Additives Used In Sausage
Soy Protein Concentrate And Non-Fat Dry Milk
Soy protein concentrate is not a mysterious, risky, chemical additive. It is a natural, tasteless, concentration of the soybean, in white powdered form, containing up to 250% more protein than steak. Soy protein is invaluable in the sausage making process as it causes meat to retain its juices and maintain its volume, while it serves as a binder. Slap a burger on the griddle made only from freshly ground meat and see what happens! It crumbles, shrinks, and the juices run out during cooking - while those served at your favorite local burger joint (containing soy protein concentrate), retain their juices, holding their shape and volume.
Dairy fine, non-fat dry milk accomplishes the very same tasks. Used as a binder for sausage, the granulated type found in a grocery store is not the substance to place into sausage. Powdered dry milk with the consistency of cornstarch is available from sausage making supply stores. There are limits to observe and the amount used in sausages should not exceed 3-1/2%, as higher amounts produce a mushy product with a "beany" flavor. The use of both products has only one drawback. Fresh meat won`t sear and brown nearly as well as an untreated product. As it cooks, it may appear tasteless and bland although it is not. What may we do about it? Use another natural product to hold the color of the meat inside - corn syrup solids. Powdered dextrose may also be used as a browning agent for sausage.
Corn Syrup Solids
Corn syrup, dried into solid flakes, is also used as a binder in sausage, as well as maintaining the fermentation bacteria (lactobacilli) necessary for that great tangy taste in dry-cured products. Perhaps the most important feature of corn syrup solids is the preservation of color in meat, allowing it to be browned although it may contain soy protein.
Powdered Dextrose
Powdered dextrose is only 70% as sweet as sugar and is often used as a browning base for sausage containing either soy protein concentrate or non-fat dry milk. The product is also used to support lactic acid organisms by assisting fermentation, producing the tangy flavor in many dry cured sausages.
In the sausage making world, two specific families of lactic acid bacteria have been almost universally chosen to meet the needs of fermented type sausages. These are lactobacillus and pediococcus - both symbiotic. Each includes its own strains and depending upon the qualities desired in a specific product, more than one strain may be combined in one culture. Some do well in higher salt content, others do not. Some do better than others at higher (or lower) temperatures. The strains most beneficial (therefore most commonly used), of lactobacilli include: lactobacillus pentosus, lactobacillus curvatus, lactobacillus plantarum, lactobacillus farciminis, lactobacillus sakei, et.al. Of the pediococci, two widely used strains are pediococcus pentosaceus and pediococcus acidilactici. These are the workhorses of fermentation, thriving on sugar - dextrose ideally - as glucose (dextrose) is the most simple of all forms of sugar, being utilized quickly to produce rapid fermentation. Glucose, produced from cornstarch, is only about 70% as sweet as sucrose refined from sugar beets or sugar cane, then being combined with fructose from fruit. Lactose (called milk sugar) binds water very well but has poor fermenting quality and non-fat dry milk contains about 52% lactose. For this reason, I choose to add dextrose to fermented sausage rather than powdered milk composed of more than half lactose - the worst choice of fermenting sugars. Moreover, there are limits to be considered in using added sugar as the more that is used, the more sour or "tangy" the product will become.
Salt
Never reduce or increase the prescribed amount of salt in a sausage recipe, as measured levels help destroy trichinae, inhibit growth of other bacteria and organisms, and serve as a binder. Salt also fine-tunes certain proteins in meat enabling them to hold water. Since the development of sodium nitrite in Prague Powder, sausages usually contain less than 3% salt. Previously, preserved meat required up to 8% sodium chloride (table salt) - enough to permanently raise anybody`s blood pressure!
Fermento
Fermento is a product blend of cultured whey protein and skim milk producing a quick tangy flavor in semi-dry cured sausages such as venison summer sausage, cervelat, goteborg and other summer sausages. Use one ounce per two pounds of meat, but do not exceed six pounds in 100lbs. of meat. (Five pounds of Fermento will process approximately 160 lbs. of meat.) Too much used in a sausage recipe (over 6%), will produce a mushy texture.
Fat Replacer
Fat Replacer is a product made by the Sausagemaker™ in Buffalo, New York. It is made of Konjac flour (from a plant root), xanthan gum (fermented glucose), and microcrystalline cellulose (cellulose from plants). The first two ingredients are water soluble. Microcrystalline cellulose is not. Fat Replacer simulates the "creamy" mouthfeel of fat and can be used in everything from grilled burgers to dry-cured salami. It contains almost no calories and it`s affordable. A proven cholesterol fighter, it is USDA approved. One half pound will treat 60 pounds of meat.
The Sausage Making Process
Sausages are generally made following proven steps in particular sequence, varying slightly with the type of sausage being made.
1. Selection Of Meat
2. Chopping, Seasoning, & Preparation
3. Curing - Fermenting
4. Grinding
5. Mixing & Developing The Primary Bind
6. Stuffing
7. Fermentation (if dry-cured)
6. Drying
7. Smoking
8. Cooking
9. Cooling
10. Storage
Selecting, Chopping, And Curing Meat
As your familiarity with bacteria and other microorganisms increases, and with a little practice in cutting, grinding, curing, mixing, stuffing, and finishing a few batches of sausage, you`ll begin to realize that your success in making quality sausage lies not as much in the ingredients found in a recipe as it is with the process you`ve used to achieve it. Almost every beginner dreams about discovering the "secret" formula for the world`s greatest sausage! Most spend hours closely scrutinizing recipes in books and the internet only to discover in time that the vast majority of sausage contains merely salt and pepper and just one or two more commonly used spices. At first, many believe they can "fudge" just a bit on the precise techniques and processing procedures, especially in dealing with proper temperatures. In due course, the quality of the product suffers and usually the recipe receives the blame. Although many beginners give up at this point, determined folks begin to correctly focus their attention on the details of accurate processing techniques, armed with the savvy of how microorganisms affect their product. Only then, will a novice begin to realize there is no such thing as a secret recipe.
Many people are under the impression that sausage is made from random odds and ends, cut from cheap meats being ground up with all sorts of cereals and fillers added to disguise awful offal. Rytek Kutas, the ol` Sausagemaker™ himself, used to say, "junky meat makes junky sausage". The plain truth is good sausage is made from good meat. Most trained meat cutters and butchers today, do a great job in removing sinew, gristle, clots of blood, excess fat, and glands from meat processed and sold commercially. At home, we must be quite diligent in locating these impurities and removing them.
The freshness of meat is important and storing it more than a couple of days in a refrigerator or more than a few weeks in a freezer, will definitely affect the taste of otherwise great sausage. Beginners often ask if they may use frozen meat in sausage. The answer if yes, but it is certainly better fresh as ice crystals rupture meat cells during the freezing process. Many people recommend using only a maximum of one quarter frozen meat with three quarters fresh. It is interesting to note that much commercially made sausage is made from "quickly frozen" meat using special equipment. When "flash" frozen, ice crystals do much less damage to meat cells.
Many beginners believe they can just begin tossing large chunks of meat into a grinder and be done with it. That reasoning is like me... just won`t work! First, cold meat just out of the refrigerator is placed onto a clean plastic cutting board. Place the chunks inside a clean container or on a tray inside the deep freezer for a few minutes to firm up the meat, ready for curing or grinding, being careful not to freeze them solid. Old wooden cutting boards are a thing of the past. Use sharpened boning, chef`s, and butcher knives to cut the meat quickly into chunks no larger than 2 inches. Keep a sharpening steel at hand for honing the edges of your knives often. By cutting the meat into chunks, many problems are eliminated before grinding. Any connective tissue or sinew is cut into short lengths rather than long strands invariably wrapping themselves around the center of the rotating cutting blade in the grinder. If you see "smearing" taking place or sausage exiting the plate holes looking bland and ragged, you`ll know you must take the grinder apart and clean the blade.
