If Scotty had his way we wouldn't sell any Burger Relish, he would keep it all to himself.  Once you have tried this range of products I am sure you will feel the same. 

Beerenberg Farm is an Australian producer of jams, condiments, sauces and dressings, located in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. The company premises are a tourist attraction on the state’s food-and-wine trail.

It all started when the Paech Family first crafted a surplus of strawberries into a rich jam via Grandma’s pan. Six generations later, the family business continues to grow, as does their homemade love they add to each and every jar and bottle. Using their own fresh produce to create their range of jams, sauces, chutney’s and more, the Paech Family pride themselves on delivering a product that has to be the best-tasting product in its class. Otherwise they won’t place their name and, therefore, reputation on it.  And I have to say we agree.

We now stock over 70 of the products, right here in store.  Check them all out by visiting our Beerenberg Section.

Slow Cooked meals seem to be quite common throughout the cooler months.  However this winter will you be slow cooking in the oven or slow cooker, or will you give a smokehouse a go?

As part of the work I do in organising the Bi-Monthly specials I constantly find myself on the hunt for good recipes to use.  As I was preparing the June/July specials I stumbled across a Brisket recipe that was said to rival the flavours of a low and slow smoked brisket.  Having never made a brisket before and my smoking prowess having come from what I have learnt watching BBQ Pitmasters, I thought this may be worth a try to see which is better, smoking low and slow, or using the household oven or slow cooker.

First up we have the Oven cooked Brisket.  Now realistically the process for this would be pretty similar to using a Slow Cooker so I will class these in the same category.  For this I made the recipe that is found within the June/July 2015 Newsletter, which is a Bourbon Braised Brisket.  The end result was a beautifully moist brisket full of flavour.  By adding the sauce over the meat as a gravy it was more of a stew then a meat and veg dish, which in winter hits the spot as a nice hearty winter warmer meal.  For my first ever Brisket, this came out a treat, and I was thinking, who needs a smokehouse when you can create food like this in the oven.  But lets not rule the Smokehouse out yet, without giving it a go.

With the likes of Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone and Johnny Trigg in my thoughts I decided for this I would go for a traditional Texas style dry rubbed brisket.  Sure, having never been to the US or attended one of these comps I have absolutely no idea how this is suppose to taste, but I am sure with the right recipe, as long as it tastes good that is all that matters.  So I hunted down a Rub recipe online and got to making my Brisket.  Wow, what a result this was.  My brisket was moist and tender, and the flavour was sweet with a kick.  Maybe the smokehouse does have a place after all.

So with both styles complete do I have a winner.  Honestly, not really.  Both ended up being really different dishes, and both were equally as good.  The Oven cooked brisket did require a lot more prep work then the Smoked Brisket, however when smoking you really need to keep an eye on your smokehouse to make sure the temperature is maintained, and to keep the chip up, with a slow cooker or oven, it is basically set and forget.

In summary, I would say find which you prefer and go for it.  Give both a try.  For me I can see myself making Brisket all year round in the Smokehouse, whereas come Summer, I expect I would ditch the Oven version, however if it comes to flavour and taste, both work equally as well.

First of all lets take a look at what the Smokehouse essentially is.  It is a large box with a couple of racks with a gas burner.  Now I don't know about you but I have something like this in my kitchen called an oven.  So the question I asked, is can this be used in the same manor. Well the answer to this is a vague yes.  If you remove the water bowl and wood chip you will be able to use the smokehouse as an oven, however you don't get the best control over the temperature so if you are wanting to bake a cake it may take a little trial and error working out the combination of opening the vents on the back and turning the gas burner up or down to obtain the temperature you are after.  This is where the Electric Smokehouse comes into its own, as it has digital temperature control, however if I am out camping, I might not always have access to power.

Which brings me to point two - which is really just an extension of one.  Why not use it as a Camp oven.  I recently went on the hunt to find a good camp oven.  I found many boxes that you sit on top of your 2 burner gas cooktop or some cooktops with ovens built in, however in all cases I found myself having to spend more then I really wanted on a device like this.  With the Gas Patio Smokehouse, quite often on sale for around $250, I found the price to be comparable to a camp oven, and it also became a device I could use when camping, as well as when I returned home.  Which is great.

And now finally, a third function for the smokehouse was given to me the other day.  It can be used to make smoked (Wood fire flavoured) pizzas.  I hadn't even thought of this before! Use it in its traditional smokehouse way, let the temperature go up a bit higher then general smoking and you have yourself a wood flavoured (not exactly wood fired) pizza oven.  I haven't given this a go yet, but I do expect to really soon. So as you can see a smokehouse doesn't always have to be a smokehouse.  It is a great outdoor kitchen addition that can be used all year round, in an array of ways.

