New To Forum -Fat Smearing???

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 20:27

Thank you very much! I will definitely follow your advice! I'll let you know how this turns out - I'm going to try a small batch in the next few days.

Post by **Butterbean** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 23:36

I hope it made sense. Its so much easier to show someone what t to look for than to put it in words. I think once you make this successfully you will see what the mince should look like and you could go back and make it again exactly like you did and it will work out fine. I'm just giving you some tips to help shore your bet. Good luck.

Post by **redzed** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 06:26

I also think that you should not grind the fat separately, grind it with the meat. What I do is I grind the fatty meat and the cubed fat through a smaller die, like a 4.5mm, and the lean meat through an 8mm. In order to draw out the myosin which is the protein that is the glue that will bind everything together, you could first give the lean meat a good mix, then add the fat and fatty cuts and mix together. Add 50ml/kg of water which will help the salt in getting into the meat cells to draw out the myosin. Make sure you really work the water into the mix.

Good luck!

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 12:05

Thanks again - I'll try y'all's tips this weekend. I plan on watching a video or three of some sausage making. (not that I haven't already)
I want to observe the meat mixture process a little more closely.
Thank!

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 14:32

I ground the near-frozen fat and meat together, one time through fine plate. Back in the freezer while I weighed spices. Mixed nearly frozen meat mix until sticky and well-formed. (this was something I wasn't doing right!) Back in freezer. Kept ice in stuffer while I prepared casings. Stuffed casings, let dry in kitchen for a few hours. Smoked at 100-120 for almost four hours. Sausages looked perfect.
Got water to 175 (by ancient thermometer) , placed sausages in, turned heat OFF.
After 15 minutes, ancient thermometer said just a hair over 160, new thermometer said 150. I turned heat back on, and in just a minute I saw "fat pockets" form on a couple sausages. I got them out immediately and into waiting icewater bath.
There were a couple greasy places on a few sausages, but most were perfect. More investigation shows the ancient thermometer is correct, and the new one, though calibrated varies by at least ten degrees. No doubt over-heating caused my fat pool problem, and the poor mixing I was doing exacerbated the situation.
New thermometer on order, next batch this coming weekend.

Thanks again y'all - your comments and suggestions got me on the right track, mucho pronto!

Post by **redzed** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 15:16

Congrats Al! We all need a few practice rounds in the ring before things start coming out in a positive way! Soon everyone will be coming over to your place for sausage making lessons! How about some pictures!

Next time bump up the smoking temp to 130 which will lessen your poaching time. And don't hurry the poaching process too much, but the sausage should be ready in 20-30 minutes. I heat my water to 185 and when I put in the sausage it immediately drops to 170-172. I then keep it at 170 until the IT is 150-155. You don't the IT to exceed 160. Last year I purchased a sous vide heater/circulator and it keeps the temp. perfect to a tenth of a degree.

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 17:01

I'll try to take some pics next round.

Do you suppose the fat started to liquefy because the burner heated up the water on bottom and it was too hot there, yet the thermometer was reading 160 closer to the top of the surface? OR - simply too long in the bath?

Post by **Butterbean** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 18:01

Glad things worked out. As for the last question, I would do as suggested earlier and just bring it to an IT of 152F and remove then. Like a roast, the temp will continue to rise unless you drop it in an ice bath but 152'ish is plenty cooked enough for this step.

I made some blueberry wine infused onion sausages this weekend and pulled them at 153'ish and they turned out great. Pan fried for added snap but overall they were a big hit.

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 18:09

Awesome - that looks very tasty!

Post by **Butterbean** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 18:59

Thanks. It was a little different but was a big hit all the same.

I think you have a good point about the meat getting too close to the heat source. I've done this using a gas flame under a pot when I had too much meat in the pot. The trick would be the circulator like Redzed has. That's on my wish list.

For poaching I'm using a Nemco food warmer which is essentially a big crock pot. I ran across some of these for a bargain price when a restaurant closed. Like a crock pot its slow to warm but holds the heat steady and the temp is adjustable. I've marked the proper setting with fingernail polish so all I need do is be patient till it warms up then its nearly fool proof which is something I really need.

Post by **Bob K** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 19:16

BB -
I got one of these plug and play temp controllers for my crock pot....also works on my electric smoker and fermentation chamber.

http://www.amazon.com/Willhi-Wh1436-110 ... ontrollers

Post by **Butterbean** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 19:25

Sweet! Price for stuff like this has really come down hasn't it. I know a few years ago something like that would have set you back a pretty penny.

What's with the socket on that? I bought a temp/humid controller that has the same plug design and my plug wants to be loose in it and I' afraid it will come loose when I need it the most. Any ideas on how to fix. I' thinking duct tape but am open to suggestions.

Post by **Bob K** » Mon Jun 06, 2016 19:33

It works with 120 or 240v, thus that type of socket. My Auburn temp/humidity controller is the same. Older male plugs are loose and want to fall out

Post by **Butterbean** » Tue Jun 07, 2016 00:17

Wish they gave you choices rather than trying to do-all but that's the beauty of duct tape I guess.

K98 AL · Post by **K98 AL** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 13:42

Made a batch of smoked hot links and a batch of cheese sausages. I mixed both batches well, and put meat in fridge overnight. Stuffed casings the next morning. The meat was so stiff, it was hard to stuff the cheese links. When I got to the hot links, I added another 60ml of water, worked it in well, and things went smooth. Smoked for 4 hours, finished in water. Came out perfect!
While I was smoking, I made a batch of Andouille for the next day....I ground pork and fat through very coarse (1/2") plate. Chilled, then ground 1/4 of that through the fine plate. Mixed it well, stuffed into casings. Smoked it for 5-6 hors yesterday, bringing it to temp in the smoker. Couldn't be more pleased! Thank y'all so much for your tips - my efforts have improved 300% since I first logged on here.