Use an ultra sharp boning knife and closely carve the flesh from the "Y" shaped bone of a nearly frozen pork butt. Trim the bulk of the fat and place it in a clean plastic freezer bag stored in the freezer. Remove the gristle, glands, blood veins, and any clots, cutting the meat into two-inch chunks ready for the grinder. What do you do with the bones? Don`t boil them. Barely simmer `em of course, with a carrot, stalk of celery, a clove of garlic, and a shake of salt to make great stock for soups and stews. If you are working with more than one butt, place the trimmed cubes back into the refrigerator, while you work on another. Never miss a chance to refrigerate the meat you are working with, even if it will only be left out a few minutes. Keep it cold to minimize bacteria reproduction and to ensure good texture later on. Don`t become obsessed with trimming every little bit of fat from the lean meat; its all going to go through the grinder eventually, and right now, it needs to be put back into the refrigerator to cure.
The two-inch cubes of meat are often "cured" and spiced before being ground. Many recipes have you add sodium nitrite (and any number of additives mixed with a little water), to chunks placed inside a food-grade plastic packing "lug" covered with cloth for curing 72 hours in a refrigerator, being "overhauled" each day. At the end of this "curing" time period, the chunks are then "minced" (ground) and then mixed until the protein myosin develops. Other recipes call for the mincing of the meat right away - as soon as the 2" chunks come out of the refrigerator, being nearly frozen. Weigh spices and additives ahead of time, including the cures (nitrite or nitrate) mixed with water, and process them in a food processor. While you mix the spices and cures, place the grinder plate and knife into the freezer also.
Grinding, Seasoning, And Mixing
Does good sausage have to contain fat? Absolutely! Fat not only adds flavor and creamy, lubricating, moisture to good sausage, in an established, conventional amount, it is entirely necessary for good texture. The USDA limits fat content in fresh pork sausage to 50% and 30% in beef sausage, although we`ve found that about 20-25% fat makes a pretty good product. Of course, specific types of sausages may require more or less fat in their recipes. Still, there`s no such thing as reduced-fat sausage. Without fat, the flavor and texture will disappoint everyone. That being said, I am only able to think of one exception to the rule. Jerky is made using the very least possible fat, as it becomes rancid in the product over time. Jerky is dried - not cooked; the leaner, the better.
Does pork blend well with beef? Completely! Sausage products include ground meat in all sorts of varieties and proportions usually mixed with spices. If you are a beginner, you may wish to prove your recipe by making only a few pounds of sausage before carving up ten pounds of pork butts. Always cook and taste a small patty after the mixing step before adding more spice.
Sausage evolved for one reason only - to preserve meat. Our ancestors must have been terribly disheartened following the major group effort of tracking and slaying an animal, just to lose most of the carcass to food spoilage bacteria. Early man simply knew nothing about preserving meat, but as time passed, he found that by cooking, drying, and adding salt, it took longer to spoil. The greatest discovery came when sodium nitrate and nitrite were found as natural contaminants in salt. Suddenly, preserved meat had even more advantages. For the first time, man was able to travel with a reserve of dried and salted preserved meat at his disposal. Of course, it had to be reconstituted in water and rinsed of its salt, but it was indeed preserved. As intestines were stripped of their contents and cleaned, they were filled with spiced chopped meat and the first true convenient fast food was developed. Sausages of all types became popular everywhere on earth after Roman soldiers put together their mixture of minced pork spiced with crushed pine nuts and salt. As time went by, the process became even more refined as an array of spices was added and smoking often became part of the process, especially in northern Europe. Sausages at first were named for their place of origin (and are even now to some extent); others are named for their ingredients or tagged with a specific handle in its indigenous language. Hundreds of years have passed as enhancements have been made to proven favorites and new varieties have been added. Today, having the benefit of centuries of improvements, and increasing expertise, we enjoy the finest sausages in all history.
Will you be using the "old style" hand-crank grinder (mincer) you found in Grandma`s basement? You might have to replace the plate and blade. Maybe you`ve ordered a new model from any number of sources. They haven`t changed much over many years and old-style, hand cranked machines yet remain the very best for producing a few pounds of products at a time - as long as the blades are sharp. If Granny`s old blades were just worn out and dull, rest assured you may order new ones at modest prices from any sausage supply store. Many old models may be modernized by replacing the hand-crank with a pulley and an electric motor driving the auger by simply changing the auger bushing. Investing merely a few bucks, you may install a brass bushing, gear down the speed, and save much time and labor. Not interested? If you are like me, occasionally I just have to give up my electric grinder to lay my mitts on my old-time, cast-iron crank machine. Its nostalgic and it allows time for my wife and I to talk about the ol` times and enjoy each other`s company while doing something we both enjoy!
Many better electric mixers are sold with meat-grinding (mincing) attachments. Although they are smaller, require a little more time, and are definitely not for commercial use, some home hobbyists use them satisfactorily. Although there is also usually an attachment for stuffing casings with this type grinder, it is not recommended due to its exceedingly slow stuffing speed. It is best to purchase a designated vertical stuffer to save frustration. There are now quite a few companies making rather decent home-grinding units available at a moderate price. Most are of good quality with size 8 or 10 plate, yet are not intended for commercial use. For the hobbyist, it might be just the right machine for occasional use.
If a person is going to grind (mince) hundreds of pounds of sausage, a professional unit becomes vital. A quality heavy-duty grinder is usually an expensive item! If your funds are limited, it may pay to check around with various sources to see if a used grinder in good condition might be obtained. Many are rebuilt and re-sold by suppliers.
Set up your grinder being sure the grinding blade is screwed firmly against the plate, providing some resistance as you crank the handle, or "load" the motor ever so slightly, preventing "smearing" of the meat. Simply turn the outside cast iron securing ring clockwise with your left hand while turning the crank with your right hand until you encounter definite friction resistance. Does friction apply heat as the four-bladed grinder presses against the plate? Absolutely. Do people sometimes place the blade backwards into the grinder? Yes, they do. All motorized and hand-cranked grinders turn clockwise. Partially frozen fresh meat helps to reduce elevated temperatures produced by grinding friction. Yet, for best results, add a little ice water or crushed ice frequently, as you grind. Never add solid ice, as meat-cutting blades are not designed to grind solid ice and will become dull quickly. Old-time grinder blades are hypereutectoid carbon steel, cast and hardened at more than Rockwell C-60. You may not wish to sharpen them yourself, unless you are a machinist with a grinding "platen". Dull blades may be replaced for about ten dollars each. Please note that the parts of your grinder and stuffer should be lubricated with FDA approved "food-grade" white grease rather than any type of cooking oil. When exposed to air, cooking oils become tacky and rancid in time. Generally, for aesthetic purposes, lean meat is ground coarsely while fatter meat is ground finely. If you`d like your sausages to have a more attractive and professionally finished appearance, grind the partially, or nearly frozen meat, using a 3/16" or 1/4" larger plate, and then separately grind the fat through smaller 1/8" holes in another plate.