I am sure there is also more ways it can be used, but I just have not thought of, or had mentioned to me these as yet.

Recently I decided to walk out into the Warehouse and take a look at the different Smokehouses we have on offer.  The thought of smoking my own meat intrigues me, however it is an area I know nothing about.  Having looked at all that is available I have been left with a few questions, so I will let you know what these are and what I came up with.

Now first the questions.

1.  How and where do I want to use the Smokehouse?
2. How often would I intend on using it?
3. Where am I going to store it?
4. What sort of foods will I want to smoke?

Ok.  Out of these questions the biggest one for me is Question 1.  How and where do I want to use the Smokehouse.  This question in itself opens the door to further questions like, do I only want to use it at home?, do I want to take it camping?, If I am going to take it camping what fuel will I have to use?, and the list goes on.  Lets just walk through each of these for now.

Do I only want to use the Smokehouse at Home?  If the answer is Yes, then really any of the Smokehouses or smoking products will do the trick.  At Butcher at Home we have 2 different Gas Smokehouses, 1 Electric Smokehouse and several Smoker Boxes and an Off-Set Tri-Fire Grill.  All of these are perfectly fine for home use.  I guess the next question if using it at home only is, what fuel do you want to use to power it.  For me the Electric seems to the easiest choice.  I have power running into my home so I just need to plug this into the wall.  If you are wanting to save money on running costs something like the offset Tr-Fire Smoker may be a better option as this can run on wood or charcoal.

So now I have considered buying the Electric Smokehouse, I ask myself can I take it camping?  Well if I always have a powered site, I can, but that may not be the case.  Transporting the Off-Set Tri Fire Smoker could be a pain, due to its size, so maybe in this instance a Gas Smokehouse would be better suited.  I carry Gas bottles on the camper trailer and I keep a Gas bottle at home for my BBQ, so apart from the inconvenience of having to get gas when the bottle runs out, this seems like a good option.  Now when it comes to Gas Smokehouses, Butcher at Home has 2 different sizes available.  If I intend on taking the Smokehouse Camping, then I think a smaller Smokehouse would be better.  So in this instance, I would go the Gas Patio Smokehouse.

So at this point I am pretty sold on the Gas Patio Smokehouse.  It is small, but not too small that I can't smoke anything with it.  It runs on Gas which is not too hard to get a hold of.  But how does it stack up against my last 3 questions.

How often would I intend to use it?  Answer, probably about half as often as I use my BBQ.  This would mean every other month.  As I don't intend on using it heavily it makes sense to not spend too much money on it.  However if I was wanting to do a lot of smoking, I probably go the large Gas Smokehouse as it allows me to do so much more, and if I was really keen to take it camping I am sure I could find a way to fit it in the trailer.

Where am I going to store it? I guess this depends on how happy you are to lave things outside.  I keep my BBQ outside, so I am sure this can sit there as well.  However if you are not that confident to store the unit outside then the space you need for the Gas Patio Smokehouse, Gas Smokehouse or Electric Smokehouse, is all pretty much the same, with the main difference on these being height.  If I want to take it camping the smaller the better, so the Patio Smoker wins here as it is about the same height as the Electric.  If you grab the Off-Set Tri Fire Smoker, you are going to need a bit of room for this one.  I could store one of each of the Smokehouses, in the same area that one of the Off -Set Tri Fire Smokers requires.

What sort of foods will I want to smoke? For this all of the Smokehouses will do similar sized foods, just the Gas Smokehouse and Electric will fit in more.  If you have a large fish that you want to do whole, then you are probably going to want the Off-Set Tri Fire Smoker.

So now all my questions are done and the result for me is rather interesting.  When I started writing this I was thinking I wanted to purchase an Electric Smokehouse, however now I am done, I would be better of with the Gas Patio Smokehouse, or both.  One for Camping and One for Home.

However as I have grown a bit more confident in working with the ingredients I have found they can be used for a whole lot more.

Sausage Meals can easily be used as your flavour base when making gourmet burgers.  They can produce great flavour and really expand your burger offerings.  I personally have used the Apple, Sage & Rosemary Sausage Meal with mince and feta to create beautiful hamburgers.

With marinades, although I personally haven’t done this as yet I have heard customers talk about using them to flavour dips.  Now really this came as a bit of a shock to me, however marinades are essentially sauces and I know sour cream and chilli sauce goes well together, so I guess there is no reason why other sauces / marinades couldn’t do the same.

