Online Workshop: Project B2 (October 2013)

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redzed
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Post by redzed » Sat Jun 28, 2014 01:23

Jim, from what you described, you are right on target. I made that same recipe a little while back and had requests to translate it and post it on the Polish WD site. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Jun 28, 2014 01:58

You've got it Jim! I think you'll find that this stuff dries a little quicker than most and if you have any left over a couple of weeks from now, it will be drier than El DuckO's weather-beaten scalp in that west Texas breeze. You may wish to freeze a little before then. However, you'll have a great sausage in just a few days. After four more days aging, it will be so doggone good you'll probably end up eating it all anyway! :shock: Congratulations pal. Taste it and let us know if it was worth all the effort! :wink:

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Chuckwagon
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Post by el Ducko » Sun Jun 29, 2014 23:58

Okay, so right now your head is spinning from wondering how CW selects the right starter culture, and how (even without a moustache or cat whiskers) you too can navigate that same ground with similar insight. ...or at least, avoid bashing your head and/or ruining the batch.

Relax, Bubbie. Help is here! Actually, it's been here on WD all along. On the companion site (have a look at http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage ... e/cultures) there is a great summary by Stan Marianski which lays it all out very clearly and concisely. Have a look and you can see why (or at least how) to choose among T-SPX and LHP and F-RM-52 and the like.
In order to choose the correct culture the following advice may be used as general guidelines:

What style of sausage is produced?
...Traditional South and North European: choose cultures in paragraph 5.3.1.
...North European fast fermented: choose cultures in paragraph 5.3.2.
...US style: choose the extra fast and very fast cultures in paragraph 5.3.2.
This enables you to choose between the slower T-SPX and the faster LHP or F-RM-52. To choose between those two faster cultures, pick either "fast" 70-90 degF fermentation (F-RM-52) or "extra fast" 80-100 degF (LHP).

Yes, folks, here's another magic sausage-making secret revealed to you by the friendly folks at WD (and the even friendlier Stan Marianski).

Now, if we could just figure out why they name 'em that way. (...probably some Latin-language-based conspiracy)...
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"Saddle Bum Smokey Beef Sticks"

Post by two_MN_kids » Mon Jul 07, 2014 21:04

Here is a disappointing follow-up to my first attempt at a semi-dried summer sausage.

The chub were in the smoker for what seemed a very long time. As I was not overly concerned about them drying out, I left them to continue baking after the smoke was finished. They were in the smoker with heat for 26 hours, before finally coming to temperature at 145°F.

I sprayed with cold water until IMT of 90°F was reached. Then I relocated them to my basement where the temperature was a steady 66°F and the humidity was 74%. After 24 hours, I started checking weight loss. The drying room smelled like an old fashioned meat market! After 60 hours, the smallest one had lost 30%. I placed that one into the cooler for an overnight rest before sampling. Another one was ready 8 to 10 hours later. The largest one required another 8 hours.

I sliced open the sampling chub. The coloring looked good; a slight dry rim on the first 1/16". No indication of any rendered fat between the casing and the meat; good start, and it smelled so good! The first bite was a bit of a surprise. Dense, mildly sour sensation; but the mouth feel was, well waxy. Just not what I expected. It's okay, just nothing to get excited about.

My thought's moved quickly through the processes of the last several days.
1). Maybe I should have kept the fat separated from the beef and added it after the final grind and mixing. Some recipes say to do that. Besides, the fat always grinds better when mixed with the cold meat.
2). Wish I could say that I checked the sharpness of the grinder's blade before mincing the meat/fat. The first pass through the grinder was using a ¼" die. The meat was returned to the freezer immediately. The second pass, after a refreeze, was using a 3/16" die and a different blade. I remember noticing that the meat color changed; as if the fat was being blended into the meat.
3). I think that 26 hours was a bit much for just ten pounds of sausage to cook to 145°F. I can't remember watching another product move so slowly. Even my turkeys smoke faster than that.

