How to Can Venison

Jill from Lodgepole NE asked:
Just watched an episode where you were canning venison. I was wondering just how much water is being placed in the jars with the venison, beef boullion and dried onions? The cans were cooked on high till steam came out then turned to low for how long? Where can you find the CanCooker that was used in this episode too?

Jill,

Thanks for the question and just so you know, I had to call in the real expert on this one! My Wife! Here are her answers: Always leave 1" of space at the top of the jar and fill it with water. Use the handle of your spoon to to make holes for the water to soak down into the meat. After the CanCooker starts to steam, cook for 90 minutes. Make sure all your lids are boiled and the tops of the jars are clean with no chips. If the jar lids do not pop inward and seal, refrigerate and eat the meat as you normally would. As long as the jars seal, you can store your canned venison for a year or more just as you would any store purchased canned product. The CanCooker is available on The Hunter's Butcher Shop website so check it out! Great product!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV

Eating Fresh Game Right After a Hunt

Michael from Courtice, Ontario, CA wrote:

Brad,

My question is about eating freshly killed game meat. I watch a lot of hunting shows on Canada's "Wild TV" and I see guys get so excited after they kill a deer/elk/moose, etc. and they say "We'll have those back-straps on the BBQ tonight back at the camp." I don't know a lot about meat preparation and the aging process. But I would have thought that eating a freshly harvested game meat (same day) would not be the best way to enjoy the meat.

So, would it not be better to dry age the meat 3 or 4 days before cooking it? Or, can you get the same tasting meat from a fresh kill as you would if you dry age it? I am a brand new hunter, in fact I just took Ontario's mandatory "Hunter Safety Course" a few weeks ago and I was surprised that they don't discuss safe preparation/consumption of game meat - other than field dressing/transporting back to camp and keeping it cool as soon as possible after harvesting the animal.

So, before I get out there and harvest my first animal, I would like to know how best to enjoy a fresh kill.

Very best regards!

Michael,

You are correct! Aging meat properly is the best way to truly enjoy wild game meats! Be sure to look around on our blog page as there are several great questions and replies under the aging meat link.

Yes, you are correct and I have done it many times myself! Harvest an animal and just for tradition cook up some fresh meat for a celebration. It's more tradition than enjoyment but anytime you can eat what you harvest it's all good! To properly explain how to process meat and perform proper field dressing would take more typing than I can do!

My best advice here would be our Deer & Big Game Processing DVD, which deals with field dressing a trophy animal & a meat animal, skinning and caping your trophy, aging your animal and then deboning all the quarters of the animal and defining all the cuts from each and every primary muscle in the animal. This DVD is a must have for every hunter - Beginner to Advanced. It's used by many states here in the USA during the hunter's safety classes to instruct students on proper field dressing.

I would check it out and good luck in your new adventure!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV

Making Jerky in the Oven

Jon from Lancaster, Ohio asked:
How can I make venison jerky in the oven? What temperature should I set it on and how long do I leave it in the oven?

Jon,

I have used my household oven to dry jerky many times and it works very well! Not to mention: it makes the house smell wonderful also!

One thing to note is that you will have to add a little bit of liquid smoke to your seasoning marinade to get the smoke flavor into the product because you won't be burning wood. Be careful when doing this! If you add too much, you can really give your product a bitter smoke flavor! I like to mix the liquid smoke with a little water to dilute it down and get it evenly spread throughout my meat.

When drying jerky always remember you're doing just that - drying it! Not baking it! So keep the temperature nice and low. Start out at 150F for 1 hour then go to 170-180F until dry. The trick here is don't over dry! There's a fine line between dry enough and crispy, so be careful!

You really should look at our Advanced Jerky Processing DVD. It's 2 full hours of great jerky processing tips! Great DVD!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Love of the Hunt Webisode: How Fast Do Weston Meat Grinders Grind?

This is a Love of the Hunt TV Webisode. In it, I put the Weston #22 Electric Meat Grinder to the test. I've been asked countless times how many pounds a minute the Weston Grinders grind. So I decided to cube up some meat and leave it untrimmed, with the fat and sinew on there for a true test. See for yourself how amazingly well it performs! This is why I use Weston brand Meat Grinders!

What kind of wood should I use in my smoker?

Ron from Yelm, WA asked: 
What kind of wood would you recommend for smoking fish, venison sausage, and jerky?

Very good question Ron! I'm glad you asked! The type of wood you use will depend on several factors...

First: Is the product traditionally hard smoked?

