Best place to buy sausage supplies

Hi all,
Finally am about to embark on making some sausage from the fantastic Charcuterie cookbook. But instead of mail ordering the supplies, I figured there had to be a place in Chicago to get this stuff. Where's a good place to get all the sausage making supplies like the pink salt, casings, etc.? I figure some where off of Lake St., but not sure which place.
Thanks much for any info!
Anna

Paulina Market used to have the pink salt but they've changed spice suppliers so I don't know if they still do. (It came from Spice House, though, as I recall.)

They definitely have the casings, they're in the cold case near the goose lard, butter and eggs, etc.

lulutattoo wrote:Hi all,
Finally am about to embark on making some sausage from the fantastic Charcuterie cookbook. But instead of mail ordering the supplies, I figured there had to be a place in Chicago to get this stuff. Where's a good place to get all the sausage making supplies like the pink salt, casings, etc.? I figure some where off of Lake St., but not sure which place.
Thanks much for any info!
Anna

Search for previous discussions of the Polcyn/Ruhlman Charcuterie...you will find plenty of discussion as per supplies.

Thanks for the old post search tip, I searched on Charcuterie and the authors names, but I could only find two local sources listed--Paulina and the Spice House, neither of which are convenient to me. Does Peoria Packing or some other place in the meat packing district have the sausage basics for sale to the public? I'll be over in that area tomorrow, so I can scout around, but would love to know specifically which places to target.
Thanks again!
Anna

Hi,

I have seen sausage making supplies, including various sizes of grinding plates, in Tenuta's in Kenosha, WI.

Shops and catalogs which cater to hunters like Bass' Outdoor World (or whatever it is called) in Gurnee Mills Shopping Center or Cabelas catalog have sausage making supplies.

Regards,

Northwestern Cutlery on Lake might have a grinder, grinding plates, etc., but probably not pink salt or casings. I have never seen any of the above at Peoria. You might try a call to Gepperth's in Lincoln Park if that is more convenient, but I think Paulina is likely your best shot.

kl5 wrote:Northwestern Cutlery on Lake might have a grinder, grinding plates, etc., but probably not pink salt or casings. I have never seen any of the above at Peoria. You might try a call to Gepperth's in Lincoln Park if that is more convenient, but I think Paulina is likely your best shot.

Paulina is your best shot, but Northwestern does sell natural casings. I've seen them in packages in back by the cheap knives, as well as right by the door.

eatchicago wrote:Northwestern does sell natural casings.

Good to know, thanks for the tip.

Many grocery stores sell Tenderquick around the meat department. I'm pretty sure that is what you mean by "pink salt", they should also have casings, but you have to ask for them. They aren't something that is out in the meat counter. If you are wanting cures, you should consider mail order.

As suggested above Peoria Packing is definitely a place to check out. They probably have natural casings and Tenderquick. Lots of people make sausage and places do have the supplies, they just aren't stocked where you can see them.

Probable resources for sausage supplies:

Andy's Deli
5442 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 631-7304

Moo & Oink - Call to check

Here's my go to site for sausage information and recipes

Making Sausages At Home

There are also 2 very good sausage email lists. Neither are high traffic, but they are a wealth of information with several retired professional sausagemakers on them, as well as knowledgeable amateurs. I've been subscribing to both for years.

Smokering Sausage List

Yahoo Sausage List

I've had good results ordering casings, curing salts, wood chips etc from the Sausage Maker in Buffalo.

http://www.sausagemaker.com/

Their casings come salt packed and only come in hanks (about 200 feet - good for 50+ pounds of meat with sheep casings, 100+ pounds with hog). It sounds like a lot of casings, and it is, but I find that if you keep the casings packed in a good amount of salt in the fridge their shelf life is pretty long. I just made some merguez with sheep casings that I bought two years ago, and they were just fine.

They'll also sell you bacterial culture, dextrose and other exotica should you decide to venture deeper into the Polcyn/Ruhlman book.

