Another post that is now public: I would like to make to a kind of Italian sausage (what else would a Jersey girl make) with the pork and venision -- I don't have a smoker... any suggestions? My reply: OK, start with lots of garlic, and you can even add things like rosemary, oregano, thyme, sweet peppers, onion, and even cheese. The onion and peppers I use are dried and don't add more water. The cheese I use is a high melting point cheddar that's cubed, available from one of my sources. All these are also available from the sausage making suppliers. If you like fennel seeds, add that too with a little anise seed. When I do fennel, I grind some in a small coffee grinder and use some whole as well. Also, ground black pepper and coriander are useful as is sage (easy on sage, its hot spicy). I use fresh and dried garlic and any recipe that calls for it I usually double or triple that amount. If the venison is gamey tasting, you can also add a little ground up juniper berries. They take away some gamey taste, but go easy. Italian sausages are usually all pork, no beef, but as mentioned, salami and pepperoni are OK with beef, and pork or venison, as is summer sausages. Things like hot dogs and bologna are pureed meat with cereal or soy added. For a smoky taste, I use liquid smoke. They sell small bottles of Wrights Liquid smoke in some supermarkets near steak sauces, but I usually buy a half gallon bottle from a sausage maker supplier and use maybe 2-3 tablespoons on a 10 pound batch, unless I want a lot of smoky taste. I also make a really good Canadian bacon that uses a whole boneless pork loin. I get a ham or bacon brine cure mixture and inject it into the pork. Then I place the injected pork in a big vacuum tight vessel and fill it with the brine and pull a vacuum on it for 1-2 days. THis last time, I added some maple syrup to give it a special tang. It too gets liquid hickory smoke flavor. Baked slowly at 200 degrees about 6 hours. Cooled, chilled and sliced. Then, I use a Food Saver machine to pack small amounts of it. Store cost about $6+ a pound, my cost under $2.00 a pound!! I have a decent digital scale that also weighs grams. I use Nitrites in all my sausages as they are not completely done in a refrigerated environment like they do commercially. The Nitrite amounts are tiny and that's what gives cold cuts their red color. They are tinted pink and are mixed with salt, so the ratio is easier and more accurate to measure. That's the main reason I don't use Morton Tender Quick, as you have little control if its added too much. I make pastrami out of corned beef, but simply coating them before they are slowly baked. A year ago, I made about 40 pounds of pepperoni and salami each, and the were not only baked very slowly (8 hours at under 200 degrees), but also dry cured for about a month at room temps and refrigerated. I used fibrous casings that are not edible, as I stuff these casings very tightly with the meats. Using edible collagen or fresh casings will burst if I were to use them. So, when I want to slice the salami and pepperoni I peel it first. I gave some to a kid who though it was a bit tough, until I asked him if he has peeled it beforehand.. DUH!! I have a professional meat slicer too as well as some vacuum systems I use to marinate and do a little home canning with. As mentioned, after mixing and before stuffing, cook a tiny sample and taste to see if it suits your taste buds.

The most effective tool for this is to be vigilant, and carry a small tube of travel size toothpaste or a small bottle of tobasco sauce with you. The second your dog moves towards the poopp, command your dog to leave it. If he continues, does him with a msall amount of the toothpaste or the tobasco sauce (some dogs like the taste of toothpaste). I suggest start working on some training because this is often how dogs are poisoned or get very sick, by eating something they shouldn't. Dogs who are more food oriented need more training in this area. I dont mean to scare you or sound harsh, but our neighbors refused to train their dog, and let it run around freely, it was poisoned and that was a horrible horrible thing to witness. The dog survived only because we were able to rush it to the vet within minutes of the dog getting the poison. We often rely so much on leashes and having the dogs at home or in crates all the time that many people forget training. I think training and daily walking is paramount towards having a healthy happy dog. Good luck with your furbaby, hope everything works out. If not post again...

My dog, a Jack Russell Terrier, was doing the same thing and we tried the Adolf's Meat Tenderizer and she wouldn't eat the food, and also tried other store bought pills and they would work for a couple of months then she would start eating it again. I changed her food to Iams and started feeding her baby carrots everyday, on the request of my vet. This seemed to start working for a bit, she loves the carrots, and they work nice to keep her teeth clean. I did some research and found that adding canned pumpkin and sweet potatoes (can use fresh also) is supposed to make the poop taste bad to them. I asked the vet and he agreed, so we have been doing this for about 3 weeks now and she has stopped eating her poop. She is litter trained, because she is scared of outside and people. Shortly after I got her from a rescue place I found out she was a puppy mill dog. In the mills the dogs keep their young clean as well as their cage. This is something she has been doing her whole life (she just turned 5 in February). It's a hard habit to break and takes work to do so. She now gets her Iams dog food for small dogs, about a cup of baby carrots a day, as well as about 2 tablespoons of pumpkin, sweet potatoes, squash or carrots a day mixed with a little applesauce. This is working great and she seems to be healthier and happier to be getting her "treats" everyday.

I just cooked one Sunday and it was delicious! I use to do the marinade and barbecue sauce and all that junk.I prefer serving my homemade barbecue sauce on the side.Liquid smoke is very strong so if you have never used it be careful.My DS used a whole bottle of it once for marinading one and it was so strong I couldn't eat it. For the past couple of years the only seasoning I use is salt,pepper and garlic powder.Sprinkle all three liberally over both sides of the brisket.Cut a large onion in quarters and place on top.Wrap tightly in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil,(or if you have a big enough slow cooker or electric roaster,use that on low heat),fat side down and place in a large baking pan.The pan should be deep enough to catch any juices that might "accidentally" seep out.Trust me,I know this from experience.LOL Briskets produce a lot of juice. Preheat oven to 400* and place the pan in the middle rack.Let it cook for about 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 300* and cook for about 6 hours for a 7-8 lb. brisket.I usually put it in the oven before I go to bed around midnight.After the 400* temp bake,I turn the oven to 200* and let it cook all night and turn off the oven around 7-8 AM.After it is done you can pour off the juice and add barbecue sauce or anything else you like or make gravy from the liquid.Let it stand for at least 30 minutes before slicing.Slice against the grain. Lately I have been buying the trimmed briskets.They are a little more expensive per pound but in the long run it is a bargain because you aren't paying for 3 pounds of fat.The ones I buy have just enough fat on the bottom to keep them tender and juicy.I cook them the same way as the whole ones. Briskets are one of the easiest cuts to cook in my opinion.Very little preparation and no watching! Leftovers,if you have any,can be made into sandwiches. Enjoy your brisket! Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking times for Brisket