sausage Casings

  Learn how to choose the correct casings for your sausage, how to prepare it for use and the advantages and disadvantages of each type.

  
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  Ediecrna I use them for majority of the sausage I make and all the snack sticks. Now, I will also use the Tubed Hog Casings for bratwurst or other fresh sausage but mostly I use collagen. Tubed casings take out the 2 biggest time sucks of processing natural casings, flushing the inside and untangling, you just have to soak them before use and they are good to go!
• Deli Meats

  Learn about common additives, choosing safe deli meat from the store and how to process your own deli meat at home.

  
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  Deli Meat: 202 Additives For Homemade Deli Meats Attend this Intermediate-level class from Meatgistics University by watching the video, reading the article and post any questions you have! Phosphates In Deli Meats 103 we went over some common additives that are used in commercially processed Deli Meats, most of them are harmless and are aimed at increasing the freshness of the meat, the shelf life, taste and appearance. However, most of these items are not things you are going to have in your home, or have easy access to. However, there are a few additives that are easily available and will give you a nice reformed deli meat that can be sliced almost as thin as a true deli. It doesn’t matter if you are making homemade deli meats or buying it from the store, some sort of phosphates will almost certainly be present. The phosphates raise the pH of the meat and allow it to hold more water. Commercial processors do this because a) water is much cheaper than meat and b) consumers want cuts of meat that are juicier. We recommend you use Cold Phosphate as this will dissolve easier in cold water than some other types. An important note on phosphates is that if you are injecting it you need to mix this in first so it can suspend in the water. I’d recommend you add phosphates to any deli meat you are making but it is especially important when making low fat deli cuts. Binders Binders, especially in low fat cuts, are going to be very key here when making a reformed cut of deli meat. Without it you will have a hard time getting everything to stick together tight enough to let you slice it deli thin without it crumbling. Carrot Fiber isn’t a traditional binder but it holds 26 times it’s weight in water so it can help with a juiciness, if you are going to use carrot fiber, like I do in future videos, is to use it in conjunction with cold phosphate. Super Bind is going to give you carrot fiber and potato starch, so you get the best of the carrot fiber plus the potato starch forms a gel at the same temp as the meat really starts to expel water. The only problem with this is that in a homemade deli you are going to have some voids in your meat. Having no voids with a hand crank stuffer is extremely difficult and those voids will be filled with this gel. It can be very unappealing. Sure Gel or Soy protein blend can also be good choices. Sodium Lactate Sodium Lactate is used by commercial processors to extend the shelf-life of meat products. It is sometimes used as a powder but is most often used in its liquid form. It increases the shelf life of meat products by regulating the pH of food and reduces the effects of bacteria spoilage. In its liquid form you would use it at a rate of 1.5% of your meat block, so for a 25 lb batch you would use .375 of a lb. As we sell it in gallons you can see that it would last you a long time. Sodium Nitrite & Sure Cure Another option for deli meat can be using sodium nitrite or sure cure. We’ve talked about it exhaustively in the past but using nitrite helps fight botulism spores. Its important to use when smoking meat as you are often creating the perfect environment for the growth of botulism and other bad microorganisms. It can also assist in increasing the shelf life of the meat and preserving the color and flavor. Watch WaltonsTV: Deli Meat: 202 Additives For Homemade Deli Meats Shop waltonsinc.com for Additives Shop waltonsinc.com for Cold Phosphate - Sodium Phosphate Shop waltonsinc.com for Sodium Lactate
• Smoked Meats

  Learn about different types of smokers, using different varieties of wood and best practices for smoking your own meat at home.

  
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  What Are The Safe Internal Temperatures? For Beef, Pork, Veal and Lamb you want to cook entire pieces like steaks, chops or roasts up to 145° and cook any ground product like hamburger or ground beef up to 160°. The reasoning for this is that the center of something like a steak has been protected from being introduced to harmful bacteria by the meat on the outside, as soon as you grind that up you are potentially exposing all of it to the bacteria. For Poultry, like chicken and turkey, you want to cook your meat until the internal temperature is 165°. This includes all cuts of poultry including the breast, legs, wings, and ground meat. This is going to kill off a large number of harmful bacteria including E. Coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus amongst other. For Fish, including shellfish, the safe internal temperature is also 145°. There are obviously some exceptions to this like sushi and sashimi but those are made safe in other ways, mostly freezing it to a temperature that will kill any parasites that are living within the fish. How Can You Monitor This? The best way to ensure you are cooking your meat to the correct internal temperature is to use a digital probe thermometer. The Grilleye Pro Plus Thermometer makes monitoring your foods internal temperature easy, with this system you leave the probe in the meat through the cooking process. It communicates the temperature back to the base of the unit that sits outside the smoker or grill and this one will communicate that information back to your smartphone so you don’t even have to be able to see the base unit to monitor the temperature.
• Cured Whole Muscle Meats

  Learn about the equipment and cures needed to process your own hams and bacon at home and then follow along with our step by step videos.

  
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  Thank you!
• Specialty Sausage

  Learn how to make specialty sausages such as Braunschweiger, Lebanon Bologna or Blood Sausage.

  
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  Jonathon Agreed! I have to drive about an hour to find an ‘exotic’ market like that but it’s worth it just to browse the oddities. Lots of weird bugs, grubs and unidentifiable creatures. Also dehydrated frogs.
• Meat Processing Equipment

  Learn about the importance, functions and abilities of meat processing equipment.

  
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  Tex_77 awesome, that’s great news
• Wild Game

  Learn the science behind why, when and how to use different seasonings & additives to make the best product you can.

  
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  Ok folks. According to Hakka brothers. Which is the sausage stuffer I have. 16 mm or 1/2 in tube is the smallest I have. I’m wanting to make venison sticks.I am needing a 12 mm tube for 19 mm casings? I’m a newbie here. I looked on Hakka brothers site. They have a 10 mm. But Isn’t showing a 12 mm. Any suggestions?
• Dry Aging

  Learn the science behind why, when and how to use different seasonings & additives to make the best product you can.

  
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  Jonathon so this strip is starting at 12.6 pounds going to try for 28 days this will be in a fridge not opened I’m going to get another strip tomorrow and bag it the same way and hold it for 28 days in a fridge that’s open and closed all day long.