Fillay

So I went and got my pink salt/curing salt #1/Prague powder at the Spice House, and casings seem to be easier to come by (I even found a small package of hog casings at my local Oak Park Dominicks). But it still seems there has to be a place in Chicago to get the higher level supplies like the curing salt #2, dextrose, bacterial cultures, etc. that are ingredients in some of the more difficult Charcuterie recipes. If I have to mail order I will, but with the prevalence of sausage making in small delis and ethnic shops in Chicago, it seems like there has to be a local supplier. If anyone lives near one of those types of stores and wants to ask, I'd love to know where they get their stuff.
But thanks everyone for all the input. I have a corned beef brining in my fridge right now!
Anna

lulutattoo wrote:So I went and got my pink salt/curing salt #1/Prague powder at the Spice House, and casings seem to be easier to come by (I even found a small package of hog casings at my local Oak Park Dominicks). But it still seems there has to be a place in Chicago to get the higher level supplies like the curing salt #2, dextrose, bacterial cultures, etc. that are ingredients in some of the more difficult Charcuterie recipes. If I have to mail order I will, but with the prevalence of sausage making in small delis and ethnic shops in Chicago, it seems like there has to be a local supplier. If anyone lives near one of those types of stores and wants to ask, I'd love to know where they get their stuff.
But thanks everyone for all the input. I have a corned beef brining in my fridge right now!
Anna

Assuming that corned beef is from the Charcuterie recipe, you are in for a treat!

lulutattoo wrote:But thanks everyone for all the input. I have a corned beef brining in my fridge right now!

Send pictures!!!!

Fillay

Not trying to hijack, but I plan on making some sausages this weekend. I called Peoria Packing and they said they sell casings. Does anyone have any more details about what kinds they have? I am assuming I want to get hog casings as I plan to make three different kinds of sausage but all in the Johnsonville brat size. Just not sure I am comfortable enough with any nuances in different casings, nor am I sure if I will have a choice at Peoria. Also, is there a better place for me to go get them at?

I also planned on making these three sausage recipes. Anyone have any other interesting recipes or pointers on good first-timer things to make?

http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Kielbasa-fresh.pdf
http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Cho ... aurice.pdf
http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Jerk%20Sausage.pdf

Thanks-
Jamie

Oh and one more thing. How much casing is enough for 15 lbs of meat + the learning curve? Is it sold in feet?
Jamie

I scored an old cast iron Enterprise sausage stuffer/lard press this weekend for a whopping $29.50 (an absolute steal considering the new Chop-Rites are $400). Of course, it's fairly rusty and missing a nut/spout holder (which Chop-Rite sells for $10), but the crank turns smoothly, it's not heavily pocked, and it's got all of the other essential components.

Questions:

* Is there any restaurant supply place in the city that sells the spouts/tubes--used or new--for a good price? Chop-Rite's quote was $25, which seems steep.

* Recommendations for a food-grade lube to oil it all up? Or should I just use regular vegetable oil?

* Any tips on cleaning/restoring it? I'm thinking of having a friend sandblast it to knock off the worst of the rust, but I'm not sure if this is the best solution. Wire brushing seems tedious.

crrush wrote:
* Recommendations for a food-grade lube to oil it all up? Or should I just use regular vegetable oil?

I use Camie 666 Heavy Duty Silicon Grease Lubricant which is an FDA-compliant aerosol spray. Vegetable oils can get gummy with age.

I've had this can for over 15 years and I think there are newer products. Check out: The Sausage Maker for a few products that you should find useful.

Bill/SFNM

crrush wrote:* Any tips on cleaning/restoring it? I'm thinking of having a friend sandblast it to knock off the worst of the rust, but I'm not sure if this is the best solution. Wire brushing seems tedious.

I would try soaking the device overnight in vinegar or something containing citric acid (like lemon juice), then brushing it. If that doesn't work, Naval Jelly will dissolve even heavy rust in about 20 minutes. Naval jelly contains phosphoric acid, as does Coca-Cola, so it is not actually toxic, but it is extremely corrosive in such high concentrations(use gloves and goggles and avoid the fumes). Of course, you would have to make sure the jelly is completely washed off and neutralized before using the device for food preparation. After thoroughly rinsing off the jelly, you could neutralize any remaining acid by soaking the thing in a solution of water and baking soda or lime (the chemical not the fruit). If the highly corrosive jelly seems too intense, you might try soaking it in Coca-Cola for a few days (which contains lower concentrations of phosphoric acid).