And finally the glazes and sprinkles.  To be honest I have not done or heard of anything too crazy in this department as yet, however I have used a few different sprinkles together on the one meat to create something a bit different.  Oh and if you look at the Butcher at Home range of Nice N Tasty Spices I can recommend taking the Peri Peri Seasoning and adding this to your chicken (have done this with both chicken breast and drumsticks) and then coating it with the Kentucky coating.  It can get a bit spicy but it is extremely good.

So when looking at the ingredients you buy don’t be afraid to think outside the box and see what great concoction you can come up with and when you do, please let me know about it.

EQUIPMENT
If you are wanting to make sausages completely from scratch you are going to essentially need 3 main pieces of equipment.

1. Something to Mince the Meat.
2. Something to Mix the Meat.
3. Something to make the Sausages with.

Something to Mince the Meat
To create sausages from scratch you would generally mince your own meat. Doing this gives you great control over the internal meat texture of your sausages as well as can assist in the mixing of ingredients through the meat.  When it comes to mincers there are numerous available, whether it be hand powered or electric, #8, #10, #32, etc there are a massive amount of choices. Explaining the differences between all of these really requires another article, however the best choice for you is the mincer that gives you the best value for money based on how much you intend to use it.  If you are starting out or just want to give it a try you can get away with a cheap hand mincer, however if you are looking to do large volumes of mincing, we find our #22 electric mincer to be the most popular for this purpose.  Now that I have covered this I should also mention that you can make Sausages with Pre-purchased mince.  At the time of writing this I personally don't own a mincer, so all of the sausages I have made to date have been made with pre-purchased mince.  Which ever way you decide to go, really comes down to personal preference.  For me I will eventually move to mincing my own meat, just so I have complete control over the quality of the product I make.

Something to Mix the Meat
Once again what you need for this purely comes down to 2 main items.  The volume you are looking at turning out, and how physical you want to get in the Sausage Making process.  For me I just use a meat tub and 2 gloved hands.  However if you are looking at doing larger volumes you can purchase a dedicated meat mixer. We sell these in 9kg & 20kg sizes however much larger mixers can also be sourced if required for Commercial use.

Something to Make the Sausages with
Essentially when making sausages you have the choice as to whether you make skinless or skinned sausages.  If making skinless sausages, you essentially don't need any equipment apart from 2 hands to form, however if you want more of a professional finish or you are making skinned sausages, you are going to want a sausage filler or sausage stuffer depending on what you call them.  Sausage fillers come in 3 basic forms.  Hand Powered, Electric & Converted Mincers.

When it comes to hand powered mincers we carry 3 different types.  Bench Mount, Upright and Water Powered.  Which of these is best is really a matter of personal preference.  The Bench Mount is by far our most popular, with the 5L being the biggest seller.  Bench Mounts are generally cheaper to purchase for the size, however they also take up a lot more room then an upright filler.  Personally I would prefer an upright, however based on the volume of sausages I make it makes more sense to buy the cheaper bench mount, and I am guessing many others fall into this category also.  The other manual option is the Water Powered device.  This is a great device if working on your own however requires a little bit of work to get the hang of.

When it comes to Electric Sausage Fillers I can't really give much advise on these as we don't sell them.  Why, because in general they are more of a commercial grade product.

Lastly we have the Mincer Conversions.  Simply put, this is a meat Mincer with a sausage nozzle attached.  This can be a very good option for those who feel they would get more benefit out of a meat mincer then a sausage filler and can't afford both or don't feel they will be doing the volume of sausage making to justify the cost of a filler.  Many clients of ours operate this way, and have found the process to be a little slow, so if you end up making a good amount of sausages, you will probably come back to buy a Sausage Filler after a month or two.

Now that we have covered the equipment it is time to look at the Ingredients.

INGREDIENTS
When making sausages there is not actually a lot of Ingredients you need, especially if using a Sausage Seasoning. Below is what is required.

1. Meat
2. Water
3. Sausage Seasoning
4. Sausage Skins / Casings

Meat
I probably don’t need to go into much detail on this one. Your Sausage Seasoning will generally give you a good guide of what meat you will need, or any mince from the butcher shop will work.

Water
This needs to be chilled. Whether it is from the tap or a bottle it is completely up to you. You may want to add ice as well to the mix if working in a hot environment.