Second, and most importantly: Do you like a heavily smoked product?

Third: How wet is the surface of the product and how much moisture is in the product?

Finally: What is the surface area of the product (diameter)?

Let me explain: If you're making a black forest ham, you will want a deep penetrating strong flavor that would come from a wood such as hickory or mesquite. If you want a light smoke, you may want to use apple or alder wood.

When I speak of how wet the surface of the product is, I am meaning: When you touch the surface, is the product wet or dry? If the surface is wet, like fish or waterfowl, the product will absorb a lot of smoke. If the surface is dry, it won't matter what type of wood you use. You will have trouble getting a strong smoke flavor and getting good penetration of smoke into the meat. Always remember that moisture is the way smoke travels into the meat. No moisture = no smoke penetration, little moisture = little penetration, a lot of moisture means a lot of smoke penetration!

When I speak of surface area I am meaning: How big is the product you are smoking? A ham will have a lot more surface area than a snack stick, so you are going to have less time to apply smoke to a snack stick than a ham because the surface of the snack stick will dry out much faster than the surface of a ham.

Thanks again for the question Ron, and I would really recommend the Advanced Sausage DVD (click to check it out) for you! Judging by your question, I believe you would really enjoy the content of that DVD.

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man" 

Can I use a Weston Meat Cuber to make sausage?

Eliden asked via Youtube:
Can the Weston Meat Cuber make meat cubes? I want to make chunky meat sausages.

Eliden,

The Weston Cuber that I used in the video you are referring to is designed to break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the meat. However, with that being said you can put the meat several times through the Cuber crossing the direction each time until the meat simply falls apart or can be pulled apart very easily by hand. I would then mix this "chunky" meat with some ground product, season and stuff the product and try that.

If you try to make sausage out of nothing but chunks of lean meat the product will never hold together during the cooking process. It will fall apart similar to a cheap ground up Philly cheese steak product. The ground product will hold the chunky meat in place during cooking and get you the product you may be looking for.

I would also recommend our Advanced Sausage Processing DVD which digs deep into the exact process you are asking about. It talks specifically about how proteins bind muscles together and how the various particle sizes give you different textures in the final product.

Great question! I enjoy working with various grinding techniques. Check out the DVD, I think by your question you would really enjoy its content!

Good luck this season!

"The Meat Man"
Brad Lockwood

Which tastes better: Moose or Deer?

Jason from Columbus, NC asked

My wife's family is from Maine - well known for lobster and moose. We were watching your show when you were making moose steaks in the smoker and were curious: How much of a difference is there between moose and deer, and which one do you prefer?

Oh my Jason - no question about it: moose is the best wild game meat I've ever tasted! Doe antelope is a very close second. Go get yourself one and enjoy!

Brad Lockwood
Outdoor Edge's LOH TV

Love of the Hunt Webisode: Using a Burger Press to Make Venison Hamburger Patties

In this Love of the Hunt TV Webisode, I show you how to use the Weston Burger EXPress and Patty Paper to make perfect Venison Burger Patties.

Love of the Hunt Webisode: How to Store Ground Meat

In this Love of the Hunt Webisode, I show you how to use a Weston Commercial Grade Grinder with the Sausage Stuffing Assembly that it comes with to fill Ground Meat Freezer Bags with the hamburger meat that's been ground in the Weston Grinder. Once you're finished, you just deal them and store them in the freezer - it's that simple!

Love of the Hunt Webisode: How to Cut a Venison Sirloin Tip

This is a Love of the Hunt TV Webisode. In it, I show you how to separate a sirloin tip. The sirloin tip can be difficult to find the seams in - more so than the top round, the bottom round, and the eye of round. In this video, I process a sirloin tip from a buck that we harvested in Kansas.

Adding Non Fat Dry Milk When Making Sausage

Steve from Ewing, MO asked: 

When watching "Advanced Wild Game Processing," I noticed that you mentioned adding dried milk to the seasoning. How much do you add per pound of meat? Do you or can you add it in addition to Hi Mountain seasoning? 

Steve,

Nonfat dry milk is a great binder to use to hold water and natural juices in your meat products. This is especially important when working with wild game meats.

The general rule is 2-4 lbs of non-fat dry milk per 100 lbs of meat. You can experiment from there. There is no exact science here, it's going to depend on how much water you add to the product and how wet you want the meat when stuffing.

You can add it to Hi Mountain blends, just read the label because a few of their products already contain milk binders, like their summer sausage seasoning products and bratwurst seasoning kits.

