Here is my first real sausage post. It was pretty easy, just very laborious.

4lbs of pork shoulder

1lb of beef chuck roast

.5lb pork back fat

7T smoked paprika

3T onion powder

1t garlic powder

2T crushed caraway seeds

2T black peppercorns

1.5T K Salt

1t Insta Cure #1

Hog Casings

Partially freeze meat, de boned and trimmed fat. Cube meat. Grind on large plate. Gloves on, combine everything. Vacuum seal and let cure overnight. Next day pump through casings. Place in smoker and smoke low (under 100deg F) for 4-6 hours. Hang dry for up to 15 days. I will update.

You will note that the last 6 pics are another type of sausage I am trying out. I actually had 7.75 lbs total of ground beef, pork, and fat. I made 5lbs of Hungarian, and left over was about 3lbs of meat mix so I did this and these will be just dried out to cure.

3lbs of beef, pork and fat (2pork, .5beef, .5 pork fat)

2t K salt

1t Prague Powder #2

1t anise seed

1T black peppercorns ground corse

1t garlic powder

1t dried basil

1/4c red wine

He can comment on this recipe, but it was inspired from this month’s Saveur. We love lox and he bought Sockeye Salmon from the market. Here are some pics of him making it. More on why in another post.

I borrowed a pickle crock from a good friend. I grew my own cucumbers and dill this year. I used the Garlic from my good friend Dan who has been providing me with home grown garlic for almost a decade. Heh.

Ingredients:
2 Butternut Squash (med size)
1 White onion chopped
1 Clove Garlic (or shallots, just reduce onions by 1/4)
1/2 Stick butter
1 Quart of Vegetable stock
1 TBSP Finely Chopped Rosemary and or Thyme(yes fresh, duh.)
Salt + Pepper to taste
1/4 Dark Brown Sugar

Wine Suggestion :Toated Head Chardonnay

Preheat oven to 450°

Begin by taking a sharp knife adn slicing both vegetables in half.

Use spoon to scoop out seeds. Discard gooey mess.

Warm butter in microwave and generously brush on halves. Sprinkle sugar on the squash. Place in oven for 45min to 1 hour. Remove when golden and roasted. Honey will darken flesh.

Begin the broth by placing butter in large pot at med heat. as butter melts, palce chopped onions and sautee till translucent. Add garlic. Add in veg boullion and water. Bring to a boil. When mixture is boiling, add squash. Finly chop roasemary and add to soup. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 min to marry flavors. Add salt + pepper to taste.

Use immersion blender to puree the soup to a smoothe consistency. Add more broth if necessary.

Place in large bowls top with sunflower seeds. and eat with crusty bread. Serve with Chardonnay. Call friends.

Every year I make pickles. I got this recipe from my step-mothers family but modified it a bit as I had problems with mold the one year. I believe that these are a bit more “brined” then actually “pickled.” I also made Firecrackers– carrots and jalepenos with onions, oregano, thyme. Same prociedure.

Ingredients:
For 1lb of pickles:
1lb of pickling cucumbers, med size
2-3 stalks of pickling dill
1T kosher salt per cup of water
1T vinegar per cup of water
1 head of garlic

Clean and wash your jar. I used food grade sanitizer, but you can boil a pot of water and submerge the lids and jars. Dry on a clean towel. Place garlic and dill in jar, add cucumbers, 1 row at a time. Repeat with dill + garlic until you reach the top. Make a solution of brine by adding a cup of 150deg water and salt and vinegar per recipe above. Pour water in jar until you reach the top. Do not allow anything protrude the water. Cover with lid but keep loose and let sit on counter covered with a tower to keep out light for a week. Place in refrigerator.

*Note: Feel free to omit the vinegar. You may experience molding, remove mold after a few days and then add vinegar. This adds acid that bacteria can not live in. If you do it this way, real fermentation will exist and you will have authentic pickles. I lost many batches to molding so I add vinegar in the beginning.