I processed my own animal for the first time this hunt. I bought an old Springbuck meat saw that came with a mincer and old RSA flag colors on paper work. ;D
I am now officially a bush to table hunter.
The saw takes a lot of learning, but luckily I have a friend who feels he owe me a lot because I taught him to reload, so I am lucky.
Now I need to buy a sausage stuffer to make wors, more work :o
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53148873430_44fdcd2b25_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oYzSoJ)saw (https://flic.kr/p/2oYzSoJ) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/53148873525_36336b405e_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oYzSqn)saw visd (https://flic.kr/p/2oYzSqn) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Nice! I think you get a sausage stuffer attachment for the mincer which would work.
Scared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
Quote from: DaavG on Aug 29, 2023, 01:57 PMScared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
^This. Cold meat makes cold dumb fingers makes counting past 10 a bear unless you're barefoot ;)
Guy that ran my local butcher years ago was a few digit segments light and he said it happened late one evening while pushing through a really big order.
I love the idea of being able to manage the entire process from bullet casting to wors braaing. Good on you for making that a real thing.
Quote from: DaavG on Aug 29, 2023, 01:57 PMNice! I think you get a sausage stuffer attachment for the mincer which would work.
Scared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
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You may find it hard to believe, I do not go near where the saws are being used, I even leave shops where I can hear these saws. If I stand an watch one being used, I start heaving, I wanna puke.
BUT BUT BUT, this saw has not got that sound, I think it runs at a slower RPM
I how ever am going to battle, it still scares me terribly even with out that sound, and after what you saw I went to bed, it really is a fight to use it, I have a phobia I will have to beat.
I will build a blade cover to block unused blade area ------------ it scares me horribly - I do not know how one can use one for a living.
I wheelie motor bikes well in exess of 200 km/h with no comparable fear.
Quote from: DaavG on Aug 29, 2023, 01:57 PMNice! I think you get a sausage stuffer attachment for the mincer which would work.
Scared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
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I have been advised to buy a free standing sausage stuffer.
Quote from: Treeman on Aug 29, 2023, 04:58 PM************************
I have been advised to buy a free standing sausage stuffer.
A mate of mine who makes his own Kraut style sausages and boerewors reckons the good quality hand cranked ones are the ticket. They have a big wide cylinder and apparently that makes the flow of meat really consistent and controllable when the handle is cranked.
Some stuffers have two gears. They make it a lot easier and faster. For some reason, I prefer a horisontal, backloading stuffer to a vertical, toploading one.
"Oh Fok !" here it comes again, choices and options, confusion and hesitation.
Quote from: oafpatroll on Aug 29, 2023, 05:39 PMQuote from: Treeman on Aug 29, 2023, 04:58 PM************************
I have been advised to buy a free standing sausage stuffer.
A mate of mine who makes his own Kraut style sausages and boerewors reckons the good quality hand cranked ones are the ticket. They have a big wide cylinder and apparently that makes the flow of meat really consistent and controllable when the handle is cranked.
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Please ask your friend if u may forward his number - I would just like to get a verbal walk through on his Kraut sausage. Please.
Quote from: Treeman on Aug 29, 2023, 04:58 PMI have been advised to buy a free standing sausage stuffer.
That what was what I was advised and I have a separate stuffer and mincer. I have never tried the sausage attachments but a mate used to have a small butcher and made bulk wors using electric stuffer as it was significantly quicker.
Agreed on preferring a horizontal stuffer - more counter top space but it seems to flow better than a vertical unit I tried.
Quote from: oafpatroll on Aug 29, 2023, 02:10 PMQuote from: DaavG on Aug 29, 2023, 01:57 PMScared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
^This. Cold meat makes cold dumb fingers makes counting past 10 a bear unless you're barefoot ;)
Guy that ran my local butcher years ago was a few digit segments light and he said it happened late one evening while pushing through a really big order.
I love the idea of being able to manage the entire process from bullet casting to wors braaing. Good on you for making that a real thing.
Reminds me of my first driving lesson. Driving a kombi to the doctor with my dad's hand wrapped in a towel. The saw went through the soft tissue between the thumb and forefinger to the bone. Thankfully no real damage was done.