Spices In Sausage
Beginners, almost without exception, introduce too many varieties and excessive quantities of spices into their sausage. Attempting to improve grandpa`s old time "secret" recipe, most soon discover their own hodgepodge doesn`t taste anything at all as expected. Nor is there a constant flow of neighbors knocking at the door, hoping to get their mitts on the stuff. The sad truth is, most beginners usually toss out ten or more pounds of otherwise great pork, not to mention losing time and labor spent grinding and stuffing the meat. The fact remains, for thousands of years, the best sausage recipes have been the most simple and often contain merely a sprinkling of spices. A vast number of sausage makers use only salt and pepper as seasoning. Others add a "signature spice" as fennel in Italian sausage, or marjoram in Polish kielbasa. Beginners quickly learn that even the slightest departure from an accepted and "tried" recipe may cause immense dissimilarity in a finished product. With experience, most come to realize that the spices and herbs best suited for sausage fit into a pretty tight group:
Allspice
Anise
Bay leaf
Caraway
Cardamom
Celery Seed
Chili Powder
Cloves
Allspice
Anise
Bay leaf
Caraway
Cardamom
Celery Seed
Chili Powder
Cloves
Corainder
Cumin
Curry Powder
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Juniper
Mace
Marjoram
Mustard
Nutmeg
Onion
Paprika
Pepper (black)
Pepper (Cayenne)
Pepper (Red)
Pepper (White)
Peppercorns (green)
Peppercorns (pink)
Sage
Salt
Tarragon
Thyme
A good carpenter "measures twice and cuts once"! Great sausage makers check their ingredient measurements twice then stuff casings once. Whenever working with large amounts of sodium nitrate/nitrite, I`ve often asked other sausage makers to check my math. I`d rather be slightly humiliated than greatly mortified by injuring someone by adding the wrong amount of curing agent. Usually mixed with spices, proper distribution of curing agents is crucial to sausage safety. Prepare the proper amount of Instacure (Prague Powder) by stirring it into a little cold water. Review the recipe and determine if you are going to use nitrate or nitrite. Remember, Cure # 2 contains both nitrate and nitrite and is used in "dry-cured" products or whole meats. Add spices with more cold water producing a well-blended and thickened "soup". If you have a blender or food processor, use it to completely intersperse the liquid, spices, and curing agents, before adding the "soup" to ground meat. Next, thoroughly combine the mixed "soup" with the ground meat, using sterile plastic gloves covering your hands, or by using a mixing machine, until the curing agent and spices are evenly distributed completely throughout the meat. Most beginners having mixed meat by hand a few times will consider the purchase of a good mixing machine to avoid painfully cold hands. For persons suffering with arthritis, there`s nothing like a good electric or hand-cranked mixer! If you are going to mix large amounts of sausage, you may wish to investigate the "geared", hand-cranked, stainless steel model sausage mixer available from most suppliers.
Project KB (For Beginners)
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Chuckwagon
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Chuckwagon
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- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
The "Primary Bind"
The next step is probably the most overlooked (by novices) in the entire sausage making process. Ground (comminuted) meat does not naturally bind or hold together. Having minced or ground meat for sausage, we must remember the simple task of developing a "sticky meat paste" that sausage makers refer to as the "primary bind". In technical terms, the cold meat (just above the freezing point) must be mixed and kneaded well enough to develop the protein myosin. As this occurs, the mass will become sticky and develop peaks when pulled apart. The proper development of myosin is critical for good texture in the finished product, although the meat shouldn`t be over mixed, as this practice, along with adding too much water, may result in the sausage becoming mushy. Worse, sausages may shrink and appear somewhat flat and wrinkly, as the excess moisture evaporates. Do all you can to develop a thickened, sticky "meat paste". Will your sterile plastic glove-covered hands become unbearably cold? Yes. Manual mixers of every type may be ordered from any sausage-making supplier.
To illustrate the importance of developing the primary bind, try to recall the last time you made burgers for grilling. Have you ever just haphazardly formed a ball of sausage into a flat patty for frying? Again, ground meat just does not naturally bind or hold together. Your burger probably fell apart as you attempted to turn it on the grill. But as you learned to work with the meat, tossing it from hand to hand, mixing and pressing it in your hands, the meat became sticky and held together before grilling. The protein myosin was developed as you "worked" the meat and indeed, your finished burger was appetizing, juicy, cooked to perfection, and best of all, it held together! The mixture in your sausages needs the same extra bit of care to have great texture. Develop the primary bind!
Casings And Stuffing
For years, I used a push-type horn stuffer complete with a lever-driven piston, and I often invented new and exciting, colorful, adjectives and nouns. From the onset, it became evident that adding moisture to the meat mixture was necessary just to be able to press the meat mixture through the *!#*! device into casings. Most of the time, the sausage (with too much added water) turned out mushy and many times just pulling the handle down required the assistance of three men and a boy! Impressing no one with my vibrant vocabulary, and finding my marriage in jeopardy, I eventually purchased a hand-cranked, geared, vertical model stuffer from Rytek Kutas during his "early days" - one of the best investments of my lifetime. I still have it and it works just fine.
Today, like many home sausage makers, I use a motorized grinder and never add moisture to sausage with the exception of finely crushed ice to cool the blade and of course, just a bit of water to make the "soup" containing the cure and spices. Although it is possible to remove the blade and plate from the grinder, add a "spacer", and attach a "stuffing horn" complete with a few yards of casing ready to be stuffed, I was never able to see the wisdom in this type of setup as it is incredibly slow and frustrating! Stuffing casings right out of the grinder is poor practice, yet innumerable people believe it is proper practice. If you must process sausage in this manner, please grind the sausage into a container placed inside a bowl of ice. Mix the ground meat well to develop the myosin, cool the mixture until it nearly freezes, then pass it through the grinder again without using the blade and plate, being sure to use a "spacer" - a plate having only two large apertures, eliminating much of the resistance of trying to push the mixture through multiple holes.
Commercially made sausages are nearly always stuffed into synthetic, collagen, plastic, or other man-made casings by motorized and geared stuffers. Most often, natural casings are not used commercially since they vary in diameter and volume, making it difficult for companies to provide a consistently uniform product. Regardless of the type stuffer you choose, you should be aware that meat mixed with salt, especially combined with soy protein concentrate, will set up like cement if you don`t expedite the process a bit and get the meat into casings immediately.
Small batches of homemade sausage are best stuffed into natural hog or lamb casings being completely rinsed of packing salt inside and out. Soaked casings are placed upon the nozzle of your kitchen tap then flushed with water to remove the salt inside them. Natural casings used for your favorite sausages, are made from the submucosa collagen layers inside the intestines of sheep, hogs, and cattle. Flushed, cleaned, turned inside out and scraped with knives, they are finally salted and shipped in a saturated salt solution. They have historically been the ideal container for the world`s first "convenience food". Moisture and heat make casing more porous and tend to soften them, explaining why smoking, cooking, and humidity must be carefully controlled. The secrets of the old mom-and-pop "wurstmachers" over hundreds of years, have been developed into a most efficient and safely consumed product today, although now, there aren`t enough to go around! As a consequence, commercial sausage makers now use plastic, cellulose, and collagen casings almost exclusively.