Good luck Steve, thanks for the question!

Brad Lockwood
 "The Meat Man"

Love of the Hunt TV: Venison Steaks & Jerky

This is a Butcher Block segment from Love of the Hunt TV. Here, Brad shows you how to cut venison steaks as well as venison jerky in a variety of ways.

Products Shown:
Outdoor Edge Knife Set
Weston Meat Cuber/Tenderizer*
Weston Jerky Slicer*
Hi Mountain Jerky Board

*These products feature interchangeable blades that allow either to be a jerky slicer or meat tenderizer.

How to grind meat for hamburgers?

Art from Tyler, TX wrote:

I got your videos to process my elk. First time I have tried it and all went well. The question was on the hamburger. When it went into the grinder with the fat there were strips of fat and while I was mixing it up by hand, I was wondering if it was ok to take it back through the grinder a second time. So that was the question. I did send it back through and I will be trying it in a meatloaf this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed.

On another note, your DVDs are great! I am going to ask my wife for a Bradley smoker for Christmas so I can try your sausage DVD out. Haven't watched the jerky one yet, but will soon.

Best wishes! --Art


Art,

Thanks for the question and you are correct! Grind hamburger products twice! When mixing in fat, always take the time to dice the fat in small cubes no larger than 1" in size. If your fat is in too large of pieces, it doesn't like to blend well with the lean game meat no matter how many times you grind it! Dice the fat small and then grind twice!

Good luck on the rest of your season!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Should you age your deer with the hide on?

Bill from Wisconsin asked:

Is it a good idea to leave the hide on a deer and let it hang for several days before processing? Would it be better to skin it first? How would you then keep the outer layer from drying out? 

Bill,

Boy oh boy, this is a very good and a very controversial question, so I have to answer it according to the book... There are many old timers that have always aged their deer with the hide on - their reason was exactly what you had mentioned: it keeps the meat clean and keeps the outside of the carcass from drying out.

However, according to the USDA, you must remove the hide as quickly as possible after harvesting the animal. This will let the body moisture and heat evacuate from the animal quickly and decrease the cooling time.

The danger of allowing the hide to remain on the carcass is that all that body heat is trapped inside the hide - like wrapping it up in a winter coat. I always remove the hide as quickly as possible and let the body heat out, always remember that this body heat also contains that off-flavor that's associated with game meats. The trade off is a good one: take the hide off, deal with a little dryness and you will have much better meat.

Great question Bill and its a tough one, hope I helped.

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Recipes for Making Sausage

Rick from Victoria, BC asked:

How about some really good recipes for sausages? Thanks. I like your show, it seems like you are really out there as opposed to so many shows we see where the "turkey hunter" is lead along by a guide. Here in Canada, we hunt on our own. 

Best Wishes,
Rick

Rick,

Thanks for the complements and we do prefer to go at it on our own and I love hunting Canada!

Thanks for the question and this is a great one! One of my favorites! Here is what I tell many hunters: Don't be afraid to use prepackaged sausage seasoning kits like Hi Mountain's. Simply remember that all the prepackaged seasoning kits that you will find are simply a BASE flavor profile of the product, these kits are made to suit everyone's taste buds.

What you need to do is modify the seasoning kit to suit your taste. If you like a spicy product, add some additional Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper, maybe some Cajun seasoning to spice it up a bit, some extra fine black pepper will also heat it up a bit.

If you want to sweeten it up a bit, add a little maple sugar or maple syrup, maybe some white cane sugar. If you want to increase the overall flavor of the product don't be afraid to increase the amount of base seasoning per batch. In other words: If the base seasoning says XX amount of seasoning for 20lbs of meat, add that same amount of seasoning to 16lbs of meat.

This is a great question and I love it! Keep a log book of the changes you make, every good processor has a hidden recipe book and they keep records of all the changes they make - this is the only way you will ever make a quality, consistent product.

How can you make the same product consistently if you don't keep track of how you make it each and every time? Get a book, keep track of what you do, and don't be afraid to make changes until you get the product you LOVE! Thanks for the great question!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

How to age your wild game when it gets wet?

Nick of Caldwell, Idaho asked:

What is the best way to age your wild game if it gets wet - Whether you back it out in a rain storm or it gets wet from the ice in your ice chest? 

Nick,

I have had this happen many times myself on pack-in trips. Dry ice always works best, but when it's not available and you have to use regular ice, your meat is going to get wet.

