Porkert Stuffer ??

Where to buy, how to use. Stuffers, casings, spices, grinders, etc.

Postby Oddley » Mon Jan 24, 2005 9:45 pm

Bob would you like to tell us about your jerky making and perhaps lead us by the hand through a jerky making session.
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Re: Hand Sausage Stuffers

Postby deb » Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:32 pm

Parson Snows wrote:There are numerous companies in the UK that stock hand sausage stuffers. One is called King Chef Sausage Maker available for approx. 23 pounds sterling from

Wrightway Marketing Ltd (Ideal Home Mail Order)
Ideal Home House
Newark Road
Peterborough
PE1 5WG
Cambridgeshire
Tel: (01733 777310)

This includes

� standard sausage making machine
� collagen casings
� 2 plastic nozzles (small and large)
� sausage mixes
� instruction/recipe book

I used to have one of these and it worked quite well until it broke (the ratchet mechanism) some years ago.



Parson, can you tell me how long the stuffer lasted? I think something like this would be the answer, but I can't find any info on the web (my computer skills are very limited LOL!!). Strangely enough I don't live too far from Peterborough and I'm actually going to visit someone there on Thursday (a fact of no importance, it just seemed a bit of a coincidence).

I know many of you will say I should get the Reber when I can but I really think it would be a bit of a waste for the small number of sausages I would make. I'm sure one of these "gun" types would be good enough.
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Postby Oddley » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:02 pm

Deb I have found another filler for you at �42 + pp I know nothing about it so can't recommend it.

    Image
http://www.kitchenandgarden.co.uk/cat235_1.htm
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Postby Oddley » Mon Jan 24, 2005 11:48 pm

Deb also found that King Chef Sausage Maker set on ebay:
    Image
This is the text that came with it. There is 2 days left on the auction and the current bid is �9
Whilst clearing out Grannys we found a sausage maker, complete with instructions ,receipts and some ingredients and skins all boxed. Very little use but the consumables are out of date but leaving in as they have part numbers on. So if you are feed up with the run of the mill bangers create your own delicious sausages. Made by King Chef

Checkout are other strange and wonderful Granny cooking items. No reserve

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... eName=WDVW
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Postby deb » Tue Jan 25, 2005 8:04 am

Thanks Oddley. I did come across the first one during my searches but couldn't find the King Chef.
I think I'll get in touch with the company Parson gave me and see about the spec etc. If I'm interested I'll probably go for a new one, looking at the ebay bid history on that one I think it's gonna end up a bit pricy for second hand.
I still think the gun type will be good enough for my needs. The table top crank ones are great I'm sure but apart from being a bit of overkill we have a small house with LOTS of stuff in it so storage is always a problem.
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King Chef Hand Stuffer

Postby Parson Snows » Tue Jan 25, 2005 8:26 am

Deb wrote
Parson, can you tell me how long the stuffer lasted? I think something like this would be the answer, but I can't find any info on the web

It was probably 3 � to 4 years. (though that was over 12 years ago. It�s nice to see that the company is still in existence) Just don�t overfill it, it is also better with the softer mixtures. They may well have improved the ratchet mechanism by now. I used it a lot, extensively for doing small test samples. As I didn�t put a web address for the company there probably isn�t one.

Deb wrote
I think I'll get in touch with the company Parson gave me and see about the spec etc.

I wouldn�t expect too much in the way of specs. It�s basically a plastic tube with screwed ends, not exactly �rocket science�

Deb wrote
I still think the gun type will be good enough for my needs.

If you tend to make more sausages you can always upgrade to a Reber and then use this for small �test samples�

Kind regards

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And keep us all alive
There's ten around the table
And food enough for five... Amen
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Re: King Chef Hand Stuffer

Postby Bob » Tue Jan 25, 2005 9:03 am

Parson Snows wrote:Just don�t overfill it, it is also better with the softer mixtures.

As mentioned earlier, one manufacturer states that you must add about 1/4 cup of water to the meat in order for the gun to work without excess stress on the mechanism, or you will void the warranty.

The LEM gun I bought has no such requirements, although I will either wet the surface of the meat or the interior of the meat tube before filling. The meat glides out of the casing tube with hardly any effort on my part.

They may well have improved the ratchet mechanism by now.

