Sausagefest 2011!

The countdown is getting ready to start to... (dramatic pause)...

SAUSAGEFEST 2011!!!!!!! (Pics start in post #37)

I spent a good chunk of the day yesterday pouring beahs off the taps and building my "curing room" down in the storage area of the bah. We'll see how it works. It is basically a 3 foot by 4 foot closet that I framed in tucked into a corner of my basement. The walls are only the 2 inch extruded foam insulation boards wedged in between the studs and then the entire inside is wrapped in 6 mm plastic.

I have an automatic humidifier in there and it is keeping the humidity around 60% perfectly. That side of the basement is naturally chilly and the "closet" is hovering almost at 55 degrees on the button.

(yeah yeah... I'll take some pics)

I got two guys coming by Weds night for SAUSAGEFEST 2011!!!

So far we are looking at:

- 50 lbs of Boston Butt for sweet italian, andouille, hot italian and Jagerwurst
- probably 20 lbs or so of pork belly for assorted bacons (I already have 9 lbs going now of a sweet bacon and a honey gahlic bacon)
- 5 lb beef brisket for pastrami
- few lbs of duck breasts for duck proscuitto
- approx 10 lbs of duck leg/thigh meat (if I can find it) for a duck, sage and roasted gahlic sausage)
- a couple small beef eye of the rounds for some Bresaola
- I also already have a 5 lb belly curing for pancetta (that should be ready to actually be hung in the new closet tonight)

... and yes, I'll take pics.

I'm pysched, shoudl be a blast. I am just hoping we don't have too many IIIPAs while we're doing all of this.

Based on your title, I envisioned something much different ...

Urban Dictionary: sausagefest is a party of only guys (or at least 80% guys), where there is a substantial abundance of weiners.

that sounds totally awesome. Being new at sausage making, I cant wait to try something like that. And a curing room...freakin sweet. i hope you have your cardiologist on speed dial.

ultravista said:

Based on your title, I envisioned something much different ...

Urban Dictionary: sausagefest is a party of only guys (or at least 80% guys), where there is a substantial abundance of weiners.

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Soooooo... you thought it was something dramatically diffffferent... purposely clicked on this thread thinking it was something different... and are now dissappointed it isn't????

Uhhh... I think there are other websites out there that you might be interested in more than HBT.



(I'm joking... and uhhh... yeah... I was trying to be at least a little funny with the title. I know what it means)

strat_thru_marshall said:

i hope you have your cardiologist on speed dial.

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BAH!! We all gotta die a sumthin'... might as well be death by pork fat!

Ordered a whole pork belly, pink salt on the way, DataZ gonna have the UDS firebox pieces ready, looking at grinders/stuffers....thanks for sharing the obsession.

Are you sticking pretty close to the recipes in "Charcuterie"?

There's so many in that book I want to try....yeah, I'm obsessing

I can't wait til the sausage pron...wait that didn't sound quite right.

I am.... Except for the andouille. I already a recipe for that I REALLY like. Other than that one I am using all of the recipes out of Chacuterie.

Hung my pancetta last night. The "curing room" seems to be holding temp and humidity perfectly.

I gotta get the pics off my camera.

What kind of humidifier did you go with. I have been trying to come up with a solution that would be safe and not cost me my left nut.

Looking forward to seeing the pics of the curing room. I am going to get a small fridge to use as a fermenting fridge, and will probably use that and a small humidifier to cure meat in.

Dude. You need to bring along some of this sausagey goodness to U3. I want it inside of me.

Wait a minute. That didn't sound right. Just in my mouth. Wait, crap, that's no better.

"No homo." That makes it cool, right?

OK, I'm dying to try the homemade andouille. I buy this stuff that's really outstanding at the local expensive-groceries store, but I've got to try yours.

no brats? wtf?

motobrewer said:

no brats? wtf?

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Well, you just showed up.

motobrewer said:

no brats? wtf?

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Nah, I was planning on only making good sausage.


and yeah Bird... I'll bring along some stuff for the U3 (not addressing your more cause I'm still laughing)

The andouille is nuts. I have made it the last two years at the pig roast and at a number of other odd "beer events" and it always gets really high praise. It's a really spicy andouille.

Uhhhhh... MAN... I'm freakin' wiped out.

Last night we made 54 lbs of sausage:
- 12 lbs sweet italian
- 12 lbs hot italian
- 10 lbs duck, sage and roasted garlic
- 10 lbs hunter sausage (jagerwurst)
- 10 lbs fresh garlic
Then we started curing a brisket for a pastrami and started curing two beef eye of the rounds for brasaola.

