HOMEMADE BEEF SEASONING RECIPES

Steps:

• Untangle casings and remove the necessary amount. Place remaining casings back into package and store in refrigerator or freezer. Rinse salt from casings and soak in warm water for one hour. 
• Cube chuck roast into inch pieces, then place on a sheet tray, cover, and freeze for 30 minutes. Keeping your meat cold (but not frozen) will make grinding easier and ensure optimal shelf life of your finished product. 
• Compared to bratwurst, hot dogs have a finer texture that comes from the reduced coarseness of the fat. To get this texture, you may have to grind 2-3 times before your meat is ready for mixing. We recommend grinding the first pass of chuck roast through a 3/8“ plate.
• Feed meat back into the grinder and pass through a 3/16 inch plate twice. With each pass, you'll see the fat pieces become small and smaller. 
• Place meat in a plastic bowl, tub or any large, non-metallic container. In a glass measuring cup or bowl, mix the cure with 1/4 cup of water, then pour over the ground beef. Mix by hand until distributed. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the seasoning, binder flour, and remaining ice water. The binder flour will add protein value to your mixture and will absorb and hold water, leading to less shrinkage in the smokehouse. Pour seasoning mixture over the meat. 
• Continue to mix by hand for 5 minutes, until the meat is tacky. The texture should be sticky and pasty with the seasonings mixed well throughout
• When ready to stuff, find the end of your casing, and run your sink head over it and let water run through. Thread onto a 1/2-inch stuffing horn and gently thread on the rest of the strand. Tie a knot at the end of the casing once it's fully on the stuffing horn.
• Place a metal sheet tray underneath the nozzle of the stuffer. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the sheet tray so that the sausage slide away from the stuffer without sticking to the bottom.  
• Slowly stuff the casings, making sure to not overstuff (test your fill weight by making a small link at the end of the casing, it should easily twist without bursting or creating large air pockets).
• Once the casings are filled, twist off into desired lengths, about 6-6.5" long. To twist, grab one end and pinch a divot to make a sausage that’s about 6-6.5” in length. Grab the first pinch with your left hand and pinch another 6” down with your right hand so you have two links. Twist forward and repeat the process until you’ve linked all your strands. You can twist forward or backward or alternate as you go--whatever is the most natural to you. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat your grill or smoker to 130° F. Hang wieners on smoke sticks, or from stockinette hooks hanging from racks to avoid links touching. 
•  Run with dampers wide open for 30 minutes. Place ¼ pan of moistened sawdust on the burner. Increase temperature to 150 F. Set top damper ⅛ open, bottom damper ¾ open and smoke for 45 minutes. Increase temperature to 170 F and smoke until an internal temperature of 155 F is reached.
• Once internal temperature reaches 155° F, immediately place in a cold-water bath for 20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 100-110° F. Dry at room temperature then grill, boil, roast

Steps:

• Mix spices, herbs, salt and corn starch in small bowl until well blended. Set seasoning blend aside.
• Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
• Stir in seasoning blend and water.
• Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon into warm taco shells. Serve with desired toppings, such as shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream.
• Test Kitchen Tips:•For a little heat, try adding 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Crushed Red Pepper to your seasoning blend. •To make a big batch of homemade taco seasoning to have on hand, simply double, triple, or even quadruple the seasoning blend part of the recipe. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 6 months. To prepare 1 pound of taco meat, use about 4 1/2 tablespoons of the seasoning blend along with 3/4 cup water.