Sweet butter nuts of love

twilliams Government witness protection program. 😉

Parksider Okay, that makes more sense, thanks for clairifying

I do something similar with barbecue off the pit, but I just fold over or clamp the end of the bag. An hour or two in the deep freeze (depending on what I’m sealing up), and I’m good to go sealing from there.

And, yes, I’ve forgotten some in the freezer overnight. Yep. Frost City.

Parksider I am originally from Ohio and grew up eating Troyers trail baloney. I have been looking for years trying to find a recipe to duplicate the flavor with no luck. Have you found a recipe that duplicates the flavor

Parksider I will eventually make this!

You guys will laugh but I’m not a big hunter, too cold…I don’t have a problem running the trigger but I HATE gutting anything! But… once that’s done I’m all in.
Harvesting game and processing pigs has always been a social event, the more the merrier and that’s what we do now. My crew has some passionate hunters, perfect for me! We also have “jobs” when we process. I’m responsible for planning and organizing and polling the crew for what we want to make and ordering supplies- thus the Waltons warehouse of supplies. Billy skins and takes off the football roasts and primal quarters. I cut the back straps off and clean then while other free hands debone. Best advice is follow the muscle groups. I don’t saw bones either. Then you can decide to chunk for stew/chili slice for jerky or cut for grind. We will free the big muscles while, once u cut them u can’t put them back together!
My rule is if we get out the grinder we are doing some grinding so we’ll get pork and grind and freeze. Make it easy on yourself we do everything in 5# increments so when we are ready I can pull exact amount to make certain batches.
Just some rainy Wednesday thoughts from the ROC…

Parksider
I have done a lot of custom controls on a variety of smokers and coolers. One thing I do before drilling and cutting any steel is do trial runs with just temporary placement of sensors and heat sources.

After I know something will function correctly, then I start planning the permanent installation.

I never rush the planning phase, because I want to avoid making a big hole only to find out something I can’t see is in the way . Usually a do a lot of measurements on the inside and outside.

On a double walled box, once I know where I think I want an opening, I will drill a tiny pilot hole, maybe 3/32nd" and just through the first layer. Then I use a tiny wire to probe the hole and make sure there are no wires, structures or other obstacles between the inner and outer skin of the cabinet.

Once I have determined nothing is in the way, I drill all the way through with the pilot bit and then complete the hole to the final dimensions.

You’re doing the right thing. Let it run free in the fields, instead of being cooped up in the corner!

Jonathon Only did a 5# test batch so far, it’s tooooooo hot here to do sausage…Trying to wear out the new liner in pool!

Parksider My first thought is that lack salt is what is causing most of the issue here. I don’t think that you would be able to do the same thing you did with the seasoning with additional salt but…maybe? I’d also wonder how much you made? That seasoning is a 1/2 lb and only does 12.5 as a marinade.

Crumble it up and use it almost as bacon bits? That’s probably the best thing I can come up with to use it if your shake and bake isn’t working enough.! Also, I love the fact that you took “evasive maneuvers”!

Jonathon i’m a big Weber fan as you all know…but I also really like their Chipolte spice and their Kickin’ chicken spice. Love that on the drums that i do on the hanger in the weber kettle. A little smoked roasted chicken legs is always a hit.

TexLaw We love the PK100, it is by far the smoker I use the most and I find that when you do something big like a ham, bacon, brisket or pork butt I actually think it gives better color than the big Pro Smoker 500T we have here! I know Austin agrees with me as he is the one who pointed it out. Now, that probably had more to do with us being able to properly set up the PK and not being all that skilled with all the functions of the 500T! The PK100 was already nicely broken in by the time I started working with it…anyone has thoughts on if a smoker needs to season before it gets going? That doesn’t make sense from just looking at it but maybe there is a reason that someone else has thought of. The cure ring will absolutely work, TQ and sure cure aren’t the same thing as the TQ has both nitrates and nitrites BUT you can get a similar cure ring with sure cure but I’ve never tried it after just rubbing it and letting it sit for an hour.

Doing a brisket totally sous vide (what? the sous vide cooker was new and we wanted to play!) with a cure ring was eye-opening. And not something I am thinking of repeating, way better on the smoker, at least for a few hours to start!

