[USA] Makin' Bacon

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el Ducko
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Post by el Ducko » Sun Sep 29, 2013 15:01

sawhorseray wrote:...30 pounds worth to make a 22-23 pound batch of Chicken Italian sausage with dried tomatoes and black olives...
Would that be NorCal Kid's recipe at http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... en+italian from June of '12? (...with some olives added, maybe a cup, coarsely chopped?) Is there enough fat in the recipe?

...sure looks tasty. While I'm waiting for the bacon, I just might do this.
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Post by sawhorseray » Sun Sep 29, 2013 18:05

No Ducky, if you scroll further down that post you'll see some significant differences between our two methods. I like to use the PS Seasoning 260-B Italian sausage mix for most of my Italian sausage, a bottle of chardonny, and now the dried tomatoes come from my backyard. NCK rehydrates his maters in olive oil for three days, I just go with warm water for about 20 minutes, he uses some cheese, I don't. I find that just deboning the chicken thigh and using the meat and the skin that covered it make for a perfect fat content. I'm sure both recipes work well, I get rave reviews from my crowd of sausage critics. I'll pick up maybe 40 pounds tomorrow to divide 30 for sausage and 10 to use for stirfry. I like to cut up some thighs after deboning and skinning and let them soak in Yoshidas Sauce for about three days in the fridge, then toss them in the wok with some onions, asparagus, and broccoli. Man must not live on sausage alone. RAY
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Post by el Ducko » Sun Sep 29, 2013 19:11

sawhorseray wrote:No Ducky, if you scroll further down that post...
Yup, there it is. I Googled the PS Seasoning 260-B, and will order some. We have problems handling MSG (glutamates in any form, including soy sauce and mushrooms in any but small quantities) but for one shot, it's worth it. "What a way to die!"
sawhorseray wrote: I find that just deboning the chicken thigh and using the meat and the skin that covered it make for a perfect fat content.
That answers my fat content question. Even with the olive oil, I estimated NCK's recipe at 9%.
sawhorseray wrote:Man must not live on sausage alone. RAY
Yeah, maybe, but on YOUR sausage I sure would like to try! Keep up the good work and great advice.

One question about the olives- - looks like they're the water-packed "ripe" black olive type gown on the west coast. Have you ever used oil-cured or salt-cured black olives like those imported from the Mediterranean countries? Oil-cured Italian might be really good. (...but then, I never met an olive that I didn't like.)

Duk
:mrgreen:

Whoa! This just in: https://www.psseasoning.com/index.cfm/a ... ct_id/2592 shows 663-B seasoning, which is 260-B without the MSG. Here goes!!

This further just in: adding shipping quadruples the price. That's nuts! As a Brooklyn-born Italian friend of mine says, "fugeddaboutit."
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Post by sawhorseray » Mon Sep 30, 2013 18:12

Yeah Duck, their shipping charges can be really ridiculous. I wait until they e-mail me special shipping rate offers and then order everything I might have in mind. I usually go with 10 bags of seasoning, 10 packs of casings, other odds and ends like bacon racks and stockingettes. I'll be making another order in the next month or so, I do maybe one a year. They used my review on their website for my Pro 100 smoker, so I guess they like to throw me a bone every now and then. I'll let you know when I've got another order coming, I'll mail you a pack of the 260-B seasoning so you can see if you like it, I don't go with the gluten free stuff. RAY
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Post by ssorllih » Mon Sep 30, 2013 20:02

You might want to check Allied Kenco. Their shipping cost is the same for one package or five. They must use fixed rate priority mail.
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Some observations

Post by ssorllih » Mon Sep 30, 2013 22:07

I set up two bacon slabs on September 27 to start curing. They 2¾ pounds each and I applied a dry mix of 22 grams salt, 3 grams of cure#1, 25 grams of sugar and 12 grams of molasses. It was difficult to distribute this but I did the best I could and about 12 hours later there was an accumulation of exudate and cure mixture that when the zipper bag was tilted with one corner down the depth was about 5 inches. I have been turning the slabs morning and night and today the liquid in the corner of the bag is much under 2 inches. So the up take has started and by Friday may be complete and I can start drying the slabs before smoking.
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Post by el Ducko » Tue Oct 01, 2013 01:01

Thanks, Ross. That's the kind of info that I needed.