Hog casings (upper intestines) are sold in 91-meter lengths cut into "hanks" 1 to 2 meters long and gathered into bundles called "shorts". Their average diameter is about 35 millimeters and may be used for cooked sausages, pepperoni, Italian sausage, Kielbasa, Kishka, larger franks, and a host of other stuffed sausages. Hog middles (middle intestines called "chitterlings") are curly in appearance and cut into one-meter lengths, sold in bundles of nine or ten. They are available in wide, medium, or narrow calibers, determined by the location of the item within the animal. Middles are ideal for Braunschweiger, liver sausages, dry salami, and Italian salami. Hog bungs (called "fat ends") are the intestine`s extreme southern end of a north-bound pig. Bungs are sold individually and are used primarily for liver sausage and Branschweiger, Genoa salami, Thuringer, and summer sausage. Diameters vary from 55 to 90 millimeters.
Measured by diameter in millimeters, small breakfast sausages require 29-35 mm. casings. Use 35-38 mm. casings for Polish sausage, and 38-42 mm. for summer sausage and larger Polish or liverwurst sausages. For small batches of sausage, use a partial "hank", replacing leftover casings inside their salt solution in an airtight refrigerated container. Sheep casings are more delicate, used for the best sausages, are smaller in diameter, and high in quality. Available in 18-28 millimeter diameters, they are often used for frankfurters, fresh pork sausages, cabanosa, Bockwurst, Chipolata, and slim-jim beer sticks.
The three most used beef casings are "bung caps", "beef rounds", and `beef middles". The caps are used with capicola, large Bologna, and cooked salami. Beef "rounds" derive their name from their characteristic "ring" shape, and are used for stuffing ring Bologna, ring liver sausage, Mettwurst, Polish sausage, blood sausages, and Polish Kishka and German Holsteiner. Beef "middles" are used for Leona sausage, all types of Bologna, Cervelats, cooked salami, and veal sausage. Beef middles are sold in "sets" of 9 and measure 18 meters in length (30 feet). Beef bladders are the largest diameter casings acquired from cattle, are oval and used for Mortadella and other specialty sausage.
Whenever using fresh hog or lamb casings, prepare them by soaking and flushing them with fresh cold water. As they soak, rinse the packing salt from their insides by placing only one at a time, inside a bowl of water beneath the tap in your sink. Open one end of the processed, cleaned, and salted intestine, slipping an inch or more of it over the water tap. Flush cold water through the casing for a few minutes, to remove any remaining salt. As you remove the casing from the tap, allow a bubble of water to remain inside then gather the full length of the casing over a stuffing tube first lubricated with water. Never attempt to lubricate the stuffer with butter or any other lubricant other than water, as this will affect the cooking-smoking of the skin later on. Stuff the entire casing firmly before linking uniform lengths by pinching off a desired amount, holding each end using both hands, then twisting each new link by flipping it forward in a circular motion twice. Many folks tie lengths using 100% cotton string although fingers become sore if there is much sausage to be linked. It is important to immediately remove any air pockets in the sausages by pricking the links with sterile needles in multiple locations along the entire length of the sausage. I use a piano tuner's "voicing tool" with a spiffy hardwood handle and four needles. Trapped air, if not removed, becomes the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Don`t be concerned about the small holes made in the sausage. The tiny holes will seal themselves almost immediately and natural casings will shrink equally with the meat while being cooked or dried.
Generally, smaller casings allow about half the volume of meat to be stuffed into them as when using those of a little larger diameter, and there is now a trend for sausage makers to stuff even simple breakfast sausage into 32-35 mm. hog casings instead of the traditionally smaller lamb casings. As with all natural casings, unused portions may be replaced into their original containers of saturated salt solution and may be stored for an indefinite period of time when refrigerated.
Synthetic And Fibrous Casings
Each year, in the United States alone, there are billions of pounds of sausage produced. Livestock simply cannot produce enough casings to wrap all the luncheon meats and sausages we devour annually. Today, about 80% of the sausage sold in your local market is stuffed into synthetic casings. Thank goodness for cellulose and plastic! There is an array of colors - red for Bologna, white for liverwurst, and clear-colored for salami and an assortment of other favorites. Some have a coating of protein inside which causes the casing to shrink along with the meat as it dries. Fibrous casings have the added strength of fibers running lengthwise through them, giving them added strength, allowing packers to stuff them more tightly eliminating air pockets. This casing is actually porous enough to allow the absorption of smoke.
Collagen Casings
Where was this stuff fifty years ago? Collagen is not synthetic, as most people seem to believe. It is the insoluble fibrous protein in connective tissue in cattle and other vertebrates. Upon prolonged heating, it yields gelatin and glue used in many products. In the sausage-casing industry, it is simply the flesh-side, corium layer of cattle hides, swelled in an acid, then sieved and filtered before being extruded into sausage casings. It`s wonderful stuff, fully digestible, not erratic in size, doesn`t need to be cleaned, flushed, or even pre-soaked, and remains fairly strong for stuffing, yet is most tender to the tooth. It is shipped to you inside sanitary containers, ready to be stuffed onto the horn without additional washing, soaking, or handling. The only single drawback with using collagen casings is they cannot be twisted into links and have to be tied with string. Collagen casings are ideal for smoked or dry-cured sausages. In smaller diameters, breakfast sausages don`t even have to be linked; simply cut them to length with scissors after stuffing. Whenever making 19 m.m. snak-stix, collagen casings can`t be beat.
Casing Problems
Natural casings are shipped packed in a salt solution inside sealed containers. It is most unlikely they will decay. However, infrequently gas builds up and its odor will cause you to believe either the contents have spoiled, or that someone has buried a body in the basement! Simply wash and use the casings, packing any left over in saturated, uniodized, kosher salt solution. Casings on fresh sausage may be tough if the product is cooked at too high a temperature for too short a period of time. Casings may also be tough if not soaked long enough before being stuffed. If smoke will not penetrate casings, they have not dried properly. In some cases, smoke may penetrate the casing but will be deposited on the meat`s surface, permitting separation. On the other hand, if casings are over dried, smoke will be deposited upon the surface with very little flavor penetration.
Collagen casings must dry a bit before they are able to handle the weight of their contents while hanging them in your smoker. If the humidity is too high in the smokehouse, they may fall. If casings wrinkle, they may have been too dry before stuffing, under stuffed, or improperly cooled. Following cooking inside a smokehouse, sausages should immediately be showered with cold water, hung at room temperature for an hour, then removed to a cooler overnight.
The next step is probably the most overlooked (by novices) in the entire sausage making process. Ground (comminuted) meat does not naturally bind or hold together. Having minced or ground meat for sausage, we must remember the simple task of developing a "sticky meat paste" that sausage makers refer to as the "primary bind". In technical terms, the cold meat (just above the freezing point) must be mixed and kneaded well enough to develop the protein myosin. As this occurs, the mass will become sticky and develop peaks when pulled apart. The proper development of myosin is critical for good texture in the finished product, although the meat shouldn`t be over mixed, as this practice, along with adding too much water, may result in the sausage becoming mushy. Worse, sausages may shrink and appear somewhat flat and wrinkly, as the excess moisture evaporates. Do all you can to develop a thickened, sticky "meat paste". Will your sterile plastic glove-covered hands become unbearably cold? Yes. Manual mixers of every type may be ordered from any sausage-making supplier.
To illustrate the importance of developing the primary bind, try to recall the last time you made burgers for grilling. Have you ever just haphazardly formed a ball of sausage into a flat patty for frying? Again, ground meat just does not naturally bind or hold together. Your burger probably fell apart as you attempted to turn it on the grill. But as you learned to work with the meat, tossing it from hand to hand, mixing and pressing it in your hands, the meat became sticky and held together before grilling. The protein myosin was developed as you "worked" the meat and indeed, your finished burger was appetizing, juicy, cooked to perfection, and best of all, it held together! The mixture in your sausages needs the same extra bit of care to have great texture. Develop the primary bind!