Quote from: DaavG on Aug 30, 2023, 07:08 AMQuote from: Treeman on Aug 29, 2023, 04:58 PMI have been advised to buy a free standing sausage stuffer.
Agreed on preferring a horizontal stuffer - more counter top space but it seems to flow better than a vertical unit I tried.
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I am much into how something feels, and the horizontal feels right in my brain while the vertical seems more "right" for liquids, strange how the mind works.
Quote from: janfred on Aug 30, 2023, 07:40 AMQuote from: oafpatroll on Aug 29, 2023, 02:10 PMQuote from: DaavG on Aug 29, 2023, 01:57 PMScared shitless about bandsaws and fingers!
^This. Cold meat makes cold dumb fingers makes counting past 10 a bear unless you're barefoot ;)
Guy that ran my local butcher years ago was a few digit segments light and he said it happened late one evening while pushing through a really big order.
I love the idea of being able to manage the entire process from bullet casting to wors braaing. Good on you for making that a real thing.
Reminds me of my first driving lesson. Driving a kombi to the doctor with my dad's hand wrapped in a towel. The saw went through the soft tissue between the thumb and forefinger to the bone. Thankfully no real damage was done.
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Niiiiiice !!! Guys guys, you have to bring this up ? :-X - already half sick with foreboding, scared of this thing much.
One blessing, is that my saw does not make the meowing screech when cutting, I would not have bought it if it made that sound. Never no nay never !!!
Quote from: Treeman on Aug 29, 2023, 07:37 PMPlease ask your friend if u may forward his number - I would just like to get a verbal walk through on his Kraut sausage. Please.
I'll ask but I wouldn't suggest holding your breath. He's a grumpy old git.
So we made our first sausage, it was a bit on the less spicy side, actually perfect for me. but wife wants more hide the meat additives.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53184758977_141fe63ebe_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p2KMV4)20230911_195924 (https://flic.kr/p/2p2KMV4) by Cody Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/196777865@N04/), on Flickr
My son and I really had a very good moment in time doing this.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/31337/53185671695_e32d7f118b_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p2Qtez)20230913_214756_1069742335989393 (https://flic.kr/p/2p2Qtez) by Cody Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/196777865@N04/), on Flickr
I bought my own sausage stuffer yesterday.
I have given up trying to manage the Flicker account, everytime Cody uses PC he leaves it on his account and then when I work I save my stuff to his account. :-X
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53185489051_82b0b05377_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p2PwWx)20230911_191619 (https://flic.kr/p/2p2PwWx) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Look how this boy has grown, size 11 shoe now.
Nice to see the boy doing real value things. I am a firm believer in instilling old school life skills in our childrens day to day doings.
We have now made our second batch of wors and its really nice - got the %ages correct this time, last batch was a bit out because we only used meat weight to measure spices. We should have used meat + fat + water weight.
The wors is a bit on the hard side, very firm, I am asking around to find the possible reasons. I am told that I should try add more water to mix and also to work the meat at lower temperatures.
I also made some meatballs, German style, like the size of oranges, using the same wors mix - verrrry nice, better than the wors actually.
My mouth is watering like a fountain!
Quote from: Treeman on Sep 30, 2023, 08:50 PMThe wors is a bit on the hard side, very firm, I am asking around to find the possible reasons. I am told that I should try add more water to mix and also to work the meat at lower temperatures.
I have had similar experiences: venison tends to be harder and dryer whereas beef tends to make softer and juicier wors.
Venison wors with more fat tends to be juicier. We usually mix in roughly 20% - 25% of fat; depending on the availability of fat. I am considering making a batch with 30% fat as an experiment.
Traditionally, the folks in the Kalahari mix one fat sheep with one kudu for wors.
Others mince the fat into bigger bits, and the meat into finer bits. Afterwards, they mix the batches together.
Quote from: Ds J on Sep 30, 2023, 09:19 PMTraditionally, the folks in the Kalahari mix one fat sheep with one kudu for wors.
This is exactly the rule of thumb I was taught when I worked on processing the meat shot by the brass at defense headquarters when I was in the mag. Our biggest batch of wors while I was there almost filled a 250L vessel. The more coarsely ground mutton/fat was also how we did it.