I still have another 10 lbs of ground pork that I am going to make the andouille with in the next day or so.

Tons of meat pron to come tonight hopefully

I am dragging arse today. Got to bed around one. I cant imagine how long last night would have taken without the machinery. But looking at the huge bag of pork goodness in the "walk in fridge " Aka the porch, makes it all worthwhile. Btw, my finger still smell wonderful.

PTN

paulthenurse said:

Btw, my finger still smell wonderful.

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Isn't that what a sausagefest is all about?

hi hero!

yeah, I hit the sack about 1:15. Everyone was AWESOME about cleaning a ton of stuff as we went but I still had a buttload of cleaning to do before it was gonna be SWMBO-ready.

Ohhhhh man... I forgot to mention one big thing we also made...

rendered duck fat.

for the win!!

Cape Brewing said:

yeah, I hit the sack but I still had a buttload of man

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that's what she said.

motobrewer said:

I can't tell you how much I enjoy having sex with groups of anonymous men in airport bathrooms.

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wow... what a weird thing to come out with all of a sudden.

lol, classic

Cape Brewing said:

yeah, I hit the sack about 1:15. Everyone was AWESOME about cleaning a ton of stuff as we went but I still had a buttload of cleaning to do before it was gonna be SWMBO-ready.

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Ok, was that intential while talking about sausagefest?

See... I would expect that sorta stuff from moto. But you dataz?? C'mon... you're a man of taste and sophistication. How does one like yourself focus in on your man-fantasies within that post and COMPLETELY skip over the most important three words in that post... rendered... duck... fat.

dataz: nothing like doing it later and crappier than the other guy

i am jealous of your duck fat. there's a small, sorta-rundown diner near me that makes a really good duck confit.

Cape Brewing said:

See... I would expect that sorta stuff from moto. But you dataz?? C'mon... you're a man of taste and sophistication. How does one like yourself focus in on your man-fantasies within that post and COMPLETELY skip over the most important three words in that post... rendered... duck... fat.

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What do you think took me so long to post that? I was distracted by the thought of duck fat and the things I would do. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It was actually a semi-serious question though.

I have to confess , more than once last night I wanted a few moments of privacy.

PTN

Did you guys use whole ducks or just the boobs?

Gentlemen don't talk.

PTN

It is the duck, sage and roasted garlic recipe out of Chacuterie so it was all duck legs.

I hit Chinatown here in Boston on Tuesday and walked out with a backpack full of duck legs. We all sat down at my kitchen table and pulled all of the meat off. We ended up with 4 1/2 lbs of duck leg meat and used that.

and no... to answer your semi-serious question, that was not intentional.

I was telling PTN and the other two guys last night... my SWMBO found a recipe for duck fat deep fried french fries with home made mozz cheese (she makes home made cheese) and gravy.

uhhh... now I need some privacy

You need privacy, or a quadruple bypass?

I said we MADE 54 lbs of sausage... not ATE 54 lbs of sausage.

And duck fat is good for you. That's science.

And hey... if you think it is that bad for you, we'll protect you at U3 and not let you have any. I'm sure there will be plenty of other people willing to dig into Paul's share from last night.

Cape Brewing said:

I was telling PTN and the other two guys last night... my SWMBO found a recipe for duck fat deep fried french fries with home made mozz cheese (she makes home made cheese) and gravy.

uhhh... now I need some privacy

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I have made some fingerling taters that I cooked in a little duck fat. I had to change my pants 2 bites in.

dataz722 said:

I have made some fingerling taters that I cooked in a little duck fat.

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How did you cook 'em???

Cape Brewing said:

How did you cook 'em???

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Boiled them for a few minutes until just barely fork tender then sauted in some butter, duck fat, and garlic. Salted once out of the pan.

Egggggxxcellent

Here is the "curing closet".

2x4 studs framed up in the corner of a storage area in the basement and then extruded foam boards are wedged in between the studs to make the walls. The entire inside is wrapped in 6mm plastic. I have a small auto-shutoff humidifier, fan and a couple hygrometers in there. Seems to be working perfect so far.

Pancetta... first pic is it just coming out of the curing bag. I haven't washed off the cure yet. SEcond pic is it getting all tied up in a nice little package.

MEEEEAT PRON!!!

12 lbs of sweet italian
12 lbs of hot italian
10 lbs of jagerwurst (hunter sausage)
10 lbs of duck, sage and roasted garlic
10 lbs of fresh garlic

and a 5 lb pastami (in the curing bag)

Two 3 lb Bresaolas (italian cured beef)

annnndd.... DUCK FAT!