I always get it up out of the water as quickly as possible and then place it on racks in my refrigerator or walk-in cooler and allow it to dry as you normally would when dry aging your meat.

The water from the ice or from the rain won't affect the quality of your meat; simply age it accordingly as soon as you can.

Thanks!
 Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

What's the best way to cut jerky into strips?

Willis from PA asked:

What's the best way to cut jerky into strips?

Willis, 

That's a tough question to answer because there are so many great methods of slicing jerky. First, you may want to answer a few questions for me:

How many pounds of jerky will you be slicing?
- If you are slicing a lot of jerky - 20lbs of raw meat or more per year, I would look at Weston's 9" Commercial Slicer or their 7 1/2" Slicer.
- If you are looking at less than 20lbs per year,  I would look at Weston's Manual Jerky Slicer.
- If you only slice a couple pounds at a time, I would look at Hi Mountain's Jerky Board and Knife Set.

All of these products will do a great job for you, it simply depends on how much jerky you're going to slice and how much work you want to put into it. The Commercial Slicer will go through pounds and pounds of meat quickly. The Manual Jerky Slicer isn't electric, but makes a perfect product, and Hi Mountain's Jerky Board makes quick work of small amounts of jerky.

I've posted photos of each below. If you click on these photos, you can see the product details for each!

         
 

Hope this helps answer your question.

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Do you remove glands when processing wild game?

Steve from Chandler, AZ asked:

My buddy and I have processed four mule deer on our own now. He was always taught to take out some type of gland in the rear hind quarters. I have your processing videos and have not seen you do this. Do you know anything about this gland and is it necessary to take it out? It doesn't look very appetizing! Thanks for your help.

Steve,

I always remove all the glands that I find in my game meats. There's danger from a health perspective plus they do have a very unappetizing look to them! So yes I remove all the glands I find in my game meats. Good luck this season!

Brad Lockwood, Love of the Hunt TV
"The Meat Man"

Can I cure and age my meat without hanging it?

Our friend Jeff asked:

When ageing and curing venison meat for someone without coolers and meat lockers, it is okay to put meat into a refrigerator for the curing process. My question is: Can I put select meats onto trays instead of hanging for ageing because I do not have the ability to hang the meat. 

Jeff,

 Yes, that will work fine. If you place the meat in a pan, be sure to empty the moisture that drains out of the meat daily - as you will not want your meat to soak in this body moisture (blood). It's important that this body moisture comes out of the meat for the drying and aging process to occur. Keep the temperature at or below 40F but no lower than 33F. Thanks for the question and good luck this season!

Brad Lockwood
 "The Meat Man"

Love of the Hunt TV: Moose Swiss Steak

In this segment from Love of the Hunt TV, Brad Lockwood shows you how to make Moose Swiss Steak Using a Weston Meat Cuber/Tenderizer, Outdoor Edge Knives, Hi Mountain Seasonings, a Cancooker, and a Bradley Smoker.

Love of the Hunt TV: Making Moose Jerky with a Weston Jerky Slicer

In this segment from Love of the Hunt TV, Brad Lockwood shows you how to make Moose Jerky using a Weston Jerky Slicer, Outdoor Edge Knives, Hi Mountain Seasonings, Weston Scale, and a Bradley Smoker.

Love of the Hunt TV: Bear Sausage Butcher Block

In this segment from Love of the Hunt TV, Brad Lockwood shows you how to make breakfast sausage from bear meat using a Weston #8 Heavy Duty Electric Meat Grinder, Hi Mountain Seasonings, and Outdoor Edge Knives.

How to make Goose Jerky?

Nick from Reeseville, WI asked:

I shot my first geese yesterday. I've heard goose jerky is excellent. Any experience and/or tips on making it?

Nick!

Goose jerky is one of my favorites! I've found that waterfowl meat holds more moisture, absorbs the seasoning better and overall is a lot more tender than other wild game jerky.

My best advice would be to purchase our Mastering Marination DVD which is on TheHuntersButcherShop.com. In this DVD, we make goose jerky and several other great products from waterfowl.

Basically, follow the same steps and procedures as making standard whole muscle jerky, just remember it will absorb the seasonings a lot faster and make take a little longer to dry out. Taking the breast out is the best part!

Good luck and check out that DVD - you'll love it!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

How do I age wild game in the fridge?

Jamie from Roaring Spring, PA asked:

I live in PA and like to shoot a few does for the table. Before I hunt bucks in November, I shoot them, skin them and quarter them, put them in the fridge for 24 hr then process and freeze them.