Sausage Seasoning
When it comes to flavouring your sausages, really you are only limited by your imagination, however if you were like me and just want something you know will work, I recommend grabbing a Sausage Seasoning. They are also known as Sausage Premixes or Sausage Meals. A good Sausage Premix will contain a recipe on the label so this will help you work out what meat you need. Sausage meals basically contain all the elements you need to bind your sausages and give them flavour.  To use a Seasoning all you need to do is make up a slurry with the seasoning and water and then add it to the meat and mix well.  Once done you have your sausage filling ready to go.

Sausage Skins / Casings
You don’t actually need these to make sausages as you can make skinless sausages. However if you want to make sausages with skins, you have a couple of options here as well. Firstly you have Natural Casings. Natural Sausage Casings were the original sausage skins used when sausages were first invented. Today natural sausage casings are still used and sometimes the more cost effective way to go. Next you have Collagen Casings. These are a processed alternative to natural casings and are now more widely used due to cost and availability. Lastly you have Fibrous Casings. These are synthetic and inedible. These are generally used by those who do not wish to use natural casings when making pepperoni, salami & continental sausages.

And there you have it.  An overview of what you need to make sausages.  Sure if you want to get into cured sausages, and smallgoods, there is a bit more to it, but that will have to wait for another post another day.

A Solution for Sausage-Lovers

Sausage-lovers need not worry about having to completely give up on their favourite products. Instead, there is the alternative of making homemade sausage. This is beneficial in many ways with the most obvious being that you can control what goes into your sausage links, and you can eliminate or reduce preservatives and other chemical compounds in your recipe. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but once you get the hang of making your own sausages, you are sure to enjoy the process. Not to mention, since you are in charge of the recipe, you get to decide how the end product will taste, and you therefore can modify the flavour to suit your taste.

Sausage Making Equipment

You need three basic things when you prepare your own sausage at home. First is a meat grinder. A reliable one will allow you to finely grind your meat so that you do not end up with tough chunks inside your sausage. You will also need a sausage stuffer. A good brand to consider is the Butcher at Home’s Trespade sausage filler. It is important that you properly fill your sausage casings with your meat mixture, and for this reason, a good stuffer is always a great investment. At the same time, if you plan to make sausages at home on a regular basis, you are sure to get your money’s worth on this piece of equipment. Finally, you will need sausage casings. You have the option to choose synthetic casings or purchase cleaned out hog intestines from the butcher. In the interest of going all-natural with your sausage, you may want to opt for the hog casings instead.

The Basics

One very important thing to remember when making sausage is to keep all your ingredients and equipment cold. This helps keep the meat and fat intact and prevents your ingredients from getting slimy. Also, good quality sausage begins with good quality meat. The more tender your meat, the softer and juicier your sausages will turn out. In case you have purchased meat that is not quite a prime cut, you can always double grind it to ensure smooth fillers for your sausages.

There are a number of sausage recipes online that you can start with. Some good variants for beginners are sweet Italian sausages and breakfast sausages. If you are excited to try your hand at making these everyday favourites at home, go ahead and invest in a good grinder and stuffer today. Butcher at Home currently offers $100 off the regular price of the Trespade filler, making it an even better time to purchase one. Imagine all the delicious links you could prepare for yourself and your family. Best of all, you can be sure that the sausages you use in sandwiches and pasta sauces are fresh, healthy and free of unwanted additive ingredients.

Passionate food lovers are all about flavour, with the barbecuing method touted as one of their favourites for cooking meat. The taste and flavour comes out more juicy and defined with this method. But most people tend to associate barbecuing and grilling as one and the same thing, which is a common misconception. To get the most out of the meat's texture and flavour, you would have to use good meat smokers for barbecuing.

Grilling vs. Smoking - Is there a difference?

There are plenty of products that can do both grilling and smoking, but these two methods of cooking meat offer different techniques.

Grilling requires that food be cooked directly over high heat. The flames work to sear the meat so it browns quickly. It makes use of bars from where food is cooked and you can set these bars to grill over charcoal, gas, wood, heated rocks or electricity. Hotdogs are a good example of food that cooks best in a griller.

Smoking is a whole special method altogether. Compared to grilling, the big difference in this method lies in the preparation and skill. For one thing, it would be necessary to brine the meat first before they are tossed onto the smoker. Brining sometimes take up to several months. For another thing, smoked meats develop a rich flavour than simply grilled food because this method requires cooking in slow heat. Some food may actually taste better when smoked for more than four hours. Smoking also involves adjusting the temperature at various states in the cooking process, covering the food as it barbecues, or placing the meat on top of a pan of water to sear in the flavour. Meats that are less tender benefit best from smoking since they tend to come out softer and richer in taste.