This is really very rewarding and very addictive to do.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53232088934_a617af6af2_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6WnsN)20231003_180124 (https://flic.kr/p/2p6WnsN) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
I find myself out producing what we can eat.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53232013758_7cf0420cbd_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2p6VZ7E)20231003_180552 (https://flic.kr/p/2p6VZ7E) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Hell, am I invited? Looking good and tasty.
I can almost smell it and it's droolworthy in my imaginings.
It amazing how sensitive the recipe can be 20 % fat was not very nice, 25 % was notably "more!". The first batch had Cody saying "not enough fat in two minutes"
The second batch had me saying its very fatty before even tasting, you could see it was fatty.
But !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first batch of fat was high % yellow fat, the second was pure white fat, there is a lesson to be learnt in this.
White fat is is greasier than yellow fat and in my opinion more disgusting. White fat is so "euughhh "
:o :o
Yes, big difference between white and yellow fat, and I always make small batches with small changes to test before I commit to a full batch.
So yellow is the one to go with?
Is that a preference thing, or is it just better?
Biltong with yellow fat is THE tastiest.
Quote from: Kola on Oct 04, 2023, 06:20 PMYes, big difference between white and yellow fat, and I always make small batches with small changes to test before I commit to a full batch.
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I still gotta learn this small tester thing.
Quote from: SouljaMan on Oct 04, 2023, 06:24 PMSo yellow is the one to go with?
Is that a preference thing, or is it just better?
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Well on food levels its healthier, more other things than just fat. It is also a lot tastier as it's not just fat, its also where a lot of the animals characteristic taste is stored.
All said open to correction.
What animal fat are you using - beef? Never seen yellow fat only white brisket fat.
Quote from: DaavG on Oct 20, 2023, 09:25 AMWhat animal fat are you using - beef? Never seen yellow fat only white brisket fat.
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Beef fat, yes. I did some research and found it to be the healthier and also tastier fat found on beef, but also the reason why pork fat is more popular - especially where the fat may be visible. Beef fat it appears leans towards white - off white, yellow and is therefore less appealing when it must show as specks.
Pork also has greater taste.
So in short, it appears that beef fat is known to be yellow on occasion.
In healthy cattle, yellow fat color occurs when cattle graze green pasture. This results from the ingestion and absorption of yellow pigments that are present in plants. These pigments have been identified as carotenoids, with beta-carotene being the major component responsible for fat color in cattle.
My first cured meat - brined or pickled. Warthog leg cured for 7 days and then cooked in tinfoil - I tried browning it on a grill over coals but that spoiled the appearance which was too pale.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53272552011_379aab5a1a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pavKJ4)pickled (https://flic.kr/p/2pavKJ4) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
The young pigs with white meat do not color as well as expected, the meat is a cooked meat color and not that preserved pink color. Also the outside was pale and not crisp or "finished" in appearance.
I now need help on getting the appearance better.
Add saltpeter for the traditional pink colour. I don't know how much, just that it is the magic ingredient.
Why is cured meat red?
Nitric oxide binds to myoglobin and changes fresh meat color to a bright red known as nitroslymyoglobin. Subsequent heating of meat containing the NO-myoglobin complex causes chemical reactions and changes myoglobin to a compound known as nitrosylhemochrome. This produces the characteristic pink color of cured meats.
What is a substitute for sodium nitrate?
Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite Substitutes
You can use saltpeter, or potassium nitrate, to cure meats that will be cooked before serving, such as bacon. Similar to curing salt, saltpeter draws water out of cells, creating an inhospitable environment for bacteria.
Saltpeter, not sulphur. Edited my mistake.
Quote from: Ds J on Oct 21, 2023, 07:40 AMAdd saltpeter for the traditional pink colour. I don't know how much, just that it is the magic ingredient.
Old recipe
yes the Nitrates and Nitrites - the one functions at lower temperatures than the other and Nitrate produces Nitrite when it reacts with the bad things in meat.
I used a bought brining mix, Crown Meat Meister and followed instructions, hence the confusion at the lack of pink but too salty.
DsJ, Tripodmvr, I have a digital copy of a incredible book if either of you are big readers - 400 + pages. The book is simply one of the most in depth yet simple books I have ever read on an subject.
pdfcoffee.com_home-production-of-quality-meats-and-sausages-3-pdf-free.pdf
I have actually not even read as good a reloading guide as this guys work, it really is well presented.
