by vagreys » Wed May 29, 2013 10:44 pm
If you are just starting out in sausage making and smoking...here are things you may already have or will need, before too long.
- A set of small-to-medium non-reactive prep bowls.
- a non-reactive set of nested mixing bowls will be handy in the future, if not now.
- if you stick with it, you will want some large, non-reactive mixing bowls for mixing up several pounds of sausage, or large enough to contain a piece of meat to which you are applying dry cure and seasoning. You could easily need multiple bowls if making multiple kinds of sausage from the same batch of meat.
- meat tubs. Large batches of sausage and for curing meats.
- measuring spoons
- good scales for weighing meat and liquids. I use an electronic set that weighs up to 8 kg +/- 1 g.
- good scales for measuring spices and cures. I use an inexpensive electronic set that weights up to 500 g +/- .01g. Hard to believe but it can make a difference when dealing with very light herbs and spices like dried marjoram or fluffy, rubbed sage, or ingredients where only a very small amount is needed.
- gallon-size and sandwich size zip-lock disposable bags
- plastic wrap
- freezer/butcher paper
- stainless steel or aluminum half-sheet trays. I have 6 and could use more.
- large cutting board(s). I have two that I can sterilize with bleach solution, and just added one dedicated to poultry.
- towels. You will want towels that can get bloody and stained, and be washed frequently, with bleach. Repeated drying of hands and gear. I use bar mops and get them in bundles of 24. Use them until they fall apart.
- herbs and spices. If you are starting out, I'd advise that the only thing you get in quantity is your salt - either kosher salt or coarse flake sea salt. If you stick with it, there are certain herbs and spices that you will use a lot, and some that you will use in moderate quantities. While you can get them much cheaper in bulk, you don't want to buy more than you can easily use within 6 months (pre-ground) to a year (whole). They will need to be stored away from heat and light, in airtight containers, to preserve their potency. I am making 20-30 lbs a week, now, and I'm using lots of salt, black pepper, white pepper, coriander seed, sage, marjoram, and thyme. I am using moderate amounts of sugar, summer savory, oregano, fennel seed, caraway seed, crushed red pepper and cumin. I am using lesser amounts of nutmeg, mace, mustard, cayenne, ginger, and paprika (Hungarian sweet, Hungarian hot, Spanish smoked sweet, Spanish smoked hot).
I'm not saying you need all this on day 1, but if you stick with it, and make sausage and other meats regularly, you will need this stuff or similar things, and most of this stuff should be available from the wholesale store.
HTH
ETA: and disposable, plastic gloves for food service.
- tom
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