Meatgistics - Walton's - Community
    • Register
    • Login
    • Search
    • Walton's
      • Seasonings
      • Casings
      • Packaging
      • Supplies
      • Equipment
      • Smoking & Grilling
      • Catalog Request
      • Giveaways
      • Sales
    • FAQ
    • Topics
      • Unread
      • Recent
      • Random
      • Popular Monthly
      • Popular All-Time
      • Unsolved
      • Solved
    • Users
      • Groups
      • Online Users
      • Latest Users
      • Top Posters
    • Map
    • Live
    • Events
    • Conversions
      • Seasonings
      • Cure
      • Additives
    1. Home
    2. Joe Hell
    • Profile
    • Following 8
    • Followers 17
    • Topics 73
    • Posts 2348
    • Best 998
    • Controversial 8
    • Groups 7

    Joe Hell

    @Joe Hell

    Team Blue

    1849
    Reputation
    2712
    Profile views
    2348
    Posts
    17
    Followers
    8
    Following
    Joined Last Online
    Location Walla Walla

    Joe Hell Unfollow Follow
    Veteran Yearling Dry Cured Sausage Masterbuilt Team Blue Power User Regular Contributors

    Best posts made by Joe Hell

    • Not your garden variety sausage!

      37501E3F-9CE9-4F6A-B310-0414AE525945.jpeg

      Or maybe it is? It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post much let alone have time for many cooking projects at home. Covid had an unexpected affect on business that we didn’t see coming. Demand has increased many times over and a day off is few and far between.

      Last week I had a chance actually cook a meal at home and since fresh local produce is in large abundance I decided to go with stuffed bell peppers. I had made a ‘street corn’ sausage at the shop that week and I immediately knew that would be the base of the stuffing. The sausage had grilled corn, green onions, cilantro, cotija cheese and seasonings. I mixed that with a wild rice blend topped with tomato sauce and cheese. As soon as I had my first bite I was inspired…I need to make a stuffed bell pepper sausage!

      060E9369-2BD0-46E4-9C79-E16994A73CD2.jpeg

      Despite a long list of ingredients each component played perfectly together. All of the flavors I was going for shined through. I wanted a third of the farce to be fresh veggies, cheese, spices, etc… The ratio was perfect! The green peppers, onion and corn were all sauteed or grilled prior combining.

      4BA5F820-2880-4F36-BC2A-D9F33659DBD7.jpeg

      STUFFED BELL PEPPER SAUSAGE:

      26 lbs. ground pork
      236 grams plain or Kosher Salt.
      650 ml Ice Water
      1200 g. Green Bell Pepper
      900 g. Walla Walla Sweet Rose’ Onions
      1350 g. Sweet Corn
      100 g. minced fresh Garlic
      130 g. Green Onion
      140 g. Cilantro
      280 g. Tomato Paste
      1100 g. cooked Basmati Rice
      520 g. High Temp Swiss
      520 g. High Temp Cheddar
      20 g. Chili Powder
      20 g. Cumin
      20 g. Red Chili Flake
      20 g. Smoked Paprika
      20 g. Achiote Seasoning (Spiceology)
      20 g. coarse ground Black Pepper

      I ran the pork once through the grinder using the 7mm plate and on the second pass I added all of the fresh ingredients and rice. The ice water, spices, salt and tomato paste were mixed together and then added along with the cheese to the farce. I mixed until I just started to see signs of protein extraction or binding then stuffed into natural casings. The crew were all blown away by these brats and exclaimed they were the best sausage we’ve ever offered. I’m inclined to agree.

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      I made a single perfect cheeseburger

      389E1FB6-07E3-4288-8FE1-ACF03F5F45A8.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      8C7729FA-8BB8-496A-8AB6-366B4A7E3743.jpeg

      This project took several days overall but it was worth it. I started with a batch of ghost chili cheddar beer cheese sauce a couple days ago. Last night I made a small rib roast that had been taking up too much freezer space for way too long and started on a bread project. This morning I got to work on some footlong hoagie rolls, picked some bell peppers from my folks garden and grabbed some local onions from the store. I spent the afternoon shaping, resting and baking the bread. After all was said and done I spent about 2 minutes inhaling one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. Philly has nothing on me.

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • No turkey for me this year

      I opted out of the traditional holiday meal/family gathering and mail ordered some Reuben fixings from Katz’s Delicatessen in NY. I paired the sandwich with a large selection of fine bourbon and a Deschutes Brewery Jubelale. Best Thanksgiving ever? Probably.

      Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

      2DE11216-E6DC-49DC-8B16-D21198239C89.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • Breakfast sausage patty trick

      It’s been discussed here on occasion the desire for a patty maker for breakfast sausage. The Weston patty maker is great but the patties are substantial. I had some 100 mm casings that I had no immediate plans for so I figured that I’d stuff it with a breakfast mix, freeze and portion out on the slicer. It worked great!

      This method is an inexpensive method for the home guy. I’ll be purchasing the large rolls of poly tubing for the shop soon. This is really going to speed things up!

      727B3D46-2929-43C6-8EE3-35D33632117D.jpeg

      A6F47003-E5AF-46D2-868E-C7B0ADF8ECCC.jpeg

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Grilled cheese on homemade Shokupan bread with scratch made roasted tomato and pepper soup seasoned with harissa. See you next year Summer!

      921BFFAF-5111-4552-BAC4-25E9AFA02610.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Tex_77 Shop productivity took a serious nose dive after I made the crew lunch…mushroom bacon swiss brats on brioche buns topped with tater tot poutine

      138DA28B-601F-4EC1-9B82-CCF7CB55C83F.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Tex_77 I made all of the things!

      9054CACA-0213-46BE-89BB-7434529C5F90.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • Big goals deserve big rewards!

      IMG_0490.JPG

      Some of you have seen my ‘diet’ references around here. I have been on a low carb diet plan, along with exercise for the past 2 years…last weekend was the anniversary. It hasn’t been an easy journey but nothing worthwhile should come easy.

      I’ve always been fat and I was always bullied about it. When I was about 8 years old I put an end to all photography as I couldn’t stand looking at myself. Every year my parents would get a call when it came time for school pictures. Often times this included the use of middle finger. As the years passed the only photos that I ‘allowed’ was for the purpose of an identification card.

      2 years ago my parents rented a beach house in Oceanside, OR… Before and during the trip it was discussed that we all need to make a positive change in regards to our health. In particular our weight.

      Knowing that it would be my last weekend of eating ‘real food’, I indulged. My plan was to eat as much seafood as I could that weekend being on the coast and all. When it came time to eating out I kept going back to my favorites…burgers, pizza, beer and Reuben sandwiches.

      Upon returning from the trip I cleaned out the cupboards and fridge of ‘off-limit’ items. No more rice, beans, bread, sugar, corn, potatoes…beer (insert sad face and whimpers.) It was nothing but fresh meat and green veggies from now on.
      When I make up my mind to do something I am more determined than most people and this was a ‘do or die’ decision. Failure means a premature death. Failure is not an option.

      During the first few weeks of the diet I observed immediate results. I also came across Walton’s Inc. and Meatgistics at about the same time. I noticed that many of the sausage seasonings were mimicking the very things I was now trying to avoid on the diet. Most notably Pizza and Reuben sandwiches. I could now enjoy my favorite meals with a product that is easy to portion and has virtually no carbs.

      I was determined to lose 100 lbs. by my 1 year diet anniversary. I lost a steady 10 lbs. per month for the first 6 months but was frustrated that I didn’t lose any ‘girth’. I was still huge and the lack of physical results was frustrating…but I kept going.

      I was having a discussion about this with my dad and his friend which gave me a pat on the back and put things into perspective. It was also at this time that my dad divulged that he had taken a picture of me while were on our trip without my ‘permission’. Had I known at the time I would have likely demanded that he erase the image immediately. Had he not taken that photo I may have lost my way. When I saw my before image I was more determined than ever…this s**t is real. I am really losing weight!

      By August of 2018 I was down 90 lbs. and finally to a size that I could start exercising without wanting to die. I didn’t want to wait until October to hit my 100 lb. goal. I wanted to get there by my birthday in early September…so I did!

      It was at this point that my clothing really started ‘hang’. Pre-diet I was wearing a 4X shirt and had a 66" waist. One year later I dropped one shirt size. By Thanksgiving I was a 2X. When Christmas came I was into my first 1X shirt since 2003…most notably my Audioslave and Lollapalooza concert shirts that I had saved. Luckily and ex-girlfriend had saved all of my prior clothing. There is no way I would have been able to afford clothes had she not done that for me.

      When I first started the diet I was using an app on my phone that wanted me to enter my ‘goal weight’ so I threw 200 out there thinking I would never get close to that in a million years. When I hit 225 lbs. I knew that the goal was well within my grasp. I got this.

      Over the next few months my weight loss slowed and my size remained steady but I was still at a decent pace. I had been working out an hour per day 6 days a week on an elliptical/recumbent hybrid since August. On April 6, 2019 I hit my ‘unreachable’ goal of 200. Whoa!