Pls can I put my hand up for a copy. Something I'm really interested in exploring.
Treeman, need some guidance as to finding that publication on the website. I do not see a search function.
Thanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.
Quote from: oafpatroll on Oct 22, 2023, 05:22 PMThanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.
A big thank you from me as well.
Quote from: Tripodmvr on Oct 22, 2023, 07:01 PMQuote from: oafpatroll on Oct 22, 2023, 05:22 PMThanks for the book treeman, it's a rabbit hole I look forward to exploring.
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A big thank you from me as well.
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I found it amazing the temperatures and range of temps that all the nasties live at, and how nitrates work. The man certainly knows his subject.
The 2 books I purchased were:
The River Cottage Curing and Smoking Handbook - simpler approach
Charcuterie : The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - this is really good.
Quote from: DaavG on Oct 25, 2023, 04:07 PMThe 2 books I purchased were:
The River Cottage Curing and Smoking Handbook - simpler approach
Charcuterie : The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - this is really good.
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I think the book I sent you covers everything -well .
Opinion please - I am obviously of high praise of it as you see.
I am trying to find an affordable hard copy of it
Quote from: Treeman on Oct 25, 2023, 07:55 PMI am trying to find an affordable hard copy of it
I suspect it was never published in hard copy. There are no imprint references and the ISBN doesn't bring up anything at dealers.
Quote from: oafpatroll on Oct 25, 2023, 08:25 PMQuote from: Treeman on Oct 25, 2023, 07:55 PMI am trying to find an affordable hard copy of it
I suspect it was never published in hard copy. There are no imprint references and the ISBN doesn't bring up anything at dealers.
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https://www.bookmall.co.za/en-gb/product/home-production-of-quality-meats-and-sausages-p-0982426739.html
but at a R1100, I am out. Need to find a second hand book.
Got my frame and racks back today - no more rust.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53307712944_58106440cc_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2pdBXR3)rack (https://flic.kr/p/2pdBXR3) by David Frank Allen (https://www.flickr.com/photos/183810052@N07/), on Flickr
Quote from: Treeman on Nov 03, 2023, 08:25 PM***********************************
https://www.bookmall.co.za/en-gb/product/home-production-of-quality-meats-and-sausages-p-0982426739.html
but at a R1100, I am out. Need to find a second hand book.
Well spotted. That one says it is used. Seems a hell of a lot for a second hand book that isn't collectible. You could probably get it printed for less if you can find a tame print shop.
https://www.loot.co.za/product/stanley-marianski-home-production-of-quality-meats-and/kjhl-1308-g110
Quote from: DaavG on Nov 06, 2023, 07:25 AMhttps://www.loot.co.za/product/stanley-marianski-home-production-of-quality-meats-and/kjhl-1308-g110
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I will look into this NOW, the E Book is not for us old peoples tastes, the PDF does not smell like a book ;D
Today and yesterday we been eating my corned meat - brined or pickled meat to some.
My first brined meat was a warthog hind leg that I deboned, it looked a mess with jagged bits and pieces was a ugly color. My test eater, Cody said it was ok and I did not really eat, it just looked "eeuuggh".
My second run was from a receipt ( well sort of) using a front leg, also deboned and also looked real messy, it was really salty.
My third leg was a front leg again, came out nice - done with bone in. I halved the salt and now it is saltless in taste ?. If I recall, 75 gr of salt in 1.5 lt water is very, very salty, but 40 gr is almost no salt taste - so 55 gr salt next time. I added a T/Sp Black pepper, same garlic powder and onion flakes, which made no taste difference.
So yesterday I cubed the meat and sprinkled some salt on it to draw for the night, today it was amazing, nearly 1.5 kg consumed today.
What I have learned.
Salt is a precise art.
Front legs are messy to work with, bones, sinews and tendons and deboning is a messy matter.
Hind legs are easier in every way and of better appearance.
It is important to trim all edges and tendons - "film" of the meat for appearance.
Give the curing salt time to penetrate properly.
What I need to know.
How does one remove that clear like cling wrap layer, film on the meat - it goes all mushy when cured.