Online Workshop: Project B (August 2012)

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Post by el Ducko » Sun Nov 11, 2012 04:17

Well, the chorizo with Bactoferm LHP is sunning itself beside a covered 75 watt bulb in our oven, over a tray of salted water and watered salt. (...kinda like going to the beach. :smile: ) There's a wonderful, meaty smell when you crack the door. (...kinda like a sleazy beer joint at the beach. :shock: ) This will be a most interesting project. If it's good, I'll have to hurry- - the LHP's 17 day self life wasn't helped by 6 days of surface shipping. It's frozen, now. Given the small recipe size that I used, at 0.24 grams a pop, I have enough left over for about a bazillion more batches. :cool:

The venison sticks were smoked today, with apple wood chips. I took 'em to 154 °F internal meat temperature, and they have lost about 32% of their raw weight. This makes 'em safe, right? ...smoked/cooked/dried, right? We'll vacuum seal 'em tomorrow or Monday. :grin:

Next project: start thawing a turkey this coming week, preparatory to brining in 7-Up cocktail, for Thanksgiving. :mrgreen:
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun Nov 11, 2012 06:42

Duckster, you wrote:
The venison sticks were smoked today, with apple wood chips. I took 'em to 154 °F internal meat temperature, and they have lost about 32% of their raw weight. This makes 'em safe, right? ...smoked/cooked/dried, right? We'll vacuum seal 'em tomorrow or Monday.
As they say in Texas... "Yep"!
If a "cured-smoked-cooked" sausage is dried, then it becomes a "semi-dry cured" product.
Take some photos and let us know how they turn out.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sun Nov 11, 2012 09:13

Hi Folks,
I hope everyone got to try the Krainerwurst recipe. If you like garlic and garlic sausage, this is the one for you. I like to prepare it as a "semi-dry-cured" sausage. Here is the link to the recipe in the MRI: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=732#732

For the next part of "Project B", we will make a very nice presentation sausage that you may with to dress up with fancy plastic gift-type stockinettes for Christmas gift giving. It's called "Smoky Beef Stick" and may be found at this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/e...php?p=4542#4542

Following that tasty project, we'll finally get into some "Smoked, Fermented, Spreadable Sausage" known as Mettwurst Braunschweiger.

For your reference, here is the outline of "Project B" so far:

I. Project "B" OUTLINE: Project Plan:

In order to gain knowledge and experience in several areas, let's make the following:

(A.) "Fresh" type sausages:
(1.) 2.2 lbs. (1 kg. ) Breakfast Sausage (Page 212 in "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" by Stan Marianski)
http://www.wedlinydomowe....cipes/breakfast
(2.) 2.2 lbs. (1 kg.) Italian Sausage (Page 219 in "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" by Stan Marianski)
http://www.wedlinydomowe....italian-sausage
OR...
2.2 lbs. (1 kg.) Kiełbasa Biała Surowa (Polish "White") (Page 228 in "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" by Stan Marianski)
http://www.wedlinydomowe....s/sausage-white

(B.) "Cured & Cooked" type sausages:
(1.) 4.4 lbs. (2 kg.) Kabanosy (Polish snack-stick) (See this link: http://www.wedlinydomowe....ecipes/kabanosy ). It is also on page 235 in "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" by Stan Marianski.
To introduce associates to collagen casings, Kabanosy has been chosen because it is simple to stuff collagen casings then simply snip them into foot lengths with a pair of scissors. There is no clipping or tying involved and the casing is edible. The original recipe calls for sheep casing, but I think Stan will forgive us this one time in order to learn about collagen casings.
(2.) 2.3 lbs. (1 kg.) Hungarian Csabaii by Snagman (See this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=5245)

(C.) "Semi-Dry Cured" Sausage
(1.) 5 lbs. (2.27 kg.) Chorizo by El Ducko (See this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=5873)
(2.) 5 lbs. (2.27 kg.) Krainerwurst by Chuckwagon (See this link: http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4891)
(3.) 5 lbs. (2.27 kg.) Smokey Beef Stick http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?p=4542#4542
(If you`ve strolled past the stores in a mall just before the holidays, perhaps you`ve stopped at the place that sells smoked sausages. You know the one... it`s got a "hardwood" in its name and they offer several types of gift baskets for the holidays. Lots of folks like their "smoked beef stick". This is a pretty good clone and it`s a great gift idea for your friends or relatives during the holidays when you put it inside a mahogany casing then inside a dark brown plastic diamond-pattern presentation netting. Tie a fancy Christmas bow around the hog ring and you`ve got a great-looking and great-tasting gift that anyone would like to have. They are best made about 2 weeks before Christmas and kept refrigerated.)

