Liver sausages

[CreamyGoodness]

Ok. Liver Sausages made. I give them a solid C+/B-. They go nicely on good bread with dijon mustard and a pickle.

See first, the criminals. In the background is pastry chef Brett. In the foreground is CreamyGoodness.

 

[Golddiggie]

Ok. Live Sausages made. I give them a solid C+/B-. They go nicely on good bread with dijon mustard and a pickle.

See first, the criminals. In the background is pastry chef Brett. In the foreground is CreamyGoodness.

Color me curious, what are 'live sausages'???

 

[CreamyGoodness]

See next, the ingredients. Unable to get chicken liver (weird!!!) today, we settled on Pork, beef and calves liver with beef and chicken hearts for muscle tissue. Oh and pork fat. Not shown are the spices and the duck fat and schmaltz. I think the spices need rejiggering, so will mention later.

The onion is there to add color to my tableau.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Color me curious, what are 'live sausages'???

Prick . Spelling error corrected.

 

[Golddiggie]

Prick . Spelling error corrected.

Bummer... I was looking forward to seeing them running all over the place.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

All liver went into simmering salted water for 10 minutes and were then chilled for 10 minutes. Hearts and fat remained chilled. Then we ground (no pics yet) and ground and ground all meat-like matter in a kitchenaid mixer. What a pain in my sweaty Sicilian ass. There has to be an easier way than cleaning the dye every 2 minutes.

Then the paste was seasoned with spices, schmaltz and duck fat, mixed, and chilled in the freezer for a half hour.

Then it took another spin in the cuisinart. A lot of this is undocumented as both criminals were drinking during this time.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Then we stuffed the damn things. This was actually a lot of fun. If you have never stuffed sausages with a gay pastry chef and his fiance, you are missing out.

Fiance Adam's hands are receiving my sausages.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Once stuffed and rinsed, our sausages went back into the liver's simmering liquid and simmer at 170 degrees (who am I fooling, I was too drunk to read a thermometer... it looked like it was making frigging bubbles, so cumbaye-freaking-ya) for 60 minutes.

Notice the red kettle in the upper left hand corner of stove. I know it is shaped like an apple, but I call it the "tomato kettle" in an effort to drive my wife to matricide.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Finished sausages before chilling overnight and after an icewater bath.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Not my best effort by any means, but definitely not my worst.

Maybe my Wurst.

I slay me.

Note that stain on shirt is liver simmering liquid splash-back. Yummy.

 

[Golddiggie]

Not my best effort by any means, but definitely not my worst.

Maybe my Wurst.

I slay me.

Note that stain on shirt is liver simmering liquid splash-back. Yummy.

There's just something very disturbing about that look on your face.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

And scene. I find they go nicely with scotch. My friends opted for my peach mead as an accompaniment.

My wife drank white wine and said... I quote... "get that near me and I'll hit you".

Women.

 

[Goofynewfie]

. If you have never stuffed sausages with a gay pastry chef and his fiance, you are missing out.

best post ever

 

[Golddiggie]

If you have never stuffed sausages with a gay pastry chef and his fiance, you are missing out

best post ever

I can't hold back any longer...

So, you enjoy having another man handling your slippery sausages?

Also, I have to wonder what happened after you made the sausages. Considering how you're wearing the same shirt the following day/evening. Were you earning your "PBR" badge?

 

[SharonaZamboni]

Was that the KitchenAid sausage stuffer? How'd it work out? I'd like one, but keep hearing that they are a PITA to use.

 

[crazyirishman34]

I have to say if you are going to do any amount of sausage stuffing getting a real piston style stuffer makes a huge difference.

 

[Golddiggie]

Was that the KitchenAid sausage stuffer? How'd it work out? I'd like one, but keep hearing that they are a PITA to use.

I have one. It actually killed an Artisan mixer motor after going through 3 (double batch sized) sausage recipes. I now use a Waren dedicated grinder with the stuffing tubes (when making sausages, does a great job on grinding meat too). IME, if you're going to send raw meat through it, get a dedicated unit. Especially since you need to partially freeze the meat (and fat) so that it doesn't get too warm during the process.