Glad to have you here man! Houston had the second best food of any city I have ever lived in but man you’ve got a LOT of people down there!

Great Idea, I have just been using stainless steel scissors

Parksider I Have mixed 25# batches in mine, just start slow (#1) and increase speed when meat block starts to adhere. Make sure to turn unit off before switching speeds, can’t remember the number of “write-ups” and reprimands I have given for ‘speed shifting’. They do make a “collar” for the bowl to keep the product from spilling out, it is used primarily for liquids and batters, but could be used for anything. I have a stainless bowl, adds a little weight, but chills in the cooler great. I use the paddle for mixing, good protein extraction, and easy cleanup. A 20qt runs on 110, but you will need a 20A circuit, I have one dedicated to the mixer. Floor model or stand model? If stand model and you are going to use the grinder or any of the powerhead attachments, a stand of the proper height is important. I put my lug on a wheeled cart and grind or shred away. I have a stainless stand w/ undershelf for attachments. Heavy unit, you are not going to want to move it every time. You should be able to find most of the extras on C-list, eBay or local auction sites, unfortunately, restaurants go out of business every day
, their loss, your gain. Good luck!

whoa…srg158 Love Bobby George’s scrapple and get there early for some cracklin’s! Don’t think I’ve had the beef sticks thought.

Parksider
Make it official. Join the group.

bocephus Yeah, they arent even that hard to do. I am going to start a thread in https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/category/62/suggest-features for recommending new ones

Parksider Looks awesome!

Parksider Lol I have done that as well. I made 4 10 lb batches and didnt separate them out when I was ice bathing them. I had to taste a little bit of each stick and after a few it was very difficult to pick the hab sticks from the gigawatt!

Appreciate the insight, think I’ll stick with the dust. Headed over to use my buddy’s planer to make some special Black Run BBQ pro mix!!

In case anyone is looking for more information on this process here is a post from February where Parksider gives some instructions https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1092/dried-venison/9

Parksider We store the geolocation of whatever you input for your location in your profile, but to initially get the geolocation, an action has to be taken, so only those who have re-saved their profile since we set this up show up on the map. I’m hoping to run a script to automatically run it for every account, but I haven’t had time to get to that part yet. So, hopefully more people add or re-save their location and more will show up, or I get that script finished.

Thank though! Glad you gave us the idea for the map, and I do think it adds a lot to this whole deal, and everyone’s backstory and location is a cool part to see!

Parksider nice, great idea on the walk-in cooler. Pound some more brown.

blackjac That is correct but I wouldn’t recommend that technique. I may have just got lucky on that one!

Parksider the same reason some people like venison and some beef and pork. it is all a matter of good taste…or lack thereof

WOW!! What???

Joe Hell it was on sale .99 lb. bone in bought 30 lb. processed 20 and froze 10

That’s a steal! I would have bought that in a heartbeat.

Parksider tinkering is a time-honored tradition!

And then there those,

Parksider man that looks great! I love the fresh ingredients!

Parksider Glad you could finally win something, even if it wasn’t a nice piece of euipment it was at least something Walton’s branded!

Parksider That’s looking good man, I love the fact that you guys go with labels even though you arent selling it, takes it from the serious hobby to lowkey obsession!

Parksider There is nothing wrong with some imbibing when processing, as long as you’ve already made it past the dangerous stuff like deboning!

If you have a vacuum sealer you can vacuum seal a few of them (dont pull a complete vacuum or youll smash them) and then put them in the back of your fridge or somewhere out of the way in your fridge where your wife wont yell at you. They will be fine like that for well over a year. And like jonathan said you can cut open the package and leave it in the fridge overnight to help rehydrate. Even placing a bowl of water next to them in the fridge will help increase humidity a bit. If no vacuum sealer use a ziplock bag just make sure and get a good seal and majority of air out.

Jonathon
Oh come on, this was work related…you know you’re more than welcome anytime!
I did just pick up this bad boy yesterday from a supermarket auction. Hobart 403 cuber. This things is a beast and we got it for a steal, couldn’t pass it up. Beyond cube steaks we were thinking about doing jerky with the cubed meat. Thoughts?!0_1545327916818_Cuber.jpg

1general That’s an awesome setup you have and those steaks look delicious! This is a good thing for people to make note of, a meat bandsaw will REALLY help you step up your processing at home. Without one it can be fairly difficult to do a good job breaking down primals for cooking.