Casings And Stuffing
For years, I used a push-type horn stuffer complete with a lever-driven piston, and I often invented new and exciting, colorful, adjectives and nouns. From the onset, it became evident that adding moisture to the meat mixture was necessary just to be able to press the meat mixture through the *!#*! device into casings. Most of the time, the sausage (with too much added water) turned out mushy and many times just pulling the handle down required the assistance of three men and a boy! Impressing no one with my vibrant vocabulary, and finding my marriage in jeopardy, I eventually purchased a hand-cranked, geared, vertical model stuffer from Rytek Kutas during his "early days" - one of the best investments of my lifetime. I still have it and it works just fine.
Today, like many home sausage makers, I use a motorized grinder and never add moisture to sausage with the exception of finely crushed ice to cool the blade and of course, just a bit of water to make the "soup" containing the cure and spices. Although it is possible to remove the blade and plate from the grinder, add a "spacer", and attach a "stuffing horn" complete with a few yards of casing ready to be stuffed, I was never able to see the wisdom in this type of setup as it is incredibly slow and frustrating! Stuffing casings right out of the grinder is poor practice, yet innumerable people believe it is proper practice. If you must process sausage in this manner, please grind the sausage into a container placed inside a bowl of ice. Mix the ground meat well to develop the myosin, cool the mixture until it nearly freezes, then pass it through the grinder again without using the blade and plate, being sure to use a "spacer" - a plate having only two large apertures, eliminating much of the resistance of trying to push the mixture through multiple holes.
Commercially made sausages are nearly always stuffed into synthetic, collagen, plastic, or other man-made casings by motorized and geared stuffers. Most often, natural casings are not used commercially since they vary in diameter and volume, making it difficult for companies to provide a consistently uniform product. Regardless of the type stuffer you choose, you should be aware that meat mixed with salt, especially combined with soy protein concentrate, will set up like cement if you don`t expedite the process a bit and get the meat into casings immediately.
Small batches of homemade sausage are best stuffed into natural hog or lamb casings being completely rinsed of packing salt inside and out. Soaked casings are placed upon the nozzle of your kitchen tap then flushed with water to remove the salt inside them. Natural casings used for your favorite sausages, are made from the submucosa collagen layers inside the intestines of sheep, hogs, and cattle. Flushed, cleaned, turned inside out and scraped with knives, they are finally salted and shipped in a saturated salt solution. They have historically been the ideal container for the world`s first "convenience food". Moisture and heat make casing more porous and tend to soften them, explaining why smoking, cooking, and humidity must be carefully controlled. The secrets of the old mom-and-pop "wurstmachers" over hundreds of years, have been developed into a most efficient and safely consumed product today, although now, there aren`t enough to go around! As a consequence, commercial sausage makers now use plastic, cellulose, and collagen casings almost exclusively.
Hog casings (upper intestines) are sold in 91-meter lengths cut into "hanks" 1 to 2 meters long and gathered into bundles called "shorts". Their average diameter is about 35 millimeters and may be used for cooked sausages, pepperoni, Italian sausage, Kielbasa, Kishka, larger franks, and a host of other stuffed sausages. Hog middles (middle intestines called "chitterlings") are curly in appearance and cut into one-meter lengths, sold in bundles of nine or ten. They are available in wide, medium, or narrow calibers, determined by the location of the item within the animal. Middles are ideal for Braunschweiger, liver sausages, dry salami, and Italian salami. Hog bungs (called "fat ends") are the intestine`s extreme southern end of a north-bound pig. Bungs are sold individually and are used primarily for liver sausage and Branschweiger, Genoa salami, Thuringer, and summer sausage. Diameters vary from 55 to 90 millimeters.
Measured by diameter in millimeters, small breakfast sausages require 29-35 mm. casings. Use 35-38 mm. casings for Polish sausage, and 38-42 mm. for summer sausage and larger Polish or liverwurst sausages. For small batches of sausage, use a partial "hank", replacing leftover casings inside their salt solution in an airtight refrigerated container. Sheep casings are more delicate, used for the best sausages, are smaller in diameter, and high in quality. Available in 18-28 millimeter diameters, they are often used for frankfurters, fresh pork sausages, cabanosa, Bockwurst, Chipolata, and slim-jim beer sticks.
The three most used beef casings are "bung caps", "beef rounds", and `beef middles". The caps are used with capicola, large Bologna, and cooked salami. Beef "rounds" derive their name from their characteristic "ring" shape, and are used for stuffing ring Bologna, ring liver sausage, Mettwurst, Polish sausage, blood sausages, and Polish Kishka and German Holsteiner. Beef "middles" are used for Leona sausage, all types of Bologna, Cervelats, cooked salami, and veal sausage. Beef middles are sold in "sets" of 9 and measure 18 meters in length (30 feet). Beef bladders are the largest diameter casings acquired from cattle, are oval and used for Mortadella and other specialty sausage.
Whenever using fresh hog or lamb casings, prepare them by soaking and flushing them with fresh cold water. As they soak, rinse the packing salt from their insides by placing only one at a time, inside a bowl of water beneath the tap in your sink. Open one end of the processed, cleaned, and salted intestine, slipping an inch or more of it over the water tap. Flush cold water through the casing for a few minutes, to remove any remaining salt. As you remove the casing from the tap, allow a bubble of water to remain inside then gather the full length of the casing over a stuffing tube first lubricated with water. Never attempt to lubricate the stuffer with butter or any other lubricant other than water, as this will affect the cooking-smoking of the skin later on. Stuff the entire casing firmly before linking uniform lengths by pinching off a desired amount, holding each end using both hands, then twisting each new link by flipping it forward in a circular motion twice. Many folks tie lengths using 100% cotton string although fingers become sore if there is much sausage to be linked. It is important to immediately remove any air pockets in the sausages by pricking the links with sterile needles in multiple locations along the entire length of the sausage. I use a piano tuner's "voicing tool" with a spiffy hardwood handle and four needles. Trapped air, if not removed, becomes the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Don`t be concerned about the small holes made in the sausage. The tiny holes will seal themselves almost immediately and natural casings will shrink equally with the meat while being cooked or dried.
Generally, smaller casings allow about half the volume of meat to be stuffed into them as when using those of a little larger diameter, and there is now a trend for sausage makers to stuff even simple breakfast sausage into 32-35 mm. hog casings instead of the traditionally smaller lamb casings. As with all natural casings, unused portions may be replaced into their original containers of saturated salt solution and may be stored for an indefinite period of time when refrigerated.
Synthetic And Fibrous Casings
Each year, in the United States alone, there are billions of pounds of sausage produced. Livestock simply cannot produce enough casings to wrap all the luncheon meats and sausages we devour annually. Today, about 80% of the sausage sold in your local market is stuffed into synthetic casings. Thank goodness for cellulose and plastic! There is an array of colors - red for Bologna, white for liverwurst, and clear-colored for salami and an assortment of other favorites. Some have a coating of protein inside which causes the casing to shrink along with the meat as it dries. Fibrous casings have the added strength of fibers running lengthwise through them, giving them added strength, allowing packers to stuff them more tightly eliminating air pockets. This casing is actually porous enough to allow the absorption of smoke.
