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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Making Homemade Sausage With Free Recipe

Meat Grinder
Well......
 
The Hubby, Nathan and I  were at Gander MTN recently looking at "stuff"
when I spotted this meat grinder.
Hubby wanted one last year and I said NO, they're too expensive!
I had been looking online and they were about $200.00.
 
I don't think so.
 
Imagine my suprise when I ran across this similar model on sale for 129.99
regular price $199.99.
It has three sizes of grinding options, and, I think,
three sizes of sausage stuffing thingies.
Still being unemployed, I had to think about it,
even on sale it was still quite a chunk of change.
But, God has been good to me thus far so I took a leap of faith
and bought it for him.
(Early and only Christmas present).
 
Tuesday we had an opportunity to test drive it, so to speak.
 
The thought was, can we make breakfast sausage, chorizo, andouille etc
cheaper than we can purchase it at the market?
 
Lets start small with breakfast sausage currently @ $3.00 pre pound.
 
We mixed rough chopped, raw chicken,  pork bacon, (ends and pieces) with onions and apples.
 

Grinding Apples And Onions

After we ground up the apples I drained/pressed them in a colander, then
 bottled, to make juice for the great- grandbaby.
I drained the onions the same way for future use in soups/stews etc.
 

Chicken, pre cut up and ground bacon, ends and pieces
While hubby was coarse grinding the pork I skinned and de-boned the chickens.
 

Adding spices and testing for flavor

Second grinding
 After we taste-tested (yummo) we ground it a second time with a smaller bit?
(Not sure what the correct terminology is for the grinding thingies).
 
Packaging
The packaging was pretty straightforward.
I anchored the plastic baggies in this coffee can
so hubby could fill said baggies without me having to hold them..
I was else wise occupied with rolling, pressing out the air,
freezer paper wrapping and labeling.
(When you're working with raw meat it has to be very cold,
and you need to work very fast).
 
Cost/Recipe?
 
2 chickens, @  .88 per # = $9.68 (about 11#)
1- 3# package bacon, ends and pieces @ $5.97
(Took out about 4 oz for beans, so lets subtract .4975).
2 medium onions, @ . 49 # =  .49
½# red apples, @  .98 per # =  .49
(put a little lemon juice on apples to prevent browning).
Sage, ¼ cup @ $1.14
Salt, 1 tbsp. Cost?
Pepper, 1 tbsp. Cost?
hot pepper flakes, 1 tbsp. Cost?
Sugar,  ¼ cup @ $1.79 for 4 # =  .0497222
 
Total
 
$17.3322222 for 8# finished product.
(Not counting the stock I got from simmering the chicken bones,
 the apple juice for baby and the onion juice for soup/stews)
Total for finished sausage product, more or less? 

$2.1652777 per #
This is not counting the price for packaging, time, electricity, water etc..
 
Would I do it again?
 
YEP....
 
The final product cooked up lean and very tasty, not too much
of any one flavor being predominent.

I do have a turkey in the freezer......
 
Give it a try.
 
Have fun and enjoy.
Till next time,
Bonjour



1 comment:

denimflyz said...

I have been looking at grinders and a slicer too, and price shopping. I will come across something, I know.
I have just heard the sausage stuffers called that, sausage stuffers, my D calls them something else I won't mention...:*)
I love making my own sausage patties and using my own peppers and herb mixes that I grew with my own hands. A few weeks ago, I made a very hot sausage patty for D that he loved, with a mix of the hot peppers I grew this year.
I am going in January to pick up more pork and my beef from the locker that does our meat for the family, I love their fresh pork, and I am going to see if I can get my hands on some lard I can render myself also. I want to make some milder sausage for myself and not the flaming concoction D likes.
Enjoy your new toy.