The LEM gun does not use a ratchet per se. Instead it relies on an angled metal piece on the push rod to move the piston. The same kind of mechanism is employed on the rod keeper.

That Nesco jerky gun I used earlier felt like it was always about to break and it has a ratchet mechanism with only a 1/2 lb. meat tube.

I wouldn�t expect too much in the way of specs. It�s basically a plastic tube with screwed ends, not exactly �rocket science�

She can inquire about the "rachet" mechanism and whether the vendor has a good history with a particular model.
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Postby Parson Snows » Tue Jan 25, 2005 9:12 am

Bob wrote
one manufacturer states that you must add about 1/4 cup of water to the meat in order for the gun to work without excess stress on the mechanism, or you will void the warranty.

Well worth remembering this gem

Bob also wrote
The LEM gun does not use a ratchet per se. Instead it relies on an angled metal piece on the push rod to move the piston. The same kind of mechanism is employed on the rod keeper.

I did look at the picture of this and it did look a little more durable.

Bob also wrote
She can inquire about the "rachet" mechanism and whether the vendor has a good history with a particular model.

Certainly, but what I said was that they are still in business selling to the public whilst during the last 15 years a lot of companies have gone under. That's always a good sign

kind regards

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Postby Bob » Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:08 am

Oddley wrote:Bob would you like to tell us about your jerky making and perhaps lead us by the hand through a jerky making session.

NB: The procedure below applies only to ground meat jerky. You use a different process for making solid meat jerky.

I start with ground chuck which I either grind myself from chuck roast or buy in the form of lean hamburger meat. Do not use cuts of beef that are not well marbled - chuck is really the only meat you want to use. And don't pay attention to those who claim you can get by with 90% lean - the jerky will come out like sawdust. Do not use adjuncts like breadcrumbs because it will mess up the texture.

You can buy jerky seasonings but we like a spice we get from McCormick called "Fajita Seasoning". Any spice that is used to flavor beef will work. Or you can make a soy and brown suger concoction laced with a little Worchestershire sauce. Another spice that is tasty is a Cuban cessina spice made by Badia. Many recipes call for teriyaki sauce too.

You must use a curing salt like Mortons Tender Quick, which is like Prague #2 with both nitrite and nitrate. The maker of the LEM Jerky Gun claims you should refrigerate the jerky after cooking, but we eat it so quickly that we keep it on the kitchen counter, and therefore it is critical to prevent bacterial growth.

I use 1 tsp. curing salt per pound, but that may be too much salt depending on the spices you choose. I suspect you could get the preservative effect from as little as 1/4 t. per lb. - perhaps someone can comment on this. Then I add 1 TBS. McCormick Fajita Seasoning and after mixing I put the meat in a plastic freezer bag for "curing" in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day I flatten the plastic bag on a cutting board and cut right thru the plastic making square cylinders of meat for loading into the meat tube of the jerky gun. Be sure to either wet the surface of the meat slightly or wet the interior of the meat tube so the meat won't stick too much.

I have two kinds of nozzles - one makes a flat strip of jerky about 1/8" thick and the other makes a round stick about 1/2" dia. We make both kinds. I have a Nesco dehydrator with large trays, so I squirt the meat strips/sticks directly onto the trays with the gun. If you don't have a jerky gun, you can roll the meat into round sticks like you would roll dough on a cutting board.

Then the dehydrator is turned on to the highest setting (155F) and the meat is heated for at least 4 hours, turning it at 2 hours. We like the jerky a bit on the chewy side so we let it go as long as 6-8 hours. If you don't have a dehydrator you can cook the meat in the oven on a rack at 200F for 4 hours. The smell from cooking the spiced meat will fill the house with a pleasant odor.

I just made a batch using the spices that came with the LEM Jerky Gun and although I like my own spices better, they did put something in that made the meat come out chewier - almost rubbery. I suspect it's that chemical called sodium erythrobate or maybe it's propylene glycol. Maybe I will call Allied Kenco to see what they know about this.

After drying/cooking the jerky we keep it on the kitchen counter in a large tumbler and munch on it throughout the day and night. It does not take long to eat a pound of meat, so watch your waist line if you get hooked on it. If you want to cut down on temptation to eat too much, put most of it in the refrigerator out of sight - it will keep longer that way.