Collagen Casings
Where was this stuff fifty years ago? Collagen is not synthetic, as most people seem to believe. It is the insoluble fibrous protein in connective tissue in cattle and other vertebrates. Upon prolonged heating, it yields gelatin and glue used in many products. In the sausage-casing industry, it is simply the flesh-side, corium layer of cattle hides, swelled in an acid, then sieved and filtered before being extruded into sausage casings. It`s wonderful stuff, fully digestible, not erratic in size, doesn`t need to be cleaned, flushed, or even pre-soaked, and remains fairly strong for stuffing, yet is most tender to the tooth. It is shipped to you inside sanitary containers, ready to be stuffed onto the horn without additional washing, soaking, or handling. The only single drawback with using collagen casings is they cannot be twisted into links and have to be tied with string. Collagen casings are ideal for smoked or dry-cured sausages. In smaller diameters, breakfast sausages don`t even have to be linked; simply cut them to length with scissors after stuffing. Whenever making 19 m.m. snak-stix, collagen casings can`t be beat.
Casing Problems
Natural casings are shipped packed in a salt solution inside sealed containers. It is most unlikely they will decay. However, infrequently gas builds up and its odor will cause you to believe either the contents have spoiled, or that someone has buried a body in the basement! Simply wash and use the casings, packing any left over in saturated, uniodized, kosher salt solution. Casings on fresh sausage may be tough if the product is cooked at too high a temperature for too short a period of time. Casings may also be tough if not soaked long enough before being stuffed. If smoke will not penetrate casings, they have not dried properly. In some cases, smoke may penetrate the casing but will be deposited on the meat`s surface, permitting separation. On the other hand, if casings are over dried, smoke will be deposited upon the surface with very little flavor penetration.
Collagen casings must dry a bit before they are able to handle the weight of their contents while hanging them in your smoker. If the humidity is too high in the smokehouse, they may fall. If casings wrinkle, they may have been too dry before stuffing, under stuffed, or improperly cooled. Following cooking inside a smokehouse, sausages should immediately be showered with cold water, hung at room temperature for an hour, then removed to a cooler overnight.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! 
-
Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts: 4494
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
Check Yourself UP!
True OR False (Circle one)
(answers are at the bottom of the post)
1. T F The flavor of pork products is determined only from WHERE on the carcass the meat was taken.
2. T F Fine sausages use meat from virtually everywhere on the piggy.
3. T F The dark red meat has been supplied with plenty of oxygen because the muscle was "worked" and active during an animal`s life.
4. T F The working muscles are a little tougher than those that don't work as much.
5. T F In pork, the fat is where the flavor is.
6. T F Fatty and "marbled" meat should be avoided in sausage making.
7. T F The front leg of pork is called a "party cut".
8. T F Sausage is always made up from leftover odds and ends, thus using up all of the piggy.
9. T F Meat MUST be kept as cold as possible throughout the entire mincing, mixing, and stuffing process.
10. T F Never cut the meat into chunks before they go into the grinder. This prevents long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger, binding it down.
11. T F Freezing fat before grinding it prevents the condition known as "fat clinging".
12. T F Smearing is caused by frozen fat.
13. T F Freezing ruptures meat cells as ice crystals expand.
14. T F Exudate is a mixture of proteins, minerals, blood, water, collagen, and other meat juices we view as simply blood. Generally, this liquid should be saved and added back to the sausage.
15. T F Quick freezing pr0duces more ruptured cells in meat.
16. T F Generally, beef fat is not used in sausage as it has a strong flavor.
17. T F The most important reason for not stuffing casings as the meat leaves the grinder, is that minced meat needs to develop myocin and actin proteins that make up a sticky "meat cement".
18. T F Two percent (2%) salt in fresh type sausage or 2 grams per 100 grams of meat is about right. However, the 2% used in fresh sausage is simply not high enough for safety in a fermented "dry-cured" sausage requiring up to 3% salt.
19. T F Four to five per cent salt is unpalatable.
20. T F Everyone can make their own rules in sausagemaking because that`s what makes our hobby so interesting. In other words, you can "fudge" on established, time-honored, and proven sausagemaking regulations to make things motivating.
21. T F Most people who substitute ingredients, alter the technique, or alter the recipe, have great success in the end product, yet nearly all of these people will receive no recognition.
22. T F Only a mutton-headed, chow chuck who fell off his horse head-first into the cactus, would combine beef and pork in the same sausage.
23. T F Good sausage contains 20 to 25% fat. Fat lubricates the meat and gives it flavor. It also serves as a binder and although the content may be lowered, without it, a sausage`s texture becomes almost unpalatable.
24. T F Whenever adjusting the grinder`s cutting knife to the plate, you should be able to detect just the slightest bit of resistance on the machine.
25. T F After grinding, it is always proper to add the cure, mixed in a little water for even distribution. Then you can mix the spices and cure into the meat and continue mixing until the myosin develops a sticky meat paste. Nothing wrong with this method.
26. T F Non-sterile fresh spices and herbs from your garden may contain various bacteria from the soil and can spoil a batch of sausage within hours.
27. F F El DuckO is as sane as you or I.
28. T F Adding too much wine to sausage makes the texture crumbly because it denatures the proteins, including the very important binders actin and myocin. You should use only "dry" wine and the best way to add it is by using an atomizing "spritzer" to spray it in while it is very cold during the mixing step.
29. T F Always preheat the empty smokehouse, add the sausage, then raise the temperature gradually - only a few degrees at a time at twenty or thirty minute intervals over several hours.
30. T F While smoking and simultaneously cooking cased sausages, if the fat "breaks" (melts) due to cooking it too quickly at too high a temperature, you`ll often see orange-colored grease running onto the bottom of the smoker and you may as well toss the batch and start again.
31. T F Iodized salt used in sausage-making, leaves a metallic taste behind.
32. T F The proper development of myocron and acttosin is critical for good texture in the finished product, although the meat should never be overly-mixed, as this may result in the sausage becoming "rubbery" in texture.
33. T F It is always a good idea to develop the primary bind before vinegar, tomato, or any highly acidic foods are added.
34. T F Grind fresh black pepper just before it goes into the sausage and use a coarse "butcher`s grind" for fresher aroma and better taste.
35. T F Collagen casings cannot be linked by twisting them.
36. T F Links while using collagen casings, may be tied using string, or simply cut to length using scissors if using smaller diameter casings like those for breakfast sausages.
37. T F Avoid air pockets in sausages by loosely packing the meat into the stuffer poking it with your fingers. Make certain the pressure relief valve is working properly by spinning it around continuously for an hour while watching television. Trapped air pockets in casings are pierced deeply with a ball point pen in several places immediately following stuffing.
38. T F Considering the expense of the grain it requires to simply produce a pound of beef, the bovine is one of the most efficient animals on our planet.
39. T F The MID grades meat by looking at the amount of fat marbling in the rib eye at the 12th rib, and by the texture, color, and appearance of the rib eye.
40. T F The three basic grades of beef are prime, choice, and select. Prime is sold to restaurants and not generally available to consumers for home use.
41. T F When beef is purchased in vacuum packages, it appears dark reddish-purple. When the package is opened, exposure to oxygen causes the meat to turn bright red, and after a few days, the surface will change to brown. When you see this brown color in meat, you`ll know it is not good for making sausage.
42. T F Although the elimination of trichinae in pork is one of the most significant improvements in the industry, not everyone is happy with the reduced fat content of the hog over the last several years.