After removing the rust, I would then rinse it again and dry it thoroughly with a blow dryer and coat the surface with some kind of food grade oil to prevent rust from reforming (you might even bake it like you would season an iron skillet). My grandpa used to use a bucket of molasses and water that was fermented to derust farm tools. It smelled really awful, but it worked.

Ooooh. I remember Naval jelly. My dad used it at his dry cleaning plant for something. And I know it removed rust stains on bath tubs. I'd be afraid to use it on something I plan to squish lots and lots of meat through.

That's why I thought sandblasting might be a good way out--to avoid the chemicals and brushing and rubbing and soaking. I'm assuming I can get it rinsed, dried and lubed-up immediately after the blasting...

I have a cast iron skillet that I've managed to keep seasoned and rust-free, so I know the maintenance/upkeep side of it.

So do you think sandblasting cast iron is a bad idea?

Oh, and BillSFNM: the stuffer I have is a hand-crank cast iron jobbie. Is the silicone you're recommending meant for more hi-tech equipment? This is a picture of a new stuffer--but same parts/model--by the company that bought Enterprise.

(Incidentally, you get some kinky stuff when you Google "camie 666" heavy duty silicone.)

For future reference, I've had good luck buying supplies on-line at the aforementioned sausagemaker.com as well as from:

http://www.butcher-packer.com

Also, fwiw, there's a pretty robust thread, in which several folks (including myself) have documented their cooking from Charcuterie over at eG. Michael Ruhlman has been a fairly active participant in the thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79195

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Also, fwiw, there's a pretty robust thread, in which several folks (including myself) have documented their cooking from Charcuterie over at eG. Michael Ruhlman has been a fairly active participant in the thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=79195

=R=

Holy Crap, this thread wasted my afternoon and I only made it to March!
Jamie

Im not making sausage, but I am in need of pink salt, or tenderquick mentioned in this thread for a homemade capicola I am going to do.

Any known places in the suburbs to get either the tenderquick, or pink salt? Do places like Jewel, etc. carry them. The Spice House looks like a good option, but not very convenient for me.

thanks

I've recently bought Tenderquick at a large supermarket near my house. It's especially easy to find during hunting season. In any case, any supermarket manager should be able to order it and get it delivered the day after tomorrow.

Geo

Geo wrote:I've recently bought Tenderquick at a large supermarket near my house. It's especially easy to find during hunting season. In any case, any supermarket manager should be able to order it and get it delivered the day after tomorrow.

Geo

thanks,

I called around to a few places, and none had it, I may just have to order it online.

It's a strange situation, Tender Quick availability. If you live in an area with lots of hunters and fishers, it's evidently sold everywhere, but in other places--I guess Chicago, fer instance--it's not widely available. Since it's made by Morton, it's not like it's in small production or anything. Weird.

Geo

You could check online, but Bass Pro Shop, Gander Island and Cabela's often have supplies (and equipment) like that. I think they all have an outlet near you.

Geo wrote:It's a strange situation, Tender Quick availability. If you live in an area with lots of hunters and fishers, it's evidently sold everywhere, but in other places--I guess Chicago, fer instance--it's not widely available. Since it's made by Morton, it's not like it's in small production or anything. Weird.

Geo

thanks geo,

Ill have to check around locally, I work near chicago, but thankfully live 70 miles sw of the city at the northern tip of the Illinois "deer triangle". ill do some checking, my capicola experiment isnt pressed by time.

Mhays wrote:You could check online, but Bass Pro Shop, Gander Island and Cabela's often have supplies (and equipment) like that. I think they all have an outlet near you.

thanks michelle

I checked Bass's website, and didn find it, perhaps a call to the Bolingbrook location is in order, I can always use some more apple or cherry wood they sell.

If it's made by Mortons, you might try the store locator on the Mortons website.