Parksider A lot of people mix in the seasoning either before they grind or between the first and second grind. If I didn’t have a mixer, and I was making a cured product where I needed protein extraction, I might add the seasoning after the first grind and then grind it again. I don’t do it this way with a cured product because it is usually a while until I can get to cleanup and seasoned meat seems to be harder to clean than unseasoned. I wouldn’t do this if making a fresh product as I’d worry about the protein extraction starting too soon but that is probably me just being overly careful.

Mixing the water in with the seasoning before the meat is fine and plenty of people do it. In the end, it really shouldn’t make any difference as long as you mix the meat enough once it is all added. However, I always tell people if they have found something that works for them don’t change! If that process works for you (and considering the sized batches you do who could argue with it?) then stick with it!

Parksider I’d agree with pretty much everything, the Parm Garlic is a more basic taste then what I was hoping for but I guess Parmesan might be a hard flavor to make really stand out in meat?

I am making more and more Inferno and adding Ghost Pepper or Sriracha Cheese to them. Philly Cheese Steak is an awesome one, play around with adding different cheeses to this, huge difference if you add Swiss or Mozz or Cheddar and all are good! I like the Medium #1 Best Seller (we call it Holly Regular in house) more than either 1504 or #10 but thats all just personal preference. The Supreme Pizza and the Habanero Mango are two that I love that yoi didn’t mention!

Parksider
If the head size was equal between a pro-cut and weston, the pro-cut would win. But, since the #22 head size is much bigger than a #12, the 22 would win from weston in this scenario. The #22 Pro-Cut at only 1 HP would vastly outperform the Weston #22 at 1.5 hp.

On the shopping pages, there is a “shop by” (or “filter” on mobile) that has a section for manufacturer. You can filter there to choose Speco. We don’t stock many #22 from Speco but I think I’m going to add some more options there soon. This is what is currently stock items: https://www.waltonsinc.com/parts/grinders-parts/plates-knives/22-grinder-plates-knives?manufacturer=729
If/when I get some new options added there, I’ll let you know.

I really don’t have a great answer on the weston grinder knives for their length of use. They are made different from other knives, and don’t provide the same level of visual detail because of how they are designed to see the wear on them as well. If you are using them on all your plates though, it probably is time. For best results, you should pair 1 knife with 1 plate so they wear evenly together. Everything will last longer and be more efficient that way, but it does require more investment in buying additional knives to have 1 for every plate. If you’re plate is worn out though, it’d be safe to assume the knife is as well. I’d just use the plate as a guide for the knife on the weston versions.

I don’t know if the ice pack on the grinder really works. I think it is at least partially a marketing gimmick, but I’ve never fully tested to see if it truly makes a difference and keeps the meat colder. If the meat is really spending that much time in the throat of the grinder too, probably something wrong there or things would be better off with a faster grinder or bigger head to it. I kind of want to test this out though and find out for sure…

Parksider They look great! Sorry I missed the fun.

Sure did, not as easy as natural casings but they stayed in the “globes” during the smoking process and into the water bath for the finish. They were very stable and strong, I was worried about they would hang.
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got a few pics from sausage making this weekend we did some volume…
40# bologna (50% venison/50% pork) using Walton’s 32mm smoked casing my own spice mix, half regular and half hot with habanero powder and Walton’s pepperjack cheese.
20# fresh sausage (50% venison/50% pork) using walton’s fresh 32mm casing and basil, feta cheese, and basil + some randon spices
20# maple breakfast sausage using Walton’s 26mm fresh sheep casings and Sausagemaker spice
30# regular breakfast sausage Walton’s 26mm casing and Sausagemaker spice mix, in coils in the smoker
I use the Weston #22 grinder, fine plate, and the Weston 44# mixer that attaches to the grinder.
I use Walton’s 8x12" chamber vac bags
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Thanks Austin,I thought that may be the case, they act like hot hands but just wasn’t sure. Didn’t want to burn down the clubhouse…

I wish…everybody and their brother’s uncle stops by and wants to try some, then its can i take some home I have a buddy that would love this stuff…We did 40# of bologna, 40# breakfast, 25# habanero brats, and rest was pressed into 1/4# patties stuffed with pepperjack cheese and then pressed again to make stuffed 1/2 burgers, and a bunch hit the grill for “testing”… Here’s the bins just after stuffing and our latest acquisition, a 3-compartment sink for easy clean up. 0_1512670296929_bologna.jpg

Parksider Glad it’s working out for you! I’ll check out that instagram post for sure, go to https://www.waltonsinc.com/weston-22-meat-grinder-pro-series-1-5-hp and post your review and you might be send a coupon to use on your next order!