      I could have easily stopped there. Nope. I need to push goal posts to better myself. I only needed to lose 15 more lbs. to be half the man I used to be…so I did! At this point I was wearing a large shirt and had a 32" waist. These are numbers I hadn’t seen since I was 12!

      I promised myself that when I hit 185 that I would reward myself with a burger. By June 1st I hit my next goal and was ready for my reward. My son who lives a few hours away wanted to be there for the occasion but I knew it would be a while before we could get together…so I moved the goal posts yet again.

      It was too hot for working out at my place so I decided my reward for now would be less exercise unless it had a negative impact. It slowed progress but I still managed to drop weight. That’s a reward I can live with!

      Lots of people lose 100 lbs. and that is certainly something to brag about. Many people lose 150 or more. Few people can brag that they weigh half as much as they used to. Far fewer can say they lost over 200, so why not try?

      In mid August a new butcher shop opened up in my area called ‘Butcher Butcher Walla Walla’ On my first visit the owner mentioned they might be looking for a sausage maker. Over the next few days I visited his shop and made purchases daily. Each time I would ask questions about the shop, their process, equipment, etc… It has been a while since I’ve looked for work so I was cautious. Rather than filling out a resume I delivered 14 different kinds of sausage and threw some jerky in for good measure. I was hired!

      By August 20, 2019 I weighed in at 170 lbs… Boom! It’s burger time! One problem…my son wasn’t here. We had been planning on visiting the same beach house to take a before and after photo of my weight loss. I figured this would be a good time for a burger with the kid. This would also give me a little more time to go beyond the 200 lb. barrier…so I did!

      I left for my trip last Friday morning weighing in at 164 lbs with a 31" waist and totaling a massive 206 lbs weight loss. I drove 4 hours to Vancouver, WA. to a Killer Burger location and had my first burger in 2 years accompanied by my son and parents. I can’t imagine a better group to celebrate with!

      IMG_0066.jpg

      I’m not the only success story here though. As I mentioned in the beginning, this was a group effort. My father lost over 60 lbs and my mother lost over 40! As a family we have lost well over 300!

      Walton’s Inc and the Meatgistics community were a huge part of my success. I really could not have done it without all of you. Food related hobbies gave me the drive and focus to stay on task and the camaraderie here is an inspiration. Thank you for making this, my 1000th post, possible!

      -Joel (aka Joe Hell)

      before_after_beach.jpg

      IMG_0336.jpg

      IMG_0225.jpg

      IMG_0389.jpg

      IMG_0349.jpg

      IMG_0200.JPG

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Here is my contribution to a meaty Sunday evening…

      E0741821-2E0B-4722-BD46-51468462CBB0.jpeg

      CFC37701-5648-434B-B553-48B4CD843A7E.jpeg

      BC465FBD-E9A7-47D4-B266-658B7492C032.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell

    Latest posts made by Joe Hell

    • RE: Product Naming Competition

      Humidity Optimization Towel H.O.T.

      posted in Smoking & Grilling
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Chili dogs and cold beer for me!

      F33E4B12-CAB6-455A-8DA6-CB49CA07AB85.jpeg

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Denny O Thats a strange coincidence! I had many ambitions today…I’ve been pretty much glued to the couch after eating half of that sandwich

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      CB8D1224-2FF9-42D6-AB9A-7B352E612247.jpeg

      I made a lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwich with pickled jalapeño relish and Hatch Chile ranch dressing on a chicken schnitzel bun. I’m officially done for the day. Lol

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      Deepwoodsbutcher Do it! They are tiny…less than a pound in most cases but so good. I like to dice them up for street style tacos

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: What did everyone cook today?

      C70F0E7E-CA5D-4ADF-BCA6-D5F2A2D7B2A4.jpeg

      2A752417-34AE-4C59-89A7-D8954F5BFC6E.jpeg

      Pork tri-tip sliders with pickles, yuzu sauce, chili crisp and Walla Walla Sweet Onions.

      posted in Bragging Board
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: Not your garden variety sausage!

      Jonathon I think you got it! I’ll find out soon enough!

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: Not your garden variety sausage!

      Jonathon I logged out, restarted my laptop and still the same. Darn it!

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: Not your garden variety sausage!

      Jonathon I’m glad you responded…I still can’t post any new threads within this section. I can only comment on old posts. There should be a ‘New Topic’ box in the upper left corner.

      no box.jpg

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
    • RE: Not your garden variety sausage!

      Miller I’ll be making that one again soon as corn is coming into season around here. I’ll try to put a recipe together!

      posted in Better Living Through BBQ with Joe Hell
      Joe Hell
      Joe Hell