I also have a crank stuffer (5# capacity) that I've used instead of the motorized items. More of a two person deal there, so that you can have one person crank while the other actually tends to the links.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Was that the KitchenAid sausage stuffer? How'd it work out? I'd like one, but keep hearing that they are a PITA to use.

It was a debacle. If there is so much as a single bit of gristle (or anything more firm than chicken-breast) the dye clogs every 2 minutes. My mother in law was kind enough to get it for me though, so I dont complain.

 

[passedpawn]

Was that the KitchenAid sausage stuffer? How'd it work out? I'd like one, but keep hearing that they are a PITA to use.

I have a friend who stuffs with one of these and hates it.

I have to say if you are going to do any amount of sausage stuffing getting a real piston style stuffer makes a huge difference.

I have this 5# vertical stuffer. Great deal on one of these.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-lb-Sausage-Stuffer-Vertical/H6252

I have one. It actually killed an Artisan mixer motor after going through 3 (double batch sized) sausage recipes. I now use a Waren dedicated grinder with the stuffing tubes (when making sausages, does a great job on grinding meat too). IME, if you're going to send raw meat through it, get a dedicated unit. Especially since you need to partially freeze the meat (and fat) so that it doesn't get too warm during the process.

I also have a crank stuffer (5# capacity) that I've used instead of the motorized items. More of a two person deal there, so that you can have one person crank while the other actually tends to the links.

I've had the Artisan model literally smoking while kneading dough. But it's been flawless for grinding. And yes, cubing and near-freezing the meat is the way to go, especially with fatty stuff like sausage mix.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Any reason I shouldnt freeze these? Only so much liver sausage I can eat before they go awry...

 

[Golddiggie]

I have a friend who stuffs with one of these and hates it.

I wouldn't use it again. Mine sits in the box now, since I got the dedicated grinder and stuffer.

I have this 5# vertical stuffer. Great deal on one of these.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-lb-Sausage-Stuffer-Vertical/H6252

Got the same one now too. Believe I got it from Amazon for less.

I've had the Artisan model literally smoking while kneading dough. But it's been flawless for grinding. And yes, cubing and near-freezing the meat is the way to go, especially with fatty stuff like sausage mix.

The Artisan, somehow, seems under-powered to me. I have the crank-up model now (Professional 600 Series during the 'black Friday' sales on Amazon last year, $260 with $0 shipping :rockin and it has no issues, at all. Planning on making some bread with it after my next brew day (with some of the spent grain).

Any reason I shouldnt freeze these? Only so much liver sausage I can eat before they go awry...

I would imagine that if you vacuum pack them, they'll freeze rather well.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I just decased one, split it, and fried it up with some olive oil and a sunny side up egg. Its totally different hot and crispy then it is cold. More like a black pudding than a liverwurst. I'm glad I kept the mustard seeds and coriander whole actually... pops nicely in the mouth.

By the way, I just heard Cheezy's stomach turn. Sorry, bro.

 

[Golddiggie]

I just decased one, split it, and fried it up with some olive oil and a sunny side up egg. Its totally different hot and crispy then it is cold. More like a black pudding than a liverwurst. I'm glad I kept the mustard seeds and coriander whole actually... pops nicely in the mouth.

By the way, I just heard Cheezy's stomach turn. Sorry, bro.

I haven't had good liverwurst in ages. We used to have it growing up. If you can provide your actual seasonings used, as well as how much of what meats/innards you used that would help... Don't need to make it public if you're not comfortable with that. I still have some good hog casings packed in salt, in the fridge, I can use. :rockin:

What, doesn't every red-blooded, self-respecting man have a pack of hog casings in his fridge???

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Sure no problem.