(D.) "Cold-Smoked Fermented Spreadable Sausage" See this link: http://www.wedlinydomowe....-braunschweiger
(1.) 2.2 lbs. (1 kg.) Mettwurst Braunschweiger (Page 394 in "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" by Stan Marianski)

*Note that these sausages have been chosen to give participants experience with a variety of casings, ingredients, and techniques. The Mettwurst is even made using a culture (T-SPX) although it will not be necessary to have a fermentation chamber or drying chamber.
**Also note that I've purposely made a mistake in the above instructions somewhere. This may be a tough one. See if you can spot the error. If you have been doing your reading, you'll be able to recognize the mistake. Why have I done this? If you were opening a professional charcuterie shop, you would have to know about this particular item as well as many other seemingly small, insignificant, bits of knowledge. Mistakes cost money. See if you can track down the error although we won't get to Mettwurst Braunschweiger for a little while yet. :mrgreen: It may be fun!
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Mon Nov 12, 2012 09:54, edited 1 time in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by Gulyás » Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:23

But Mr. Chuckwagon........

I did some reading, and I recognized 2 mistakes so far.
One in the Krainerwurst recipe......we do NOT use cure in fresh sausage, and the other is, only some of us reads/speaks Polish. (so far.........) :mrgreen:...(Smokey Beef Stick.)
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Nov 12, 2012 09:46

SELF CHECKUP (Semi-Dry Cured Sausage) :mrgreen:

T F 1. Semi-Dry Cured sausage has usually lost about 30% of its weight in moisture.
T F 2. Semi-dry cured sausage may be made with or without cultures and may or may not be pre-cooked.
T F 3. Semi-dry cured sausage is usually cured by fermenting the sausage at least 48 hours rendering an acidic content of pH 2.5 or lower.
T F 4. If "fresh" sausage contains a prescribed amount of sodium nitrite and is smoke-cooked, it becomes a "cured-smoked-cooked" type sausage.
T F 5. The sausage in question #4 can be even further preserved and is called a "Semi-dry cured sausage" if we simply dehydrate it to a point below 5.2 on the Aw scale.
T F 6. The sausage in question number four can be even further preserved and is called a "Semi-dry cured sausage" if we simply dehydrate it to a point below 0.85 on the Aw scale.
T F 7. The Aw scale means "water activity" scale and measures acidity.
T F 8. The pH scale measures acidity.
T F 9. The BS scale measure "tang" in a sausage.
T T 10. El DuckO is so full of crap, it is a wonder he can still fly!
T F 11. Unlike fully dry-cured sausages, the semi-dry variety is usually pre-cooked (par-cooked) to about 140°F after fermenting and smoking have taken place. By reaching and surpassing the temperature of 138° F., the threat of trichinella spiralis is eliminated and often this cooking step is accomplished while the smoking is being done.
T F 12. By dehydrating a sausage to the point it loses 20% of its original moisture, we have successfully limited the "available water" to the pathogenic bacteria that may exist in meat.
T F 13. Meat from a healthy creature is sterile at the time of butchering.
T F 14. Salt destroys bacteria.
T F 15. Salt binds available water.
T F 16. T-SPX is a "short" culture.
T F 17. LHP can produce acidification reaching pH 5.3 in as little as two days.
T F 18. All cultures must be frozen at temperatures below 0° if they are to be kept up to six months.
T F 19. The reason "short" cultures are tangy is because the staphylococcus and micrococcus "flavor and color-forming" bacteria simply do not have time to develop.
T F 20. The "tangy" taste in a sausage comes from a lactobacilli acting upon a carbohydrate, thus producing lactic acid.

