Smoking and Fat Issues

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Cdub
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Smoking and Fat Issues

Post by Cdub » Wed Feb 28, 2018 23:16

Over the years i have been able to make good smoked dinner sausages but have always had issues making larger delli style sausage.
Again yesterday i tried to make a 3 1/2 inch beer sausage. I fried up sample and was good but a lot of fat in the pan.
the mix was 1 3/4lb of lean duck Emusified with salt and cure 1 and ice in food processor
1 3/4lb of pork fat (acquired from the leg)
2 lbs of pork leg
No binder was used (had spongy well bound texture when fried)
Stuffed and placed in fridge overnight.
In morning brought out for about 2 hrs to room temp.
Placed in smoker at 110-120 for 2hrs
Temp increased 5deg every 1/2hr until 145 in the smoker and the meat hit 128deg.
When removed i pulled the meat probe and fat shot out the hole (shit)
I then proceeded to cook in 165deg water until meat hit 150 then ice
Fat everywhere. Sausage is not dry and crumble but obviously the fat melted out.
Q: wrong fat (only use hard back fat?
Q: recipe appeared hi in fat to me

Once cooled better i will see how it is. Right now it looks more like 1/2 inch slices to be fried for sausage and eggers.

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Kijek
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Post by Kijek » Thu Mar 01, 2018 01:02

I can't say for sure with what I know, but duck is very fatty, plus the addition of pork fat????
Maybe they don't go together well, I really don't know, just trying to throw something out there.

I was also thinking, maybe something should have been use in the sausage to help hold the fat, like barley or oats.
Again just throwing stuff out, I'm sure someone has the answer and I can wait to see it.
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Post by Cdub » Thu Mar 01, 2018 03:22

The duck was muscovie with nearly 0% fat.
the recipe was for emulsifed beef (duck) and eliminating the use of binder.
I do believe the fat was hi but i followed the recipe.
sambal badjak
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Post by sambal badjak » Thu Mar 01, 2018 07:26

At first glance, it just looks like to0 much fat.
duck 1.75
fat 1.75
pork: 2 -> estimated as 25% fat / 75% lean

Making total fat 1.75+.5 = 2.25
lean -> 1.75+1.5 = 3.25
Which works out at around 30% fat, so actually not too bad....
(I am contradicting myself here).

So it's something else....

There gotta be some people out here that will give you the right answer!
Unfortunately, it's not me
life is too short to drink bad wine (anonymus)
Cdub
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Post by Cdub » Thu Mar 01, 2018 07:48

My thoughts were issues from not using hard back fat and using the leg fat ??
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DanMcG
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Post by DanMcG » Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:24

sambal badjak wrote:
Making total fat 1.75+.5 = 2.25
lean -> 1.75+1.5 = 3.25
Which works out at around 30% fat, so actually not too bad....

Doesn't this work out to be 60/40? lean to fat
I think even at 30% without a binder would be hard to get a good bind
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Post by sambal badjak » Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:33

You may very well be right.
And I actually made a mistake in my calculations.
Even with the 25/75 ratio it is 41 % fat
My apologies.

I actually clean all the visible fat of pork and then calculate the "clean" meat as about 25% fat.
I do not know what @Club does though...
So it might well be a fair bit higher.
If you are right in the 60/40 then it's about 46% fat.

Both of them seem very high to me
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Thu Mar 01, 2018 16:47

(1.75 X 100)÷5.5 = 31.82%
And there was probably some fat in the meat, however the amount should not be a problem. There are smoked sausages that are made with 40% fat (i.e. podwawelska) and they don't ooze with fat, especially when at 128F. I think that it may be inadequate mixing, maybe at a warm temp, and too much water added to the batter. So when you inserted the thermometer it may have been the water that came out.

Next time around don't fart around with raising the temp by 5 degrees every 30 minutes. Make sure your casing is dry, but for good measure dry it a bit more in the smoker, dampers fully open at 110F, for one hour. Then give it smoke and set it at 135-140. Smoke for around 3 hours and then poach.

I will be smoking 25lbs of Polish sausage tomorrow for a fundraiser, so if you have time stop in for a sample.
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Post by Cdub » Thu Mar 01, 2018 19:55

This was the ratio I used suggested by Bob K
http://www.meatsandsausages.com/sausage ... -bierwurst

We fried up some for breakfast and the texture wasnt that bad and even after the fat run was still juicy.
My gut feeling when putting together was too much fat as i usually prefer a bit leaner product.
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Post by Butterbean » Thu Mar 01, 2018 20:27

sambal badjak wrote:
There gotta be some people out here that will give you the right answer!
Unfortunately, it's not me
When I first read the post my gut explanation was just what Redzed said
I think that it may be inadequate mixing, maybe at a warm temp, and too much water added to the batter.
When I first started making sausage I called myself mixing the mince well and had problems like you describe. I then I began using binders to "fix" the texture problems but then I learned how to properly mix the mince and found I didn't need binders and that my problem was not the fat ratios or anything else it was just that I wasn't mixing the meat properly. Can't explain what I do because its all a matter of feel now but I assure you I mix the meat at least twice as much as I did when I had these problems.
Cdub
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Post by Cdub » Thu Mar 01, 2018 21:16

I typically use a mixer for larger batches 15lb plus of dinner fresh or smoke. Dont have issues with these. (have in the past but blamed it on pushing smoker times and temp) My best textured have been lately since i started putting about 25-30% in the food processor and adding back to the batch.
The smaller batches i do by hand and try to mix until all spices are blended in and the meat is sticking to my hands and can be balled up and stick to under side of hand.
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Post by Cdub » Sat Mar 03, 2018 20:06

Thanks Redzed for the personal attention and suggestions. I will add a heat deflector in the smoker as the direct heat maybe causing the issue (trial and error)
Very much appreciated stopping in and meeting and trying your delicious samples.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Sun Mar 04, 2018 01:03

Anytime Chris, pleasure meeting you and your family. :grin:
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