Mine's coming along nicely, I guess. It just kinda lies there in the bottom of the refrigerator, looking up at me. I stroke it twice a day or so, just to make it feel good. (...or maybe it's me.) Next week, maybe, after a quick trip to Cabela's for some hooks.
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Post by sawhorseray » Tue Oct 01, 2013 01:13

ssorllih wrote:You might want to check Allied Kenco. Their shipping cost is the same for one package or five. They must use fixed rate priority mail.
Allied Kenco isn't going to be selling packs of PS Seasoning sausage mix. You can get the same thing from Cabelas if you know what you're ordering, I get $5 shipping orders from them about every other week.. Like I said, I'll send you a pack in a month or so, I'll let you know when I order so you can PM me your address.


I've never tried the olives packed in olive oil or salt, I like to drain the water after I dump them out of the can, shake 'em in a colander a bit. RAY
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Post by ssorllih » Tue Oct 01, 2013 02:18

Pictures of the liquid in the bacon bags.Image

Image
both bags.
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Post by el Ducko » Tue Oct 01, 2013 15:25

sawhorseray wrote:Allied Kenco isn't going to be selling packs of PS Seasoning sausage mix. You can get the same thing from Cabelas if you know what you're ordering...
Cabela's is just up the road. I'll swing by there and pick up a pack. Can you tell me what "the same thing" is called? (Maybe they sell PS Seasonings?) Thanks.
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Post by sawhorseray » Wed Oct 02, 2013 14:58

They do sell some PS Seasoning sausage mixes direct. I just got the Cabelas Food Processing catalogue in the mail and there it is. Cabelas put their name on some stuff PS Seasonings makes, raises the price probably 15- 20%. I see the PS Seasonings pre-mixed sausage seasoning for 25 pound batches going for $9.99 each in the Cabelas catalogue, what I order direct from PS costs $5.99 each. I just checked the Cabelas website, they do carry some stuff, but appearantly not the Italian mix. Kinda stinks. All the other stuff that's listed goes for $5.99 on the PS site. Go figure.


http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home-Cab ... t104557680


https://www.psseasoning.com/index.cfm/a ... ct_id/2108

Now I see where Cabelas is selling hog casings from PS Seasonings for a buck less than I can order them for direct from PS. This is giving me a headache, I'm going back to bed. When I get up I'll begin the debone process to some Chicken Italian sausage. RAY
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Post by el Ducko » Wed Oct 02, 2013 23:46

I had the following email from PS Seasonings' customer service person:
Ok then we could ship your package UPS Sure Post - which saves you about
$5.00 off the regular UPS shipping costs - it is shipped here UPS and when
it gets closer is sent to your post office and delivered via mail.

The other option would be to ship Priority Mail - which the cost would
depend on the item and which box it fits into. That could be anywhere from
$5.00 to $15.00.

Thank you,

Janet Benser
Customer Service Rep
PS Seasoning & Spices, Inc
800-328-8313
Fax: 920-387-2204
csr@psseasoning.com
That looks a lot more workable.
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Post by sawhorseray » Thu Oct 03, 2013 05:07

Every question I ever had for PS Seasonings was answered promptly and with full accountability, I really like them. I had some big time problems with other major players who shall remain nameless, no need to get snotty now, things worked out fine. RAY
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Post by ssorllih » Fri Oct 04, 2013 04:33

I was inspecting my bacon slabs today and almost all of the liquid has been reabsorbed. So tomorrow I shall hang them to dry.
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Post by sawhorseray » Fri Oct 04, 2013 08:04

ssorllih wrote:I was inspecting my bacon slabs today and almost all of the liquid has been reabsorbed. So tomorrow I shall hang them to dry.
So that would be in the 5-6 day range I believe. I think that whole pound a day thing is if you're doing massive slabs of the whole belly. Why not just cut them to the size needed and be ready to rock in less time and have a product that's easier to handle? I'll have bacon and eggs for brekky because of this, even tho I have nothing for toast. I'll make rolls tomorrow! RAY
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