Smoking food is essentially a method that dates back to many centuries ago as a way for preserving meat, including poultry and fish. In later periods, a smokehouse became essential in the absence of electricity, as communities relied on this to preserve their food.

A Dedicated Smoker Is Better

To save on cost, some people would make use of the griller to “smoke” food, as many consumers consider smokers as an expensive backyard cooking tool. To a food lover, however, the end-result is not nearly as perfect as having an actual smoker. And the truth is, you do not really have to consider getting a fancy smoker because you can start off with a basic machine if you are still learning the technique. It will deliver results ten times better than a “rigged” griller.

Smokers as an Investment

Eventually, as you get the hang of cooking on a smoker, you will develop a desire to buy your own machine, including one you can use as a fish smoker. Buying a full featured smoker can be expensive, but if you enjoy smoking just as much, it would be a good investment.

A good smoker is something you can enjoy the whole year round, even during the dead of winter, which is impossible with grillers. You can smoke even with kids around, without worrying that they may burn their hand on the grill. Leave the meat covered while searing and come back later when it is time to eat; and the food will be ready for feasting.

If you are interested to purchase your own smoker, then consider Butcher at Home’s electric smokehouse and save as much as $55 with its current sale price of $495. Features include: large cooking area with one small140 x 310mm and four large 380 x 310mm chrome plated shelves; heavy duty racks for hanging meats, sausages and fish; bonus remote wireless digital thermometer; protective PVC cover; and pre-programmable temperatures and cooking times.

The amazing range of home butcher supplies available nowadays can offer significant advantages to those who wish to make homemade sausages or other meat products right in their own kitchens. Thanks to the ready availability of these products, just about anyone can now craft their own meat produce to their own exact specifications, within the comfort of their own homes as well, thus enjoying unbeatable convenience.

As many consumers know all too well, even grocers that boast the widest range of commercial meat products can still fall short of customer expectations for a wide range of reasons. For one, even a surpassingly wide range of processed and ready-to-cook meat product can still fail to meet the needs of customers looking for certain flavour varieties, such as non-mainstream flavours for example. Those who consistently fail to find meat products that suit their taste may opt to craft their own products in order to flavour them to exactly the way they wish.

Secondly, even the most extensive range of processed meats may contain certain additives including chemicals such as nitrites, which may not be acceptable to consumers who are seeking to reduce their exposure to such additives. Additionally, some commercial beef or pork is made from cows or pigs that have been injected with antibiotics and hormones; many customers may also deem such meat less than suitable for consumption nowadays. Those who elect to make their own meat products at home can select certified additive-free raw meat made from animals, if such substances are a concern.

Thirdly, commercial meat that is otherwise perfectly suitable can be too saturated with fat for many people’s liking. The fat content of most commercial-grade meat produce can be too high for some exacting consumers. Those who are dissatisfied with commercially available meat products for this reason can make their own products at home, using meat that is as lean as possible and other key ingredients that can help compensate for any reduction in flavour vis-à-vis the regular meat products.

As mentioned, those customers who are dissatisfied with what is readily available at groceries and supermarkets can indeed make use a wide range of meat and special ingredients to help them craft products that meet their needs and preferences to a T. To enable them to do so, they can also choose from an equally comprehensive range of home butcher supplies that can enable them to more rapidly and easily craft the meat products they desire.

For instance, meat grinders for home use are readily available in a wide range of sizes to help home butchers quickly and efficiently grind differing portions of meat for further processing. Additionally, other equipment such as sausage stuffers can also be used to facilitate further processing into end products that are ready for cooking and consumption, such as sausages. Many other kinds of meat-processing equipment can be bought and used in the comforts of one’s own home to help make meat production easier and more convenient.

In conclusion, in combination with the ever-growing selection of equipment available for purchase nowadays, the full range of home butcher supplies can allow discriminating homemakers and home butchers to come up with meat products that meet – or even exceed – their requirements and specifications. And many who do begin to make their own sausages and other products at home never make do with commercial-quality meat products again.

Fresh Jalapeno Sausage

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS



1. Keeping the meat as chilled as possible,
grind it twice though a 6mm plate.

2. Sprinkle all dry ingredients into the chilled water, pour over the meat & mix well.

3. Add cheese & coriander & distribute evenly.

4. Stuff into casings & form into 10cm links.

5. Refrigerate for no more than 3 days before cooking & eating, or vacuum pack & freeze.