There are many books on amazon.com about making jerky but you will have to experiment to get it right because most books are afraid to tell you that you need a some fat to make edible ground meat jerky.

If you buy a lean chuck roast that has exterior fat removed and grind it, you will get about 25% fat. I buy the cut which has the short rib and remove it for grilling. What remains is about the right percentage fat for me, which I estimate to be around 30%. Someday I may dissect a roast to see what the fat percent is.

If there is too much fat, it will cook out at 155F and the bottom of your dehydrator will be covered in grease. That will tell you to lower the fat content. When the surface of the cooked jerky is lightly coated with a film of grease, that's the right amount of fat in the meat. Remove the film by rinsing with water and then dry with a paper towel - or it may go rancid if you keep it out for several days.

If you buy ground chuck and see much visible fat in it, then it is probably too fatty. I have a butcher who uses only well trimmed chuck which has just the right amount of fat in it. I pick the packages where there is no visible fat except for the lone speck or two. He charges the same for the ground chuck as his roasts, so I believe he is using well-trimmed meat.
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Postby Oddley » Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:46 am

Thanks Bob for the prompt reply.

I think that you should probably copy your post over to the cured meat section as a new topic. It is tucked away a bit here and I am sure the other members will find it as interesting as me.

One or two questions.

    1: Are the spice mixtures dry or can you add pastes.
    2: Would cure #1 be OK to use seeing as the cure time is short.
Cheers M8.
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Jerky Topic

Postby Parson Snows » Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:48 am

Bob

As I can see that this subject will get some postings I would suggest that you start a NEW "Jerky" topic under "Curing". It happens a lot at the moment that threads get lost within threads, and should be avoided it possible. If someone was looking for Jerky information it is unlikey that they would search under "Equipment & Supplies/Porkert Stuffer ??". As you have mentioned the search engine here is sometimes found to be lacking.

just a suggestion

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Postby Bob » Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:57 pm

Oddley wrote:I think that you should probably copy your post over to the cured meat section as a new topic. It is tucked away a bit here and I am sure the other members will find it as interesting as me.

As Parson Snows suggests, I will copy it over to a New Topic under Curing, when I find out how to do that.

1: Are the spice mixtures dry or can you add pastes.

I have seen recipes for dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Anything you would mix into ground beef for flavoring will work. In effect you are making a form of beef sausage which is air-dried.

Which reminds me - I need to try the recipe for genoa salami. I wonder is 4-8 hours at 155F is enough to get some fermentation going.

2: Would cure #1 be OK to use seeing as the cure time is short.

I have always used Morton's Tender Quick, which is like Prague #2.

It is my understanding that the active ingredient is sodium nitrite and the purpose of sodium nitrate in #2 is to act as a slow-release agent for the creation of additional sodium nitrite over a longer period. IOW, it's not the cure time but the storage time that determines the use of #2.

We consume our jerky so quickly that I doubt we even need sodium nitrate. For example, this last batch was removed from the dehydrator early yesterday evening and it is already half gone. We go thru jerky at about 1 lb starting meat weight in 24 hours.

If you want to use #1 because that's what you have, I suppose it would not hurt to refrigerate the jerky if your consumption rate is low. The maker of the seasoning I used that came with the LEM Jerky Gun states that I should refrigerate my jerky.
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Re: Jerky Topic

Postby Bob » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:01 pm

Parson Snows wrote:I would suggest that you start a NEW "Jerky" topic under "Curing".

I will be glad to, but I do not know how to get a New Topic directly under the Curing heading. Do I need to be an administrator to do that?
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Postby Bob » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:06 pm

Oddley wrote:Thanks Bob for the prompt reply.

Actually, I almost missed your post because this forum software can sometimes screw up.

If you and then someone below you post at the same time, I will get an email notification that takes me to the older post, and if I do not look for earlier posts I will miss them. The only reason I spotted yours at a later date was I opened the forum manually instead of using email notification. That starts me at the top and your post just happened to be at the top of page 2. Otherwise I would have missed it.

There have been times when I have requested that someone pass along some information but I never get any response. I suppose the reason could be the same as described above.
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Postby Oddley » Tue Jan 25, 2005 1:09 pm

Bob I'll ask some more questions when you've copied the post to the curing section. That will give everybody a chance to read the answers.
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