# Sausage Turned Out Bad



## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Tried the "Undisputed King of Venison sausage" recipe on this http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/venison-sausage.html site this weekend. I cut the recipe in half because I didn't want a lot of something I might not like. I also used pork shoulder at a mixture of 40/60 to venison. Well I followed the directions to a T, and even followed their smoking guidelines as well. Well the title of the thread says it all. The sausage looked more of the color of boudain than the pinkish red color of sausage. The only thing I know I messed up, was I still used 2 cups of ice water as directed in the original recipe instead of cutting that in half also :headknock

Couple of questions here.
Does the water make the meat turn that whitish gray color if theres to much? 
And what is the purpose of the water in the recipe? 
I hate to waste meat but this sausage turned out dry and really kind of bland. So before I waste anymore, I need some help. Thanks in advance.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2005)

Ive never added water to my sausage recipe. No clue why you would do that. I cube, season, grind, then stuff


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

Just followed recipe


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## Chongo (May 24, 2004)

If you like German style sausage try this. 
50/50 Venison to pork 10 lbs total
10 TBL (tablespoons) Salt
5 TBL Black Pepper
4 TBL garlic powder
4 TBL cayane

If you think it is going to be to hot cut the cayane in half. I like it with four. 
Grind, Stuff, Smoke and enjoy.

Chongo


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## Trinitybayrat (Sep 12, 2007)

I have never used that recipe, but I do use water when I make sausage at a rate of 1 ounce per pound of meat. (Your recipe calls for 1.6oz/lb, but you used 2oz/lb) It makes it sooo much easier to mix in your seasoning/cure, and other ingredients and you wont even know you added it in the final product.

I dont add seasoning until after all the meat is ground and mixed. I also dont use a grinder for stuffing. I then add all the spices, salt, cure, etc to the water and stir. It wont all dissolve but it helps to more evenly distribute the seasoning/cure, and it buys you a little extra time, not much though, before the meat mixture "sets" to mix in cheese and other ingredients at the end so they remain intact. Depending on your method, the water is an option........ everybody does it different.

One other thing......... before you stuff, take some of your seasoned meat mixture and fry it in a skillet to make sure its seasoned to your liking. 

Good Luck!!


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

I did everything you said trinity, except I stuffed with my grinder without the plate in. The meat came out a pale gray/white. Not even close to resembling sausage.

I'm pulling my hair out here.

Could it have something to do with amount of smoke? I smoked it pretty heavy.


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## AggieCowboy98 (Feb 25, 2007)

water makes the spices mix better and makes it easier to stuff if you are using a hand crank style stuffer instead of tube on your grinder. If you add water, you should hand the stuffed links in a refrigerator overnight to "bloom". This will help set the seasoning and allow some of the moisture to evaporate.

Not sure why it would come out gray. Was it gray on the outside of the casing or just the meat inside? If on the outside, could be something to do with how you smoked it??

As for being dry, did you trim the shoulder before you ground it? Getting rid of that fat could make it dry.


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## steverino (Mar 8, 2006)

*Sausage*

I think there is more than one problem here. If it was bland it was due to a lack of seasoning. The fresh, wet casing will look grey/white. It won't take on any color until it is smoked. Extra water should go away in the smoking process, assuming that it was dry smoked for a period of time. Also the smoking temperature should not be too high or too low (you don't want to fully cook it nor do you want it to spoil). Smoking should be both a drying and a curing process so you will need a sufficient amount of salt. I'm no expert but have some OTJ experience!


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

steverino said:


> I think there is more than one problem here. If it was bland it was due to a lack of seasoning. The fresh, wet casing will look grey/white. It won't take on any color until it is smoked. Extra water should go away in the smoking process, assuming that it was dry smoked for a period of time. Also the smoking temperature should not be too high or too low (you don't want to fully cook it nor do you want it to spoil). Smoking should be both a drying and a curing process so you will need a sufficient amount of salt. I'm no expert but have some OTJ experience!


Naw, steverino , this sausage came out of the smoker after 3.5 hrs whitish gray. I let it set over night in the fridge after stuffing to "rest" as others have suggested. Oh and BTW I used LEM hog casing, which I wasn't very impressed with. After soaking for 30-378wbmag minutes they kept busting. The brand I used the first time I had no problems with. But still had the same color of meat. And it was the meat inside with the off color along with the casing.


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## screamingdrag (Jun 15, 2010)

sounds like maybe you did not use the right amout of modern cure, and your problem on the stuffing, might be the ginder itself, i use to use my grinder to stuff, and would pop a lot of casings cause it would push the meat to fast, and would also give me the whitish color, i guess the fat smears and coats the casing, but after smoking should still get that redish color. so the problem got fixed when i bought a hand crank stuffer, no more smearing and have not popped a casing since. more control, and as for water i use about a quart for 25 lbs of meat. good luck.


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

Ice water is used to chill the meat and add weight, so when it cooks in the smokehouse, it loses a certain percent and will give you close to your green weight back. Used a lot in commercial applications. The colder the meat, the less it will smear and the more it will maintain that coarse, defining texture.