After final grind with 3/16' die.
Image

Mixed and ready for the stuffer.
Image

The chubs weighed between 3 and 3 ½ pounds each.
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Close-up shot of "Saddle Bum Smokey Beef Sticks".
Image

Back up and try again! Here's what I learned this time around: Always sharpen knives and blades before beginning a project. Keep the meat and fat separate until after the seasonings have been properly mixed in. Allow the proper amount of time for each step of the process and don't rush anything.

Comments appreciated...thanks for looking.
Jim
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Post by el Ducko » Mon Jul 07, 2014 21:55

That's a long time in the smoker! ...but whatever. How much of that time actually involved smoke? (Probably two to five hours?) ...looks to me like long cooking time, even at low temperature, would affect taste, but I don't think it would hurt it. ...maybe mellow it, like braising does.

With my summer sausage, I wait a month or so before trying. Maybe just waiting a while will help by giving things time to migrate, meld, infuse, et cetera. ...sure looks tasty. Maybe it just needs a rest. (...kinda like I imagine CW does. Hey! Maybe he'll mellow out too!)
(NAAAH!)
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Post by Shuswap » Mon Jul 07, 2014 22:06

el Ducko wrote:With my summer sausage, I wait a month or so before trying. Maybe just waiting a while will help by giving things time to migrate, meld, infuse, et cetera. ...sure looks tasty. Maybe it just needs a rest.
Hey guys, I'm doing my first fermented sausage and am looking way down the tunnel to when it should be ready. I've searched the recipe index but can't find one "on being patient" :razz:
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Post by two_MN_kids » Mon Jul 07, 2014 22:29

I think the smoke was on for 6 to 8 hours, but it was a light smoke. And Duck, you are right about the taste improving. The sourness is getting stronger, and the smoke flavor is coming out more. That's after only four or five days.

Hey Shuswap, let me know if you find that thread. I need to tap it!
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Post by cogboy » Mon Jul 07, 2014 23:30

I don't understand the waxy taste but the small air pockets may have been fat that ran out of the chubs from the long smoker time ??
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Post by redzed » Sat Jul 12, 2014 06:40

26hrs in the smoker? Why? What recipe were you following?
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Post by two_MN_kids » Sat Jul 12, 2014 12:54

@ cogboy: My thought was they were just air pockets. It's possible you are correct, however, fat pieces are visible next to the pockets. Any rendered fat would also need to go somewhere. I've broken sausages before, and always there was a layer of rendered fat between the casing and meat, usually pooled at the bottom. There was no rendered fat visible on these chubs. Which is why I considered them air pockets.

@ redzed: Chris, that's just how long it took to reach the IMT of 145°F. I mixed up a batch of Chuckwagon's Saddle Bum Smoky Beef Sticks. The overall length of the chubs, when hanging in my Bradley, placed the bottom end very close to the heat shield. Perhaps I was too cautious holding the maximum smoker temperature at 160°F. I was concerned the lower end would get too hot and fat out. I usually finish the cooking stage in the kitchen oven or by poaching. Apparently I need to continue that process.

Can all these problems be from just overcooking? In the past week, the sourness has become more pronounced, but not overpowering, and the waxy feel is disappearing. I do enjoy the smell and taste of the sausage, and I will make it again. My apologies to CW if my comments and shortcomings appeared to blame the recipe.

Jim
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Post by redzed » Sun Jul 13, 2014 07:02

When I made that very same sausage I also smoked it in my Bradley, but the chubs were only 12 inches. And while I still have a Bradley, (acually two of them), I no longer use it to smoke sausage, exactly for the reasons you describe. Anyway, what I would have done in your situation is to have removed the sausage after adequate smoking and finished it by poaching. That is something I had to do when I used my Bradley since it did not cook the sausage evenly.
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Post by Chuckwagon » Sat Jul 26, 2014 03:55

Project B2 has been closed. To continue with more advanced sausage-making, see Project A2 in "Fermented Sausages & Techniques" Forum. Those just beginning sausage-making, should go to Project KB in the "Beginners" Forum. Come and join the fun. :wink:

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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