Let's Talk BBQ
Cured Meats & Food Preservation => Cured meats & Food Preservation => Charcuterie: Ham, Bacon, Sausage, etc. => Topic started by: Sailor1 on April 08, 2014, 09:35:48 AM
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My wife does not sew and has no interest in it but she did let me buy the little $60 Singer machine last year and I have taught myself how to sew (half assed anyway). I have tried to make cloth bags before but did not have very good luck with them as the meat stuck to the bags and the bags did not peel very good. Previously I used muslin cloth of poor quality and cheap and I think that was my problem. I had 1 bag left that NEPAS had sent me from several years ago that I found and took it to the fabric store. I was able to find a non bleached bolt of fabric that matched what he had sent and bought 2 yards. I cut the fabric to 8 1/2 X 12 inch strips and used a straight stitch to sew the edges and bottom to make a bag. I did this on Sunday as I wanted to smoke them Sunday. Then soaked the bags and started to stuff one and it ripped the seams out! Monster Failure! Throw the other 5 wet bags in the trash and back to the drawing board.
So I go back and cut more strips and then sew a zig zag stitch on the edge to keep the material from unraveling and then put a straight stitch down to make the bag. I had not really looked at how NEPAS bag was stitched. His bag had a fancy edge strip but my little machine doesn't have that type of stitch. Now it was too late in the day to stuff and smoke so decided to stuff and smoke Monday.
Soaked one bag and stuffed it. BINGO! It held and stuffed great. Soaked the other bags and stuffed them. This morning (Tuesday) I peeled the small chub and it peeled great!
For information on how I made the mix see this thread http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=8698.0
Bags with straight stitch and zig zag stitch. It ain't purdy but it holds meat!
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01386_zps2d5b104e.jpg)
3 Hours of Hickory and they came up to 152 IT in about 7 1/2 hrs. They just came to temp and are being pulled.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01448_zps41adfdfc.jpg)
They went swimming in a cold water bath to bring the temp down to around 100%
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01449_zps9f4e32f2.jpg)
Let them bloom for 2 hours and then into the fridge overnight.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01451_zpsdf62efec.jpg)
Money shot
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01452_zps93e6a047.jpg)
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Looks really good!! You have been busy. Slow down and catch your breath.
Art
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WOW, ya did good on the bags, I use a serger for the seams, then a reinforcing stitch for strength, you could also fold it over for reinforcement. Pam. ;*))
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that looks good,
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WOW, ya did good on the bags, I use a serger for the seams, then a reinforcing stitch for strength, you could also fold it over for reinforcement. Pam. ;*))
Yes the serger stitch that's the one!. My little $60 Singer don't have that stitch. I had a heck of a time figuring out just how to thread the darn machine. LOL
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That's a lot of work but doing something that amazing makes it fun.
Thanks for posting ;D
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Those look really good. ;)
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Very nice work.
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Nice work and the finished product looks like it is good!!! Don
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Jim
How was the outer texture after the water cool down?
I didnt like this on my cloth cuz it made the meat feel mushy, I just let a room cool down.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/2013%20sausage/css11.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/2013%20sausage/css88.jpg)
Sorry to hijack your post
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/2013%20sausage/css91.jpg)
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Good thing I already ate lunch, you guy's are making me hungry.
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Thank you again for another education,sent this to the wife.
Thats some good lookin sausage Sailor and Nepas.
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Rick......I was a bit scared to do the cold water bath but since this was an experiment I went ahead and did it and glad I did. The chubs did not shrink up at all and stayed nice and fat with no shrink lines. The only lines I got was at the ends and that is where I twisted them tight. They developed a nice rind that held the shape.
Chub that has not been peeled
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01454_zpsca6ec835.jpg)
Starting the peel
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01455_zpsf52f1179.jpg)
Continuing the peel
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01456_zpse1448a21.jpg)
All peeled
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01457_zpsdb34e124.jpg)
The twisted end that looks like shrinkage but it isn't
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01459_zps7fa59291.jpg)
Chub cut in 1/2 trying to show the nice rind. Not mushy at all.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e25/jcompton1/DSC01458_zps7635cecb.jpg)
I really like using the cloth bags and will do this again. I was so worried that the meat would stick like the last time that I tried them. I think it was the quality of the cloth and perhaps doing a cold water bath that kept it from sticking.
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Rick, Don;t know if this is helpful or not, but I've also been doing a cold water bath with the cloth casings for a couple years now and have been getting good results like Jim got here. No mushy texture at all.
In fact since I've been doing that I haven't had any peeling issues at all. The cloth seems to peel off a lot better.
I do pat them off with paper towels and let the dry a good bit before I put them in the fridge.
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Heck yeah them look good.
Jim and Cliff
I guess i'm just old school........DOH