I used about 2 pounds of pork liver
Just under a pound each of calf's and beef liver
1/2 pound beef heart
1 pound chicken hearts (before trimming)
and just under 1 pound pork fat

I also used a heaping tablespoon each of schmaltz and duck fat after the meats were ground.

spicewise I used 2.5 TBS Salt
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Sugar
2 TBS Pepper (or, really, I just ground pepper until the top looked black
1/2 tsp each of coriander, nutmeg, and black mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon each of sage, marjoram and ground ginger

 

[Golddiggie]

Cool... What would you have done different to give the batch an 'A' grade (or better)??

Going to see what my butcher buddy can get me for these (at a great rate).

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Texturally I am displeased, for one. I would use a better grinder. Also I think it could use more schmaltz and duck fat.

I think they could use more salt and pepper, more onion powder, and... honestly... a wee bit more of every spice and herb listed. Plus, I would have incorporated chicken liver, which was the plan all along.

 

[Golddiggie]

How about providing the recipe as you would do it for the next round??

I like using the largest hole disc in my grinder for pretty much everything (makes great ground beef for chili and such). I would also probably end up using my crank sausage stuffer on this. Would probably recruit someone to give me a hand during the stuffing stage too.

Do you chill the cooked parts before grinding, or let them get ground up hot/warm??

Oh, and I'm getting a couple pounds of 'trimmings' from the butcher-buddy after xmas... Mostly prime rib trimmings. :rockin: CHEAP too.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I tried to grind everything as cold as I could muster. I would like to powwow with the chef friend before reposting recipe.

I wont be doing this again for a little while... what a ton of work... but glad I did it.

I'm suddenly thinking that these sausages would be a great base for a poultry stuffing...

 

[Golddiggie]

I would probably do it as either a 2-day process, or toss the cooked meats/parts into the fridge/freezer for long enough to get them cold before grinding.

Hope you can powwow with him soon, so that you can repost/update the recipe... I'm thinking that these could be good to make between xmas and NYE...

 

[cheezydemon3]

By the way, I just heard Cheezy's stomach turn. Sorry, bro.

LOL!!!!


I hadn't even posted yet!!!!!!!

Actually I would try those. The liver and onions on a plate is what ruined me on liver......on halloween.....eat it or no trick or treating eff you mom I'll never ever eat it ever, etc.

You get the idea!!

Awesome that you made sausage with some gay helpers!! And copious pics! Where is the GUT?????

You are waaaaay to hard on yourself and free from EGO!!!

YOU JUST MADE SAUSAGE MAN!!!!! YOU ARE A BAD ASS!!!!!! BAAAAAAD ASS!!!!!!!

Sausages and spicy asian broths.....just don't tell me what is in it, and I will eat ANYTHING.

 

[Golddiggie]

Sounds like someone in cheezy's family didn't know how to make good liver and onions. Damned fine eating when it's made right. :rockin:

 

[cheezydemon3]

Sounds like someone in cheezy's family didn't know how to make good liver and onions. Damned fine eating when it's made right. :rockin:

It was the timing.

What happened to me bordered on child abuse, not new food tasting

I should try it again. I was 9 or 10 and under gunpoint to eat it.

 

[passedpawn]

I love chicken livers. Baked, wrapped in a piece of bacon is killer. The fat from the bacon helps with the dryness of the liver.

 

[passedpawn]

Texturally I am displeased, for one. I would use a better grinder. Also I think it could use more schmaltz and duck fat.

I think they could use more salt and pepper, more onion powder, and... honestly... a wee bit more of every spice and herb listed. Plus, I would have incorporated chicken liver, which was the plan all along.

If you want something more like liverwurst you need to emulsify, the way hot dogs and bologna are made. To do this, it needs to be ground very finely. Add crushed ice while grinding - the ice helps with the grinding and gets absorbed into the meat, which will make it more CreamyGoodnessy. I've never done this with the Kitchenaid but I bet it would work if you used ground multiple times and at least one pass with the fine grinder plate. Make sure to add spices. especially salt, as early as possible in the grinding to get them uniformly into the meat.

What you really need is a bowl cutter. Sure wish I had one of those.

[edit] This blog is great. Man those things look good. You can make liverwurst the same way.

http://bestbyfarr.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/homemade-hot-dogs/

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I'm suddenly thinking that these sausages would be a great base for a poultry stuffing...