_______________________Answers:_______________________

1.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.F 6.T 7.F 8.T 9.F 10.T 11.T 12.T 13.T 14.F 15.T 16.F 17.T 18.T 19.T 20.T
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Post by Chuckwagon » Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:16

Hi Sausagemakers,
When you stroll past the stores in a mall just before the holidays, perhaps you`ve often stopped at the place that sells smoked sausages. You know the one... it`s got a "hardwood" in its name and they offer several types of gift baskets for the holidays. Lots of folks like their "smoked beef stick". Why not make your own? It is a great gift idea for your friends or relatives during the holidays. Everyone likes a summer sausage, a little cheese, some home preserves, and some crackers in a basket. When I make this sausage, I like to use the 76 m.m. mahogany-colored casings (Sausagemaker #26200) filled and placed inside a dark brown plastic diamond-pattern presentation netting (Sausagemaker #13513). Twist the netting and clamp it off using a hog-ring. Tie a fancy Christmas bow around the hog ring and you`ve got a great-looking and great-tasting gift that anyone would like to have. They are best made about 2 weeks before Christmas and kept refrigerated. Don`t fudge on the ingredients or the procedure. Follow the directions carefully and you`ll have a sausage that will help build your reputation as a craftsman.

*****************************
Ho, Ho, Ho! Ho, Ho, Ho! Just in time for Christmas! ...
*****************************
Saddle Bum`s Smoky Beef Stick
(5 lb. Semi-Dry Cured Summer Sausage Recipe)... with F-LC Culture

4-1/2 lbs. (2050.0 g.) trimmed beef chuck
1/2 lb. (230.0 g.) pork back fat
1/2 tspn. (1.2 g.) F-LC culture
1 tspn. (6.0 g.) Cure #1
2 Tblspns. (44.0 g.) salt
1 cup (236.5 g.) icewater
3/4 cup (50.0 g.) non-fat powdered milk
4 Tblspns. (12.0 g.) powdered dextrose
1-1/2 Tblspns. (35.0 g.) corn syrup solids
1-1/2 Tblspns. (15.0 ml.) liquid smoke
2-1/2 tspns. (7.5 g.) soy protein concentrate
1 Tblspn. (6.5 g.) paprika
1-3/4 tspn. (5.0 g.) garlic powder
1-3/4 tspn. (4.5 g.) white pepper
2 tspn. (1.5 g.) crushed mustard seed
1/2 tspn. (1.0 g.) celery seed
1/2 tspn. (1.0 g.) ground coriander
1/4 tspn. (0.7 g.) ground nutmeg
-------- ----------- 76 mm. (3") collagen casings
Optional: (if you must... :roll: see instructions below*)
3/4 tspn. (3.5 g.) of ascorbic acid
2-1/2 tspns. (10.0 g.) phosphate

Partially freeze the beef and pork fat. Prepare the F-LC culture with distilled water according to the directions on the package. Allow a "lag phase" for the bacteria to wake up while you trim any excess fat from the beef and discard it. Cube the beef (1" dice) and frozen pork fat in preparation for grinding. Grind the meat and the fat through a 1/4" plate. Place them into the freezer twenty minutes, then grind them again using a 3/16"plate. Mix the cure, salt, (and phosphate if used) together with a cup of icewater and mix it with the meat until it starts to develop a sticky meat paste. Add the remaining dry ingredients and the liquid smoke and continue mixing for 30 seconds more. Finally, add the F-LC culture and mix 30 seconds more. When the mixture shows soft peaks, stuff it into 76 mm. fibrous casings and hang them to dry half an hour.

Ferment the sausage at 86° F. 24 hours in 90% humidity dropping to 85% in one day. Preheat the smoker to 110°F. and introduce hickory smoke at least four hours in 70% humidity. Gradually, only a few degrees every twenty minutes, raise the temperature of the smoker until the internal meat temperature reaches 150°F. It is most important that this temperature is not surpassed. Remove the sausages and immediately rinse them in cold water until the meat temperature drops below 90°F. Dry the sausage three days at 60°F. in 70% humidity. Store them at 50-55°F in 75% humidity.