So the contest was also a fundraiser for local public TV station so we had to use Steve Raichlen’s recipes from his new book-BBQ sauces, rubs, and marinades. I just used his American BBQ rub on the tenderloin and a sprinkle for some flavor and color to finish it. We ran the WSM @200-225F for around 2 hours, pulled it to rest it at 110F then seared it on a Weber kettle with 2 full chimneys of raging charcoal to 130F, rested again for about 20 min then sliced it. Judges also were raving about the corn salad, smoked the corn and roasted the other veggies with one of Steve’s vinaigrette recipes.
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Thanks Jon,
I used apple and cherry to smoke. About 50 people destroyed the ribs and chicken!

Parksider that’s a bunch of sticks 😳. They look great. Congrats

You can see by my earlier posts that I have acquired a 22.5" WSM smoker to round out my smoking capabilities and i want to complete in some more local rib contests that are wood/charcoal only so i had to pull the trigger. Made a good score of Craigslist and got it for a fraction of the list price, barely used. I’ve run it four times working on temp control and smoke. I settled on using the minion method for charcoal to keep consistent temp. I use Kingsford blue bag charcoal for heat and wood chunks for smoke profile. And now for the mods-I find myself not willing or able ( I think it’s in my DNA) to leave well enough alone, yeah… what does Weber know about building smokers anyway…but i just can’t help myself, i like to tinker. So i added handles to the sides of the barrel, nomex gaskets on lid and door. I also put handles on the legs so i could just dump the charcoal when i was done and don’t forget the wheels-easy to move around the shed, not the best on the grass. Since it’s an older model there is no rubber access port for temp probes so Amazon Prime dropped one off if a jiffy, installation on the docket for this week. BTW handles are from Walmart of all places and used stainless hardware because I’m a bit obsessive about stuff like that. Anyone else got any good WSM mods that i’m not thinking of???

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Jonathon
2 hours on the smoke, 1.5-2 hours in the foil crutch, 1/2 hour to glaze and finish. If you open the foil pack and pick the ribs up with tongs put the tongs about half way on the rack from one end. If the rib bends and just starts to pull apart in the middle, competition ribs are done. I rest them for 15-30 minutes then glaze-15-30 min to get a nice glaze. Competition ribs don’t fall off the bone, if you bite into a ribs you should be able to see the bite mark and just a bit of a pull to it.

There is a chance that the dimensions on the Talsa stuffing horns match what you have. The outside diameter of the flange of the Talsa stuffing horns is just over 2.25 inches, if yours is similar we might be able to help you out?

dennishoddy The easiest way is with a chambered vacuum sealer. Not everybody has one or can get one of the chambered sealers though. If you are using a non-chambered vac sealer, there’s a couple other things to try. First, keep the package of meat/marinade below the vacuum sealer. If they are laying flat on a counter, it can be easy for the liquid to run back up into the seal bar and vacuum area, so just prop up the vac sealer a couple inches to keep the bag of meat further below it. Then you can also try using the manual vacuum/seal process. Most vac sealers have a manual method to start/stop so you can vacuum just long enough to where the liquid starts to move back up the package towards the seal bar. Or, you also try to add a barrier between the meat and seal bar, like a paper towel in the package so the liquid has a harder time making its way back up into the seal bar and vacuum area. You may not get a full vacuum with liquid in the package and using the manual vacuum/seal mode, but at least some vacuum will be better than nothing.

Looks awesome! I really like the oversize wheels. I’m sure that helps making moving it around a whole lot easier too.

Parksider I would use your method as well. Keeping the casings wet and the stuffing tube wet should work great without needing to use vegetable oil.

Parksider The processing part is definitely just as fun as the hunting is!
Welcome to the community!