Sailor_Spoon posted:

The Kitchenaid grinder isn't great, but it works. It was kind of a chore keeping the blades clear of gristle and keeping everything cold, but maybe all grinders have that issue, I dunno.

The stuffer, however, is total poo poo, and you should not even consider using it. All it is is a little funnel that goes on the end of the grinder. However, once the meat is already ground, the screw is pretty terrible at pushing it along, so you're forced to use the plunger to push the meat through. To make it worse, the plunger doesn't fit into the throat tightly, so the more you push, the more meat squirts up around the sides. A miserable experience all around.

goodness posted:

I will definitely have to look into doing it on a grill. We have one outside the apartment, but I have actually never used a charcoal grill before. Only ever cooked on gas or electric.

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

A mixture of sugar and potassium nitrite would be pretty flammable, right? Or at least make lots of white smoke if you light it.

pr0k posted:

Yes. If you overheat a crucible of this mixture in your backyard with a blowtorch you will send a mushroom cloud past the window next to which your parents are having a dinner party.

Both nitrate and nitrite are oxidizers so either should work.

African AIDS cum posted:

Why is this goon allowed to murder/dismember corpses yikes

stickyfngrdboy posted:

I'm sure you know already but it doesn't take much. If anyone cares enough I can dig out the recipe we used when I get a chance.

holttho posted:

From a math standpoint: additional liquid will reduce the salinity % of the cure and slow the cure process. However, unless you used something like a liter+ of beer, I can't see it ever really making a difference for home cured stuff. Just take the amount of liquid that comes out of the belly, for instance. I have had slabs of belly that hardly give out a drop of liquid, and some that dump a bucket out water out in the cure bag. The agricultural nature of the product means fluctuations like that will likely trump any additional small amount of liquid you vary by.

I've never used stout in my cures, though I can definitely see something dark and coffee-roasty-malty being a good flavor combination. Personally, I would avoid chocolate-y stouts, but that is just me because I hate the bacon/chocolate combo. If you wanted to maximize flavor but want to keep the liquid to a minimum, try reducing a bottle or two of your stout of choice down to a syrup before adding it.



-----

I was reading the Cajun thread the other day (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3570811) and wanted to make some gumbo. Though I live in Chicago with good access to somewhat real andouille, I figured buying things is for quitters. Also, I'm lazy and cheap.

I used a bastardized cross between Ruhlman and TheSpicySausage.com andouille #1 recipe. I picked up some of those family packs of 'blade chops' as they were somehow cheaper than a whole-intact shoulder. Ground and stuffed about 6lbs of sausage, then smoked for about 3hours in a somewhat warm smoker (about 150-170F). I use a hotplate with a pan of wood chips (apple this time; it's what I had on hand) and my horrible, cheap, prone-to-starting-itself-on-fire smoker.





(ignore the grubbiness of the grate)

My god is it good. At first I was a little worried about the slightly crispy, over-done spots, but they are actually the best parts.


--I also threw on some bacon wrapped chicken legs because why not.

GrAviTy84 posted:

Shoulder is kind of the bread and butter of a lot of charcuterie. It's the base for a lot of different sausages both dried and fresh, they make great rillettes, I've made bacon with it (slice it into belly sized slabs before curing, technically called "cottage bacon"), and of course a whole shoulder is what makes a ham.

GrAviTy84 posted:

so this happened yesterday.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

feelz good man posted:

My first dabble into dried meats. Pancetta stesa with black pepper, juniper, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and Cure 2! It turned out very well and it tastes awesome. I have never had pancetta before, and I didn't feel like paying $25.00/lb for it

yes posted:

atothesquiz posted:

Anyone else notice that pork bellies are coming down in price?

Last week I bought two cases (~27 pounds, skinless) for $2.99 a pound. I'm used to paying $3.80-$4. I was pretty stoked.

SpannerX posted:

Reduce, reuse, recycle?

holttho posted:

It's probably just for flavor since the drying is the real preserving agent here. It adds a distinctive 'cured' flavor to meats that's hard to replicate.