43. T F Pork is not "aged" as is beef, and it must be cut and wrapped within 24 hours of slaughter for best results.
44. T F Unlike beef, having three primary cuts along it's back, the hog has but one - the loin. The fore-end of the loin is called the "shoulder cut" or "shoulder chops", while the center cut has "rib chops".
45. T F Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite destroy the clostridium botulinum bacterium. Cooking pork past 137°F ensures the destruction of the trichinae spiralis nematode worm.
46. T F Sodium nitrite has also been found to prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes - the bacteria responsible for Listeriosis - the disease that can potentially result in the development of meningitis in newborns.
47. T F You can only smoke "fresh" sausage if it is not in casings.
48. T F Arteries return blood to the heart.
49. T F Boiled ham is always boiled before serving it.
50. T F The term "fresh" in "fresh sausage" means that the animal was harvested the morning the sausage was made.
___________________________________________
1. F (other factors as well) 2.T 3.T 4.T 5.T 6.F 7. F (picnic) 8.F 9.T 10.F 11.F 12.F 13.T 14.T 15.F 16.T 17.F 18.T 19.T 20.F 21.F 22.F 23.T 24.T 25.T 26.T 27. F 28.T 29.T 30.T 31.T 32. F (myocin and actin) 33.T 34.T 35.T 36.T 37.F 38.F 39.T 40. T 41.F 42.T 43.T 44.T 45.T 46.T 47.F 48.F 49.F 50.F
True OR False (Circle one)
(answers are at the bottom of the post)
1. T F The flavor of pork products is determined only from WHERE on the carcass the meat was taken.
2. T F Fine sausages use meat from virtually everywhere on the piggy.
3. T F The dark red meat has been supplied with plenty of oxygen because the muscle was "worked" and active during an animal`s life.
4. T F The working muscles are a little tougher than those that don't work as much.
5. T F In pork, the fat is where the flavor is.
6. T F Fatty and "marbled" meat should be avoided in sausage making.
7. T F The front leg of pork is called a "party cut".
8. T F Sausage is always made up from leftover odds and ends, thus using up all of the piggy.
9. T F Meat MUST be kept as cold as possible throughout the entire mincing, mixing, and stuffing process.
10. T F Never cut the meat into chunks before they go into the grinder. This prevents long strands of sinew from wrapping around the auger, binding it down.
11. T F Freezing fat before grinding it prevents the condition known as "fat clinging".
12. T F Smearing is caused by frozen fat.
13. T F Freezing ruptures meat cells as ice crystals expand.
14. T F Exudate is a mixture of proteins, minerals, blood, water, collagen, and other meat juices we view as simply blood. Generally, this liquid should be saved and added back to the sausage.
15. T F Quick freezing pr0duces more ruptured cells in meat.
16. T F Generally, beef fat is not used in sausage as it has a strong flavor.
17. T F The most important reason for not stuffing casings as the meat leaves the grinder, is that minced meat needs to develop myocin and actin proteins that make up a sticky "meat cement".
18. T F Two percent (2%) salt in fresh type sausage or 2 grams per 100 grams of meat is about right. However, the 2% used in fresh sausage is simply not high enough for safety in a fermented "dry-cured" sausage requiring up to 3% salt.
19. T F Four to five per cent salt is unpalatable.
20. T F Everyone can make their own rules in sausagemaking because that`s what makes our hobby so interesting. In other words, you can "fudge" on established, time-honored, and proven sausagemaking regulations to make things motivating.
21. T F Most people who substitute ingredients, alter the technique, or alter the recipe, have great success in the end product, yet nearly all of these people will receive no recognition.
22. T F Only a mutton-headed, chow chuck who fell off his horse head-first into the cactus, would combine beef and pork in the same sausage.
23. T F Good sausage contains 20 to 25% fat. Fat lubricates the meat and gives it flavor. It also serves as a binder and although the content may be lowered, without it, a sausage`s texture becomes almost unpalatable.
24. T F Whenever adjusting the grinder`s cutting knife to the plate, you should be able to detect just the slightest bit of resistance on the machine.
25. T F After grinding, it is always proper to add the cure, mixed in a little water for even distribution. Then you can mix the spices and cure into the meat and continue mixing until the myosin develops a sticky meat paste. Nothing wrong with this method.
26. T F Non-sterile fresh spices and herbs from your garden may contain various bacteria from the soil and can spoil a batch of sausage within hours.
27. F F El DuckO is as sane as you or I.
28. T F Adding too much wine to sausage makes the texture crumbly because it denatures the proteins, including the very important binders actin and myocin. You should use only "dry" wine and the best way to add it is by using an atomizing "spritzer" to spray it in while it is very cold during the mixing step.
29. T F Always preheat the empty smokehouse, add the sausage, then raise the temperature gradually - only a few degrees at a time at twenty or thirty minute intervals over several hours.
30. T F While smoking and simultaneously cooking cased sausages, if the fat "breaks" (melts) due to cooking it too quickly at too high a temperature, you`ll often see orange-colored grease running onto the bottom of the smoker and you may as well toss the batch and start again.
31. T F Iodized salt used in sausage-making, leaves a metallic taste behind.
32. T F The proper development of myocron and acttosin is critical for good texture in the finished product, although the meat should never be overly-mixed, as this may result in the sausage becoming "rubbery" in texture.
33. T F It is always a good idea to develop the primary bind before vinegar, tomato, or any highly acidic foods are added.
34. T F Grind fresh black pepper just before it goes into the sausage and use a coarse "butcher`s grind" for fresher aroma and better taste.
35. T F Collagen casings cannot be linked by twisting them.
36. T F Links while using collagen casings, may be tied using string, or simply cut to length using scissors if using smaller diameter casings like those for breakfast sausages.
37. T F Avoid air pockets in sausages by loosely packing the meat into the stuffer poking it with your fingers. Make certain the pressure relief valve is working properly by spinning it around continuously for an hour while watching television. Trapped air pockets in casings are pierced deeply with a ball point pen in several places immediately following stuffing.
38. T F Considering the expense of the grain it requires to simply produce a pound of beef, the bovine is one of the most efficient animals on our planet.
39. T F The MID grades meat by looking at the amount of fat marbling in the rib eye at the 12th rib, and by the texture, color, and appearance of the rib eye.
40. T F The three basic grades of beef are prime, choice, and select. Prime is sold to restaurants and not generally available to consumers for home use.
41. T F When beef is purchased in vacuum packages, it appears dark reddish-purple. When the package is opened, exposure to oxygen causes the meat to turn bright red, and after a few days, the surface will change to brown. When you see this brown color in meat, you`ll know it is not good for making sausage.
42. T F Although the elimination of trichinae in pork is one of the most significant improvements in the industry, not everyone is happy with the reduced fat content of the hog over the last several years.
43. T F Pork is not "aged" as is beef, and it must be cut and wrapped within 24 hours of slaughter for best results.
44. T F Unlike beef, having three primary cuts along it's back, the hog has but one - the loin. The fore-end of the loin is called the "shoulder cut" or "shoulder chops", while the center cut has "rib chops".
45. T F Sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite destroy the clostridium botulinum bacterium. Cooking pork past 137°F ensures the destruction of the trichinae spiralis nematode worm.
46. T F Sodium nitrite has also been found to prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes - the bacteria responsible for Listeriosis - the disease that can potentially result in the development of meningitis in newborns.
