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Relating to Brats

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 02:38
by redzed
I'm in the process of assembling the ingredients for a batch of fresh brats that I will make tomorrow. (CW's garlic walnut cake was a disaster, so I have to make something more appealing.) I have a couple of questions for the those experienced in preparing this popular sausage.

1. Some recipes ask for whole eggs while others for egg whites only. Can you actually tell the difference?

2. Nutmeg is a standard spice in bratwurst while others ask for mace as well. Since the latter is a more pronounced flavour of nutmeg, why would you want to use both?

3. Will using a cream rather than whole milk result in a lighter tasting product?

Thanks a bunch.
Chris

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 13:12
by Chuckwagon
Hi Red,

Sorry about the garlic in your walnuts! Maybe you didn't cook them at high enough temp! :razz:
Hey, which recipe are you using for brats? If you like Johnsonville's, you might want to try my "Bronsonville Jots" at this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=7803#7803
And Big Guy has a very nice recipe at this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... 96b84#6658

The main reason some recipes leave out the yolks is because they contain 60 calories each - about three times as much as the whites. A yolk also has about 210 mg. cholesterol, 4.5 g. of fat (lipids), and .61 g. carbohydrate, making yolks unpopular to many folks concerned about calories and cholesterol.
In contrast, the whites consist of about 90% water with about 10% proteins (albumin, mucoproteins, and globulins).
Each has its own characteristics in food. The white can be whipped into meringue, while the yolks have all sorts of vitamins - including all of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). And, by the way, egg yolk is one of the few foods naturally containing vitamin D.

Nutmeg and mace are rarely used together because they both come from the same source - the myristica frangrans, or nutmeg tree. Mace consists of the vein-like threads that cover the dried fruit, while nutmeg is the kernel inside the seed. It's much like the kernel inside a peach pit.

The carbohydrates in milk are all from the sugar lactose. This is true for all forms of milk, from skim milk to heavy cream. The only major difference is the amount of fat they contain. The lactose - carbohydrate - content is similar with whole milk having 4.8%, half-and-half with about 4.2%, and cream having about 3.9%.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 18:06
by redzed
Thanks for the reply CW. If the difference between whole eggs and egg whites is only the calories then I will use whole eggs. I am of the opinion that the egg yolk has more positive qualities than otherwise. Whether to use mace is now a moot question since I don't have have any in my cupboard and could not find any in two supermarkets I checked yesterday.

My recipe is an extraction from several, Rytek's, Marianski's, Ruhlman's and yours. Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages is a father's day present from my daughter (as per instructions) and I have been enjoying it all week. I can't see any hobbyist making sausage without it. I would have liked to add flat beer but we are a gluten-free house hold. The use of cream comes from Ruhlman, sugar from you, and caraway from Marianski. I am also in the process of making a 5kg batch of venison sausage so my brat recipe is for 4kg, because that is what I had to work with. Probably not the correct meat selection but that is what had to be rotated from the freezer.

So these are my ingredients for 4kg

2kg lean fresh ham
1kg fatty trims from loin and butt
.5 kg beef chuck
.5 kg ground lean beef
70g kosher salt
12g white pepper
2tsp ginger
2tsp nutmeg
1.5tsp caraway
3tbs sucrose
1.5 cups 10% cream
.5 cups water
80g textured soy cocentrate
3 free range eggs
1.5 cups of 10% cream

Will grind twice with 4.5mm plate.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 18:35
by JerBear
A lot of the recipes I do are also amalgams from the se sources. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 21:33
by ssorllih
Red, you listed the cream twice?

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 05:42
by redzed
Oops, my secretary is not as dependable as the last one. Ross you are quite meticulous!

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 07:52
by Chuckwagon
Good luck Red. It sounds pretty good. Shucks, I thought you listed cream twice just because you happened to like cream! Or perhaps you had some left over from the garlic-walnut cake. :mrgreen:
If you decide to make smoked-cooked-cured brats instead of "fresh sausage", be sure to add 10 grams of Cure #1 to your mixture. This will keep you safe while you're smoking them. Of course if you are just going to stuff them and cook them on a grill, you won't need the cure.
Let us know how it all turns out... maybe a photo or two eh?

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 16:09
by redzed
The brats turned out ok. I grilled a couple along with some leftover meat from the stuffer funnel. Quite mild flavour, next time I will tweak the amount of spices. Not happy with the holes in the cooked brats, although I may have left it on the grill a bit too long.
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Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 08:14
by Chuckwagon
Red,
You wrote:
Not happy with the holes in the cooked brats, although I may have left it on the grill a bit too long.
I believe you'll be much happier with the texture when you get a stuffer. You've got a beautiful grinder but they don't "pack" the meat into casing like a vertical cranked stuffer does. Also, be sure to use a needle to stick them in several places as soon as they're stuffed. I can't get over what a beautiful job you've done with the links. Very neat and professional.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon[/quote]

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 07:27
by redzed
I do have a stuffer CW, and a pretty good one at that. Has about 9lbs capacity, although marketed as an 11lb. stuffer. All stainless steel construction, including gears. The only odd thing about it is that the crank is in the side rather the rear. I have gotten used to it, so it's no big deal, however it was something that I missed when I was ordering it. Bit of wonky engineering in my opinion.

So the lack of a stuffer is not the problem with the brats. Maybe I didn't poke enough holes in the casing to release trapped air, or I overcooked them. Will see what happens when I cook them next time.

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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 07:56
by Chuckwagon
Okay Red, lookin' good!
One more thing that might help is be sure to stuff the sausage into the cannister with your fist. The first mass about the size of a softball, is thrown into the bottom of the cannister. Push air pockets out with your fist as you add more meat.
Does your piston have an air relief valve on the top of it?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 16:25
by Maz
I am wondering if the holes are not from where the fat was and not air.

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 07:08
by redzed
Chuckwagon wrote:Okay Red, lookin' good!
One more thing that might help is be sure to stuff the sausage into the cannister with your fist. The first mass about the size of a softball, is thrown into the bottom of the cannister. Push air pockets out with your fist as you add more meat.
Does your piston have an air relief valve on the top of it?
I always pack the meat well into the cannister, but you may have a point about the relief valve. It was a bit harder than usual to turn the crank and when I cleaned the spring operated relied valve it was clogged with meat and probably was not doing the job.

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2012 07:10
by redzed
Maz wrote:I am wondering if the holes are not from where the fat was and not air.
That may also be a factor from the beef fat in the ground beef I added. Will certainly not do that again.