I would like to try aging this year. It's in the 50's during the day and 30's at night. How do I age the meat in the fridge, and for how long? Thanks!


Jamie,

Aging game is one of my favorite topics and without a doubt the most overlooked part of processing quality game meats. It's so important and very few hunters understand proper aging of game.

In fine steakhouses you will often see the term "Our steaks are aged a full 21 days." This statement is based on the fact that most finished cattle have a carcass weight of 700 lbs on average. So if you age the carcass 3 days for every 100 lbs of carcass weight, you are looking at 21 days!

If you apply the same theory to your wild game meats, you would have this formula. A 100 lb dressed deer carcass should be aged at least 3 days at a temperature of 33 degrees F - 41 degrees F. I'm telling you what is "required" by the USDA. Try to stay within those temperature ranges. If the temperature goes above and then drops below, I'm not saying you're going to have bad meat... I'm just saying what the USDA book says. As you can understand, that's what I have to go by. "What you do is up to you."

What happens when meat ages?? Here is what's going on: The body moisture evaporates from the carcass. This is called dry aging. The good bacteria that is in all protein and is needed for the human digestive system begins to break down the muscle tissue and tenderize the meat. (Vegetarians don't get this good bacteria, which is often a major issue with Vegetarianism).

If you freeze the meat too quickly, you freeze the body moisture in the carcass, and the evaporation process can not occur. If you freeze the bacteria in the meat, the muscle tissue cannot break down. This is why aging game meat is so very important.

Dry age your meat and you will allow the game flavor to evaporate out and the bacteria will break down the muscles and give you a much better product!

Thanks for such a great question fellow PA Hunter!!

Brad Lockwood

"The Meat Man"

How to get rid of fat pockets in sausage?

Bob from Springfield, VA asked:

Ok... My first try... I apparently got air pockets which have now turned into fat pockets. How do I fix it? I'm assuming prick it, then put it in the oven at a fairly high temp for a short period--but am looking for any specific suggestions.

Bob,

I guess my first question would be what product did you make? If it's a snack stick or ready to eat product that is not going to be cooked or processed any further, then I would say you are in trouble. You will have to try and prick small holes in the sausage casing where the fat pockets are and heat the product very slowly so you don't dry it out at a high temperature. It shouldn't take a lot of heat to melt the fat out.

If it's a sausage that will be cooked again before serving, it may look bad when you place it on the grill but the fat should melt out before serving the product.

Just be sure next time you add a little more water before stuffing, pack the product tight into the stuffer, and grip the casing a little tighter to get the casing completely filled. If you do see any air pockets in the casing, prick holes before you smoke the product.

Those fat pockets can really be a bugger! Work at it and I'm sure you will get it!

Thanks again Bob!

Brad Lockwood
"The Meat Man"

Can I make jerky from meat that has fat mixed in?

Matt from Denver, CO asked:

Brad,

Just saw your short segment on using ground elk for jerky making. I was under the impression that fat=bad in jerky making, but your video showed otherwise. I have some ground elk with beef fat mixed in. Can I make jerky out of it?? While I LOVE ground elk, every man has his limits. Thanks!

Matt,

With the beef fat mixed in you will get some fat on the top of the jerky if you lay it flat on the racks of your smoker. My suggestion would be to tilt the racks to the front of your smokehouse so the fat will run off. You can do this right at the end of the drying process when you start getting into the higher temperatures. As long as the fat that melts to the surface is removed by allowing it to run off you will be fine and have some delicious jerky!

Good luck!

Brad
"The Meat Man"

Aging meat - Can it be done off the bone?

Kevin from Las Vegas, NV asked:

On one of your videos you talk about aging meat. You aged the entire rib cage and bottom of the neck, before processing. Looking at being able to store it easy for the trip home. Keeping the entire rib cage and neck for travel is difficuit. Is there any reason all that meat can be removed then aged?

Great question Kevin and I'm glad to see you are thinking! Yes you can remove the meat from the carcass and then age it while it's off the bone.

I have used this process many times myself when hanging the entire carcass wasn't an option. We just returned from an elk hunt in NM, and this is exactly what we will have to do with all the elk meat that we removed from the bone right in the field. We had to get it out of the hot sun and directly into a freezer. So by freezing the meat, the aging processes can't take place. With that being said, our only option will be to age the meat off the bone right before we do the finish preparation before eating it.