47. T F You can only smoke "fresh" sausage if it is not in casings.
48. T F Arteries return blood to the heart.
49. T F Boiled ham is always boiled before serving it.
50. T F The term "fresh" in "fresh sausage" means that the animal was harvested the morning the sausage was made.
___________________________________________
1. F (other factors as well) 2.T 3.T 4.T 5.T 6.F 7. F (picnic) 8.F 9.T 10.F 11.F 12.F 13.T 14.T 15.F 16.T 17.F 18.T 19.T 20.F 21.F 22.F 23.T 24.T 25.T 26.T 27. F 28.T 29.T 30.T 31.T 32. F (myocin and actin) 33.T 34.T 35.T 36.T 37.F 38.F 39.T 40. T 41.F 42.T 43.T 44.T 45.T 46.T 47.F 48.F 49.F 50.F
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill!
-
Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts: 4494
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
Take your time ol' pal. I had some extra time today and decided to catch up on some of the written material. The quizzes are for you to see how you are doing. If you miss any of the questions, you should note the content and go back and read about it. If you just don't understand something in particular, then by all means ask questions. This is a fairly comprehensive study project. It wouldn't be any good if it weren't. I designed it so you could obtain a pretty good comprehension of the hobby. One thing I do not wish to do is rush headlong into a bunch of scattered sausagemaking projects to try and satisfy everyone all at once. It won't work that way. If we take it slowly and orderly, we can touch upon everyone's favorites all in good time.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
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!
-
sambal badjak
- Frequent User
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Thu Jul 18, 2013 15:41
- Location: In the hot Zambezi Valley
- Contact:
Little correction on the pictures I showed earlier.
The chopped meat in the picture is exactly that: meat cut by hand (well, actually by knife) into very small pieces.
The pic was taken before I started working it.
I added the spices to it, mixed it thoroughly for the myosin development and then let it sit for a while (in the fridge) and only then put it through the mincer, straight in the casings,.
As said, i am not doing that any more, but glad I did for a while as I know fully appreciate my stuffer.
I bought some more shoulder pork today, and am ready to make more sausages.
The chopped meat in the picture is exactly that: meat cut by hand (well, actually by knife) into very small pieces.
The pic was taken before I started working it.
I added the spices to it, mixed it thoroughly for the myosin development and then let it sit for a while (in the fridge) and only then put it through the mincer, straight in the casings,.
As said, i am not doing that any more, but glad I did for a while as I know fully appreciate my stuffer.
I bought some more shoulder pork today, and am ready to make more sausages.
life is too short to drink bad wine (anonymus)
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rgauthier20420
- Frequent User
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 21:11
- Location: Chicago
Well I picked up 20 lbs of pork shoulder this morning. Asking permission from my Sup to run to the nearest Aldi for pork shoulder at 10am was kind of a funny conversation, but the reward was well worth it. Paid $1.89 a lb for some good looking butt.
I really don't like that this forum requires the use of imageshack btw....
I really don't like that this forum requires the use of imageshack btw....
CW here is another example of which comes first: the ingredients or the grind. Looking forward to your comments when it comes up later in the course.sambal badjak wrote:I added the spices to it, mixed it thoroughly for the myosin development and then let it sit for a while (in the fridge) and only then put it through the mincer, straight in the casings,.
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Chuckwagon
- Veteran
- Posts: 4494
- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
- Location: Rocky Mountains
Quick Review:
What Is "Fresh" Meat?
In butcher`s circles, the term "fresh" applied to meat is a bit confusing. It is not meant to imply the animal in question was butchered merely twenty minutes before you purchased it. Fresh simply designates meat products that have not been cured with sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, or other actual curing agents. There is no such thing as "cured" meat without actual treatment of a product containing sodium nitrate or nitrite cures or other specific curing salts as potassium nitrate, no longer used in the United States (other than in a few specific applications). Almost immediately upon the application of Cure #2, bacteria in meat begins to reduce nitrate to nitrite, and finally into nitrate oxide, protecting the consumer from the toxic spores of colstridium botulinum. Modern science simply has not found an acceptable alternative for the age old fundamental concentrates of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite. Your local supermarket`s "fresh" is simply a raw meat product that may have or may have not been frozen by your grocer before being placed inside his refrigerated display case for immediate sale. Fresh meat (not cured) must be refrigerated, frozen, cooked, or cured by the consumer relatively quickly. Never attempt to smoke fresh meat of any type without actually curing it with nitrate or nitrite cures. To avoid the possible development of botulism, it simply must be cured before any smoking process takes place.
What Is "Fresh" Meat?
In butcher`s circles, the term "fresh" applied to meat is a bit confusing. It is not meant to imply the animal in question was butchered merely twenty minutes before you purchased it. Fresh simply designates meat products that have not been cured with sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, or other actual curing agents. There is no such thing as "cured" meat without actual treatment of a product containing sodium nitrate or nitrite cures or other specific curing salts as potassium nitrate, no longer used in the United States (other than in a few specific applications). Almost immediately upon the application of Cure #2, bacteria in meat begins to reduce nitrate to nitrite, and finally into nitrate oxide, protecting the consumer from the toxic spores of colstridium botulinum. Modern science simply has not found an acceptable alternative for the age old fundamental concentrates of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite. Your local supermarket`s "fresh" is simply a raw meat product that may have or may have not been frozen by your grocer before being placed inside his refrigerated display case for immediate sale. Fresh meat (not cured) must be refrigerated, frozen, cooked, or cured by the consumer relatively quickly. Never attempt to smoke fresh meat of any type without actually curing it with nitrate or nitrite cures. To avoid the possible development of botulism, it simply must be cured before any smoking process takes place.
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Tue Sep 02, 2014 08:42, 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!
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rgauthier20420
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So with this statement, your saying that smoking a pork butt that has been rubbed with seasonings @ 225 and up is out of the question? It sounds like your statement applies to cold, warm, and low temp hot smoking...am I wrong?Chuckwagon wrote:Fresh meat (not cured) must be refrigerated, frozen, cooked, or cured by the consumer relatively quickly. Never attempt to smoke fresh meat of any type without actually curing it with nitrate or nitrite cures. To avoid the possible development of botulism, it simply must be cured before any smoking process takes place.
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Chuckwagon
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RGauthier, at 225°F you are cooking the meat, not smoking it. Smoke in the temperature zone designated for "cooking" is just fine. Otherwise we wouldn`t have good barbeque. However, when "warm and hot smoking" take place in the "danger zone" from 40°F to 140°F, we must use caution. This is the ideal temperature zone for pathogenic bacteria to develop. When we place a piece of uncured meat (without an actual cure of sodium nitrite in it) into an atmosphere where the oxygen has been cut off due to being cased or because of smoke, and where there is plenty of nutrient sugars and moisture, all at the temperature above, we are inviting the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill!
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rgauthier20420
- Frequent User
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Mon May 12, 2014 21:11
- Location: Chicago
There should be a less than blurred line between the temp that separates "Barbeque" and "smoking" meats.
That would determine at which point meats need to be cured for safety reasons.
Also it is well documented what the maximum amount of nitrites/nitrates are allowable by various government agencies but what is the minimum amount needed (PPM) to avoid the possible development of botulism??????
That would determine at which point meats need to be cured for safety reasons.
Also it is well documented what the maximum amount of nitrites/nitrates are allowable by various government agencies but what is the minimum amount needed (PPM) to avoid the possible development of botulism??????
