Homemade Sausage Making

Kijek wrote:

perennial question whether Pink Himalayan salt is the same?

As dumb as I am, I knew that one.

wish that people would stop using the term "pink" salt

Me too, that's what screwed me up.

In fairness to Michael Ruhlman he explains his definition of pink salt on page 38 of his book. He even gives the reason he uses this term but you committed an error I think we are all guilty of which is jumping to the meat of the subject without spending time reading and understanding the fundamentals. I'm not knocking you by any means because I'm the world's worst at this because as I've read books on this subject the words often times turn from information to yada yada yada and I go into a trance. Sometimes I've experienced epiphanies after simply reading one sentence which I had read at least three times an gleaned nothing then WHAM it hits me and the dots are connected. I feel good about my new revelation then its back to yada yada yada.

What I'm trying to say is there are so fine little details to this art. And it is art. Its much easier shown than taught by words but I think Marianski and others have done an excellent job putting this information in words.

Again, I'm not poking fun at you by any means as I think both Bob and Redzed both remember my train wreck several years ago where I was making a sausage that called for the addition of 5 lbs of bacon. In my world bacon is cured and smoked and you eat it with eggs. However, I soon learned that bacon also means uncured unsalted pork belly in other parts of the world. I also learned that you can make 25# of sausage with a salt concentration so high it is inedible even in the opinion of your dogs.

So, no, I'm not poking fun at you in any way its just that a lot of this yada yada stuff is very important and there is no way you will learn it overnight. There will train wrecks but a lot of these wrecks can be mitigated by your listening to your gut. My 25#'s of salt lick sausage could have easily been avoided because my gut was screaming at me that it was going to be too salty but I put the words of the recipe above my good sense. When you do this and it ends in a train wreck all you can do is laugh at yourself and move on.

In summary, remember if it calls for pink salt they are talking about cure 1 and if they call for bacon they are talking about fresh uncured pork belly and not the stuff you eat for breakfast.

I've discussed knives with knifeman, he is purdy sharp, no pun intended.

Kijek wrote:I've discussed knives with knifeman, he is purdy sharp, no pun intended.

Thanks Kijek !
Knifeman

Butter Bean Not to derail this thread but I totally understand what you are saying it really applies to the meat industry . Hence the confusion regarding different cuts of animal carcasses . In one country it is one cut in another a different name . But having worked in the meat industry I agree with you ,Bacon was only Pork Belly that had been cured and or smoked. Ham was only Pork Legs that had been cured /smoked etc.
Knifeman

Yes, its those little things that can make a huge difference in the end. This is why I like the Polish way of putting meat in classes. Who'd have thought bacon meant belly? I sure didn't but I learned a good lesson and just laugh at it now. Granted I wasn't too happy at the time. And I kick myself for not listening to my gut. Oh well. No one died so all is good.

First of all the thread has not been derailed, this all fits in.

Marianski and others have done an excellent job putting this information in words.

Yes they have and I myself and others very much appreciate it for sure.

Also, I too made the same mistake when looking at a recipe that called for bacon, although, I had a feeling something was up, so I investigated and found out it was belly that was needed.

And like you said, Butters, this is an art that one can learn better by doing then reading, and after a little more then 5 years, I'm purdy proud of what I've learn and accomplished "so far"

It all good and I like these discussions, it bring awareness and keeps us friends, after all we are all striving artists.

I'm so very happy I found this forum, I appreciate yours and everyone elses wisdom.