However, always remember meat will age better on the bone - but if you don't have a choice, you can place the meat in pans in the bottom of your refrigerator and age it off the bone as well. This is the process that occurs with boxed beef. The animals are slaughtered and de-boned, then vacuum sealed and aged in the boxes during transit and while in retail walk-in coolers before the steaks are cut and placed in the meat case.

So to summarize: Yes you can age off the bone or on the bone. Sometimes there is just no possible way to age the carcass whole.

Thanks for the great question!

Brad
"The Meat Man"

Love of the Hunt TV: How to Prepare Groundhog

In this Butcher Block segment from Love of the Hunt TV, I show you how to make a delicious Groundhog dish using Hi Mountain Seasonings, Outdoor Edge Knives, and a Bradley Smoker or Cancooker. 

Turtle Soup Recipe

What you need to make it:
meat from 1 turtle
Hi Mountain Western Sizzler Steak Seasoning
24 oz water
2 bags mixed frozen vegetables
1 8oz can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon parsley
2 teaspoons basil

Outdoor Edge Knives
Cancooker



How to make it:
Soak turtle meat in salt water for four days to fully clean. After four days, use your Outdoor Edge knives to remove any remaining connective tissue.

Season the meat with Hi Mountain Steak Seasoning.

Fill your Cancooker with 24oz of water.

Place the Cancooker over low heat for 3-4 hours, until meat falls off the bone.

Refrigerate overnight.

Remove meat from bones.

Place turtle meat back in Cancooker with the remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat, without the  lid, for 2 hours.

Love of the Hunt TV: How to Make Turtle Soup

 In this clip from Love of the Hunt TV, I show you how to make Turtle Soup using Outdoor Edge Knives, Hi Mountain Seasonings, and a Cancooker.

How to Properly Butcher a Turtle

I've had people all over the place asking me how to butcher a turtle since our Groundhog & Carp Dinner episode aired, including Bill from Ironwood MI, and Randy from Bainbridge, Ohio.

One of the keys is not only knowing how to properly use a knife, but to have the right knife. So I'd say step one is to get a Game Processing Knife Set from Outdoor Edge.

From there, it could get tricky to explain on a blog. So rather than me trying to explain it to you, watch this video clip that didn't air on Love of the Hunt.

Just a quick warning: I am butchering a turtle here, so the content may be too graphic for some viewers.

Here is how you properly process a snapping turtle:

Love of the Hunt TV: Alaskan Bear Roast in the Cancooker

Bear CanCooker from Bradley D Lockwood on Vimeo.

This is a segment from Love of the Hunt TV. In this episode, Brad makes a Bear Roast using a Cancooker, Outdoor Edge Knives, and Hi Mountain Seasonings.

How do I keep air pockets out of my casings?

Jerry from Kirkwood, MO asked:

Every time I use my Vertical Sausage Stuffer, I get air pockets all in my casings – What am I doing wrong?

Jerry,

Often times air pockets can appear for a couple reasons. The number one reason is not packing the meat into the container tight enough. I usually take my fist and punch it down into the bottom of the stuffer. I only add a few pounds of meat at a time and then I punch it down and pack it in tight, I continue this process until the cylinder is full. 

Another issue can be if your meat gets too dry. If the meat is really dry it can be difficult to pack no matter how hard you punch it down. I would try adding some additional water to wet the meat a little more, this will remove some air pockets. 

Does your stuffer have an air release valve at the top? The Weston model has an air release valve at the top to let air escape as you crank down. If you do get a few air pockets in your sausage casing, be sure and use a sharp pointed object like a marination needle and make a small hole in the casing right at the air pocket and then push the air out of the casing. If you don't, this air pocket will allow unwanted fat pockets to settle into the air pockets.

If you try these solutions, I'm sure it will cure your problem and you will be stuffing sausage like a PRO!

Brad Lockwood

What size meat grinder should I use?

Zack from Charleston, WV asked:

Hi Brad! I’m thinking about getting a Weston Commercial Meat Grinder, but I’m not sure which size to get. I usually take home about 4-5 deer a season. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Thanks Zack!

Here are my recommendations on grinder size per application:

575 watt #8 plate grinder for 1 or 2 deer a year.

1/2 HP #8 plate for 2 - 4 deer a year.

3/4 HP #12 plate for 5 - 6 deer a year.

#22 & #32 commercial grinders are for serious use. If you process a beef or 2, maybe several pigs and deer, then these grinders are for you! 

Hope this helps and good luck this season!

 

Brad Lockwood