Landjaeger
May 12, 2013 9:04:24 GMT -5
Post by AJ on May 12, 2013 9:04:24 GMT -5
Last weekend I made a big (27 pounds) batch of landjaegers. It is a traditional German snack sausage that is cured and smoked. Traditionally it is made and left to ferment in a very humid environment. That typically does not exist in my area. I don't have a spare fridge to artificially create this environment. I saw Cabela's sells a spice kit for landjaegers. They just say grind/mix/stuff/smoke. I gave it a shot.
The spice kit is actually a PS Seasonings kit that comes with seasonings, cure, and natural hog casings. For my batch, I used:
18# of elk
6# of pork shoulder
3# of Wright® Brand Bacon Ends & Pieces
The recipe calls for 2-3 cups of water, but I used 1 cup of a good merlot and 1 cup of water
Friday afternoon I ground the meat. The initial grind I used a plate with 3/4" holes. I then mixed in the cure/spices/merlot/water mixture for 5 minutes in my meat mixer. Then it took another trip through the grinder using the plate with 3/16" holes. The batch sat in the stainless steel bowl overnight. I washed the hog casings and left them soak overnight. I turn them inside out to make sure they are clean.
Saturday I got the big 20# stuffer out and stuffed all of the 30-35mm hog casings. I still had quite a bit of meat left over so I got my 5# stuffer out and and finished up with some 21mm collagen casings. I laid out the ropes on cookie sheets that would fit in the fridge and stacked the trays on each other to help give the flat rectangle shape landjaegers are known for.
Sunday morning I fired up the smokers and used pecan as my wood of choice for this batch. I used a charcoal smoker for the larger hog casing batch and an electric smoker for the 21mm collagen casing batch. Both smokers were full. The charcoal batch went fine. The sticks rose to an internal temp of 150°F in about 5 hours. I pulled them and let them rest on the counter. The electric smoker was not doing as well. I transferred the collagen batch to the charcoal smoker and finished them up in about 2 hours.
I then ran the sticks in the dehydrator for 3 hours at 155°F. This helps remove some moisture and gives them a nice consistency. I pulled them from the dehydrator and let them bloom on the counter.
I left the sticks rest until they reached ambient temp and cut them to fit in the vacuum bags. I was not thrilled with how they turned out. The flavor was not as I expected. I was mad. I left the bags sit in the fridge for 2 days and tried them again. Wow, the flavor morphed into the sausage l was expecting. The consistency of spices and smoke blended into a very good sausage. I shared some burnt tips and ends with some friends and they ordered the spice kits after trying mine.
I froze 20 separate one pound packages and I expect them to get better with time.
The spice kit is actually a PS Seasonings kit that comes with seasonings, cure, and natural hog casings. For my batch, I used:
18# of elk
6# of pork shoulder
3# of Wright® Brand Bacon Ends & Pieces
The recipe calls for 2-3 cups of water, but I used 1 cup of a good merlot and 1 cup of water
Friday afternoon I ground the meat. The initial grind I used a plate with 3/4" holes. I then mixed in the cure/spices/merlot/water mixture for 5 minutes in my meat mixer. Then it took another trip through the grinder using the plate with 3/16" holes. The batch sat in the stainless steel bowl overnight. I washed the hog casings and left them soak overnight. I turn them inside out to make sure they are clean.
Saturday I got the big 20# stuffer out and stuffed all of the 30-35mm hog casings. I still had quite a bit of meat left over so I got my 5# stuffer out and and finished up with some 21mm collagen casings. I laid out the ropes on cookie sheets that would fit in the fridge and stacked the trays on each other to help give the flat rectangle shape landjaegers are known for.
Sunday morning I fired up the smokers and used pecan as my wood of choice for this batch. I used a charcoal smoker for the larger hog casing batch and an electric smoker for the 21mm collagen casing batch. Both smokers were full. The charcoal batch went fine. The sticks rose to an internal temp of 150°F in about 5 hours. I pulled them and let them rest on the counter. The electric smoker was not doing as well. I transferred the collagen batch to the charcoal smoker and finished them up in about 2 hours.
I then ran the sticks in the dehydrator for 3 hours at 155°F. This helps remove some moisture and gives them a nice consistency. I pulled them from the dehydrator and let them bloom on the counter.
I left the sticks rest until they reached ambient temp and cut them to fit in the vacuum bags. I was not thrilled with how they turned out. The flavor was not as I expected. I was mad. I left the bags sit in the fridge for 2 days and tried them again. Wow, the flavor morphed into the sausage l was expecting. The consistency of spices and smoke blended into a very good sausage. I shared some burnt tips and ends with some friends and they ordered the spice kits after trying mine.
I froze 20 separate one pound packages and I expect them to get better with time.