Why use Bactoferm™ F-LC? Because it is foolproof. It`s recommended for the production of all types of fermented sausages, including this semi-dry cured product. It contains lactobacillus curvatus and pediococcus acidilactici for complete acidification as well as developing pediocin and bavaricin - both known for keeping listeria monocytogenes bacteria at safe levels. Staphylococcus xylosus in the culture, is responsible for strong color and flavor development. Depending on fermentation temperature, acidification may be traditional, fast, or extra fast. A 25-gram packet of Bactoferm™ F-LC will treat 220 pounds (100 kilo) of meat.

* I developed this recipe from a 100-pound commercial formula that is very popular in the United States. Don`t ask me how I stole.... errr... uhhh...obtained it. You know the company. Please note that the commercial formula originally contained ascorbic acid and phosphate. The amount for this 5 pound sausage recipe works out to be 3/4 tspn. (3.5 g.) of ascorbic acid and 2-1/2 tspns. (10.0 g.) phosphate (sold as "special meat binder"). I chose to omit these two additives in my own sausage, although you certainly may prefer to add them. Unquestionably, the use of phosphate will force the meat to hold more water and the ascorbic acid will give the meat a deeper red color although the staphylococcus xylosus in the Bactoferm will ensure the color and flavor.

Did you know that the term "summer sausage" originated in the old countries where peasants and field workers would make the sausage during the winter to be consumed during the summer months while working. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by el Ducko » Tue Nov 13, 2012 21:56

Here's Project B fermented chorizo, the Bactoferm™ LHP having "done its thing" for two days in the oven with an incandescent bulb, needing a few bubbles pricked, almost ready to smoke.

There was a mishap- - I grabbed the wrong bag of 80/20 ground pork, and made/stuffed the recipe with spices/cure/bacteria for a kilo but with only half a kilo of pork. It looked way too dark when stuffed, so I checked everything, and lo and behold... So I finished the fermention, stripped the casing, and mixed in another 500 grams of pork mince. (It was that, or toss it.)

The test patty came out nice and tangy. I re-stuffed, and here it is, ready to hang for a day (equilibrate) before smoking.
Image
Whew! That was close! ...nice save, if I do say so myself. There's a really nice tangy flavor from the fermentation. It's a hassle to do, but that flavor may well be worth the extra effort for the end result. We'll see (or rather, taste), tomorrow after smoking.
:tired-smiley: :mrgreen:
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Post by el Ducko » Tue Nov 13, 2012 22:23

The mistake is, #10 should be false.
ImageGot that, ya low-down varmint?
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Post by el Ducko » Tue Nov 13, 2012 22:37

...any advice on how to control temperature/humidity for those of us who :sad: don't have the equipment to do so?
:?: Can we use the same "light bulb in the oven and a tray full of wet salt" trick? :?:
(...or maybe some other substance, like kitty litter soaked in leftover 7-Up...)
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Post by Cabonaia » Wed Nov 14, 2012 01:08

Yes sir. I'd recommend you do what I did. I hung 5 lbs. of sausage over a stick suspended between 2 chairs in a cool room that maintained a fairly steady temperature. I hung a big towel over the chairs/sticks/sausages, and beneath that kept a wide, shallow bowl of water. I monitored the temperature and humidity constantly. Sometimes it was just right, but usually at least within the high and low recommended control points.

After the sausages had lost 40% of their weight, I determined that they were case hardened, rancid, and according to all the best advice, dangerous. With tears, I threw them away. I put the word out until I got a free refrigerator from a friend who was remodeling her kitchen. With the addition of a freezer conroller ($50), humidistat ($50), and humidifier ($35), and the help of a common power drill, I was in business.

This process works very well, and if you follow it closely, you will lose only 1 batch of sausage. :mrgreen:
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Project B Cervelat

Post by redzed » Fri Nov 16, 2012 06:59

For the semi-dry fermented Project B sausage I crafted a 4 kg. batch of cervelat according to Marianski. Very close to the summer sausage recipe, and smoked for 12 hours. (Used cherry pellets which seem to impart a dark mahogany colour). I also utilized the Mondo 2M starter culture rather than F-L-C, because I had an open packet in the freezer. But, unfortunately all did not go well. I got carried away with something else and over baked it. I took it to about 155, rather than 140. So, while I did not have any fat-out and the texture is good, the long smoke and the higher temp formed a bit of a second skin under the fibrous casing. I dried it for four days in my garage with the temp being a steady 10°C and RH of 70%. The taste is quite pleasant, nothing overpowers or dominates, and it went well tonight with some smoked cheddar and a glass of plonk. A bit more tang, however, would have improved it.