Cure.......It sounds like you didn't put your cure in there.

Drying......If you didn't dry your sausage, as it was hanging, then your problem might lay there. I don't care what anyone says, smoke is not sticking to a wet casing, in turn, giving you that color you desire. I put my sausage in the smokehouse at around 140 with the dampers fully open, until my sausage casing is dry to the touch, then I add the smoke.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

spurgersalty said:


> Tried the "Undisputed King of Venison sausage" recipe on this http://www.lets-make-sausage.com/venison-sausage.html site this weekend. I cut the recipe in half because I didn't want a lot of something I might not like. I also used pork shoulder at a mixture of 40/60 to venison. Well I followed the directions to a T, and even followed their smoking guidelines as well. Well the title of the thread says it all. The sausage looked more of the color of boudain than the pinkish red color of sausage. The only thing I know I messed up, was I still used 2 cups of ice water as directed in the original recipe instead of cutting that in half also :headknock
> 
> Couple of questions here.
> Does the water make the meat turn that whitish gray color if theres to much?
> ...


dont know who calls that "undisputeted" but 60% venison is gonna make "dry" sausage. needs more fat.
is the recipie a "COLD-SMOKE" style that need cooking before eating? cold smoked W/O potassium nitrate will be a dark or gray color after smoking and is still raw.


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## Gator gar (Sep 21, 2007)

kweber said:


> dont know who calls that "undisputeted" but 60% venison is gonna make "dry" sausage. needs more fat.
> is the recipie a "COLD-SMOKE" style that need cooking before eating? cold smoked W/O potassium nitrate will be a dark or gray color after smoking and is still raw.


I don't know anyone using potassium nitrate in their sausage anymore. The most common cure, is sodium nitrite for sausages and sodium nitrate for salami's, pepperoni's, etc. I use sodium nitrite in my air dried sausage and it is a raw product when I take it out of my smoke house.

I make it, stuff it and hang it in the smokehouse with no smoke and no heat. Sometimes I put a fan on it. Of course I do this in the more colder weather, but I think up to 77 degrees is fine.


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## txbigred (Aug 7, 2007)

More than likely your problem was that you did not let the casing dry at 105-115f before you raised the heat and applied smoke. A casing that is wet/damp will not take smoke and will remain pale looking.

Dave


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## uncle dave (Jul 27, 2008)

I take my sausage to 90 degrees internal temp before I add smoke, turns out a pretty red color.


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

steverino said:


> I think there is more than one problem here. If it was bland it was due to a lack of seasoning. The fresh, wet casing will look grey/white. It won't take on any color until it is smoked. Extra water should go away in the smoking process, assuming that it was dry smoked for a period of time. Also the smoking temperature should not be too high or too low (you don't want to fully cook it nor do you want it to spoil). Smoking should be both a drying and a curing process so you will need a sufficient amount of salt. I'm no expert but have some OTJ experience!


Will check seasoning ratio next time steverino.

Kweber, I actually thought the same thing, so I mixed 50/50. I double checked weights of meat and amount of cure but definately used cure.

Txbigred and uncle Dave, I will try letting the casing dry longer next time before adding the smoke. I think this might be the culprit, or stated correctly where I messed up. Thought I dried long enough, but sounds like I didn't.

Thank you all, Yall got great heads on your shoulders.


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## raz1056 (Jun 16, 2006)

I'm with kweber on the meat mixtures, we use 60 pork/40 venison, add a little water during stuffing hang for an hour or so with a a/c and fan on it, smoke until internal temp is 160 to kill bacteria. Take out, allow to cool and vacuumn seal.


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## Texas Jeweler (Nov 6, 2007)

I am impressed that a number of you do know your business in making sausage!


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## teamfirstcast (Aug 23, 2006)

*Smoked Links?*

Gator Gar is right on with his suggestions! Two big problems... be sure to add the proper amount of "modern" cure = Pink Cure #1 (sodium nitrite mixed with salt) One level teaspoon per 5 lbs of meat: no more no less! And let the casing dry (put a fan on them as they hang) then add the smoke. Lots more details to get it right but the pic here is prolly what you are looking for...


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## spurgersalty (Jun 29, 2010)

teamfirstcast said:


> Gator Gar is right on with his suggestions! Two big problems... be sure to add the proper amount of "modern" cure = Pink Cure #1 (sodium nitrite mixed with salt) One level teaspoon per 5 lbs of meat: no more no less! And let the casing dry (put a fan on them as they hang) then add the smoke. Lots more details to get it right but the pic here is prolly what you are looking for...


Now you're just rubbing salt in the wound


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## jervonormy (Apr 10, 2011)

Screamingdrag hit the nail on the head. Cure is what gives sausage the red color, and helps develope the flavor. If you have any doubt as how much to use, just replace the salt in the recipe with morton's tender quick. Remember fresh sausage does not need cure. But any time you are going to smoke it or 
dry it. You must have cure.


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