Today is the big day since the sausages are getting firm to the touch. We decided it was time to clean these up and put them in the freezer to stop the aging/hardening process. They cured in the root cellar for 9 weeks. Here is our post describing the process that went into making these sausages ready for the freezer.
My kids, Luke @randomstuff and Samantha did the majority of the work while I was away. It starts by cutting off the casing. The casing is what gives the sausage it's shape and also allows the smoke to penetrate the meat.
Once the casing is removed you need to wipe with a dry towel the mold from the outside of the sausage. Some look at the mold in discust and would not want to eat the meat since it is rotten. On the contrary the mold is protecting the meat and helping it age and enhances the flavor. This mold isn't harmful in any way to the person consuming the meat.
Next you need to wrap the clean sausage into freezer paper.
You simply cut the paper a little longer than the sausage then roll it up at an angle.
This will ensure you can tuck the ends in to give you a good seal on the meat.
We had 79 sticks total, @beatitudes8 share is 27 and our is 52. This is almost 1 stick a week for our family which will be great for lunches and snacks. Now if we could just find some room in the freezer.....
I really want to thank both Luke and Samantha for bringing in the harvest today! This process took them about 6 hours from start to finish. Dad did help but nothing compared to their efforts!!
Please share how you are storing your winter harvest! Thanks for commenting and upvoting!