The sausage will not go to waste, but I am disappointed somewhat that with all the work and such promise, I screwed up at the very end. Will have to make it again.

Image
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Post by snagman » Fri Nov 16, 2012 07:04

Hey Red,
They look great, what's wrong with them, just overcooked ? What is the dominant taste of Cervelat ?
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Post by Chuckwagon » Fri Nov 16, 2012 07:42

Hey Snaggo!
Here is Stan`s intro and recipe for Cervelat. It`s a mild but nice summer sausage. It looks like our buddy Redzed has done an outstanding job making it. (I sure can`t see much wrong with it Chris. You`ve done some very nice work there pal.) Snag and I would love to "test" it for you... anytime!

Cervelat

European semi-dry sausage, an equivalent of American summer sausage. Definition covers countless recipes and sausages with the name cervelat made in many countries. You can call Thuringer, the Thuringer Cervelat, or Summer Sausage the Cervelat Summer sausage and both names are correct describing the same type of sausage.


beef 700 g (1.54 lb.)
pork 300 g (0.66 lb.)
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of meat
salt 23 g 4 tsp.
Cure #1 2.5 g 1/2 tsp.
dextrose (glucose) 10.0 g 2 tsp.
black pepper, ground 3.0 g 11/2 tsp.
black pepper, whole 2.0 g 1 tsp.
coriander 2.0 g 1 tsp.
mustard seeds, whole 4.0 g 2 tsp.
ginger 1.0 g 1/2 tsp.
F-LC culture 0.24 g use scale
Instructions
1. Grind pork and beef through 3/16" plate (5 mm).
2. Mix all ingredients with meat.
3. Stuff into beef middles or fibrous casings about 60 mm diameter, form 30" links.
4. Ferment at 38° C (100° F) for 24 hours, 90-85% humidity.
5. Introduce warm smoke (43° C, 110° F), 70% humidity, for 12 hours. Gradually increase smoke temperature until internal meat temperature of 140° F (60° C) is obtained.
6. For a drier sausage: dry for 2 days at 22-16° C (60-70° F), 65-75% humidity or until desired weight loss has occurred.
7. Store sausages at 10-15° C (50-59° F), 75% humidity.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! :D
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Post by el Ducko » Fri Nov 16, 2012 16:56

(moved from the "Photos Only" thread. No photos!) {Duh.}

My semi-dry, fermented, smoked, cooked, and whatever else Project B chorizo offering is now ready. (Operators are standing by.) My recovery from near disaster (mis-measuring the pork, mixing, fermenting, then adding more pork) worked well enough. There is a nice tangy taste from the ferment, which I consider a success.

Overall, I would call this chorizo recipe an intermediate step between my usual fresh or smoked chorizo recipes and the fermented dry "real thing" from Spain. In that regard, it was a good educational exercise, and tinkering with the flavor has good possibilities, but the recipe would require further work in order to complement this particular tang to best advantage. :???: To do so, my best course would be to study the fermented, dried chorizos of Spain, then spend some serious time and money on it.

I lack the temperature and humidity controllers that many of our more serious forum members have, so may have to wait a year or two in order to go further down the fermentation route. (I suppose I should do it properly by moving, first, to Maryland, then to Victoria, BC, but now we're talkin' BIG bucks.)(Danger- - possible venison "buck" joke may be inserted here.) However, savings account aside, this has been a useful and very educational journey so far, and I plan to continue tinkering around the margins of the fermented sausage regime, as well as completing Project B. Onward to beef sticks!

But first, I gotta have more of that wonderful csabaii recipe. Double recipe, this time.
:mrgreen:
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Post by grasshopper » Sun Nov 18, 2012 01:48

I finally found ground pasillia spice at www.myspicesage.com. Free shipping in the USA and great prices, with a lot of different spices to choose from. Now I can make the real chorizo recipe. :lol:
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