I recently got the cheapo sausage press-
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0005994517244a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=sausage&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1
and put it to work. Or rather, put myself to work. After putting up 50 pounds with that press I got to hating that freakin' lever. But hey, can't beat the price and sometimes it pays to be tough rather than smart. And this is definitely a two person job- with me always hanging on the lever.
I just used up a bunch of last year's mooseburger using a recipe I found on Morton's website. No pig added, just straight hamburger, and it is GOOD. The recipe uses Tender Quick which is a true cure as it contains sodium nitrites and sodium nitrates. Correct me if I'm wrong but the aversion to sodium nitrate/nitrite seems to be pretty much an American thing. The recipe is per pound ground meat and it's pretty damned good. I did most of it in pig casing I got at the local meat locker- however I did do the last batch of ten pounds using the small tube to make wee little snack sticks with no casing and MAN those things are awesome. Also, for those of you who don't have a sausage stuffer you can easily wrap the sausage mix in saran wrap and roll it up into sausagey lengths. Since it's a recipe on a company website, of course they tell you to cook the shit out of it- but if you lay it up overnight (at least), the meat will cure, just like bacon. After laying it up for a day I put it out on the cold smoke for 12-16 hours per batch. It turned out incredible, and I'm going to clear out the rest of the moose in the freezer when I go home to make some more of those wee little sticks!
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1-1/2 level teaspoons Morton® Tender Quick® mix or Morton® Sugar Cure® (plain)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, slightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Safe directions
Combine all ingredients, mixing until thoroughly blended. Divide mixture in half. Shape each half into slender roll about 1-1/2 inch in diameter. Wrap in plastic or foil. Refrigerate overnight. Unwrap rolls and place on broiler pan.
Bake at 325°F until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of a roll reads 160°F, 50 to 60 minutes. Store wrapped in refrigerator. Use within 3 to 5 days or freeze for later use.
Yummy directions
Combine all ingredients, mixing until thoroughly blended. Stuff sausages, or make yummy little sticks with no casings. Place on rack in ~35-40 degree temps for at least overnight to cure. SMOKE. EAT. RINSE. REPEAT.