Now this IS an interesting idea, you have piqued my interest. Were you thinking about decasing them, or just slicing? I'm trying to work out the flavours in my head; I'm thinking sausages, the ubiquitous bread (or cornbread) cubes, bacon, chopped celery (with chopped leaves) chopped pecans, raisins, chopped mushrooms.

Maybe condensed cream of mushroom soup as a binding agent, a few spoonfuls of LME, and I want to say some sort of aromatic herb like sage or rosemary, but I don't think they would work with the rest of the flavours, so I get kind of stuck at that point. Maybe something like caraway or a wee bit o' fennel?

Hhhhmmmmmm, this requires another beer & some thought. I'm curious to see what your ideas on the stuffing are.
Regards, GF.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Now this IS an interesting idea, you have piqued my interest. Were you thinking about decasing them, or just slicing? I'm trying to work out the flavours in my head; I'm thinking sausages, the ubiquitous bread (or cornbread) cubes, bacon, chopped celery (with chopped leaves) chopped pecans, raisins, chopped mushrooms.

Maybe condensed cream of mushroom soup as a binding agent, a few spoonfuls of LME, and I want to say some sort of aromatic herb like sage or rosemary, but I don't think they would work with the rest of the flavours, so I get kind of stuck at that point. Maybe something like caraway or a wee bit o' fennel?

Hhhhmmmmmm, this requires another beer & some thought. I'm curious to see what your ideas on the stuffing are.
Regards, GF.

I like all of your ideas, I was thinking something very similar. I was thinking decased and crumbled sausages (kind of like when you make a white gravy) with bread, chicken stock, celery, onion, rosemary, maybe a little (sorry to do this bro...) sazon goya . I really love the taste of tumeric and onion powder etc, so I think that would zip it up a bit. Maybe encorporating some of your cream of mushroom or cream of celery of cream of anything even an old boot would be a good addition.

Crap Gratus, you need to come to NY.

 

[passedpawn]

If you want to skip the sausages, just make balkenbrij. I've never seen this outside old dutch families, so be the only one on your block.

I grew up in the typical frugal dutch family, and we used liver and other organ meat to make this meat loaf (ground with an old-fashioned countertop hand grinder). I loved the stuff. It's very similar to the amish scrapple, which I used to get in lancaster PA.

Sliced, fried, it's heaven on toast. Good use of liver there. And heart, pigs head, etc.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

If you want to skip the sausages, just make balkenbrij. I've never seen this outside old dutch families, so be the only one on your block.

I grew up in the typical frugal dutch family, and we used liver and other organ meat to make this meat loaf (ground with an old-fashioned countertop hand grinder). I loved the stuff. It's very similar to the amish scrapple, which I used to get in lancaster PA.

Sliced, fried, it's heaven on toast. Good use of liver there. And heart, pigs head, etc.

Sounds great! I know its hard to tell just by looking at them, but being more a liver sausage scholar than myself, how else would you serve/work with the sausages I already made?

 

[passedpawn]

Sounds great! I know its hard to tell just by looking at them, but being more a liver sausage scholar than myself, how else would you serve/work with the sausages I already made?

IMO the most important thing is testing the recipe before you stuff. Unlike beer, you can quickly fry a bit of the sausage mix and know what the final product is going to taste like. Don't stuff till you taste something you could eat all day.

First time I made sausages, I made italian and brats. I fried a bit of both. The italians were awesome. The brats just OK. I stuff them and in the end, the italians were awesome and the brats just OK.

I made Boudin Blanc once (blood sausage without the blood). The recipe had SOO much onion. Just didn't look right. I fried a bit up, and it didn't taste right. I stuffed anyway, and ended up pitching the entire batch.

So, just trust the fry pan and don't stuff till it tastes just right. Here's my son and his friend Mitch stuffing those ill-fated Boudin Blanc sausages.

[ame]http://youtu.be/c9IBEGDxzF0[/ame]

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Awesome vid :rockin: