Two Ol' Time Tricks

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Chuckwagon
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Two Ol' Time Tricks

Post by Chuckwagon » Wed Nov 16, 2011 07:59

Hi sausage makers,
Here`s a bit of saddlebum scientific savvy. Dr. Lynn Knipe of the Meat Research Center at the Iowa State University has written many good articles pertaining to the proteins and exudates of meat. One of his best describes the "unraveling" of proteins. Without going into full detail, allow me to point out that the addition of wine in any meat mixture all at once, may be compared to the addition of oil to eggs while crafting mayonnaise? If the oil is added too quickly, it will of course, "break" the emulsion and the texture will suffer. The same concept applies when adding wine to meat in which the actomyocin has been partially or fully developed. If added all at once, it will denature the proteins like crazy! If the wine is placed into an atomizer and sprayed into the mixture as you begin to develop the myocin proteins mechanically, it won't "break" the mixture. In other words, add wine to meat more gradually by spraying it.
Actin and myosin belong to the contractile proteins of the myofibrils in meat musculature. The protein actin accounts for only about 20 percent of muscle protein. Myosin filaments represent about 40% of muscular proteins. As a result of association with actin, myosin forms actomyosin - responsible for muscular contraction in live animals. When mechanically agitated in comminuted meat, actomyosin proteins produce a sticky mass - an essential feature in good sausage.
You may also wish to try another ol` timer`s trick. Many bake their garlic before adding it to the mixture. The most popular proportion is 80% pre-baked with 20% raw crushed garlic. Baking it is easy. Just wrap entire "head" of garlic in foil and pop them into a 335°F oven until the garlic becomes pliable enough to be squeezed out of their paper cloves. The length of time depends upon the size of the garlic of course, but try cooking it as you would a baked potato. This takes the raw, bitter edge off the stuff and tastes wonderful in sausage. If you make garlic-mashed potatoes, believe me... using pre-baked garlic is the secret of success. Why not give these two tricks a try when you make your next batch of sausage and then compare the results. I think you`ll taste and see a difference.

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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Post by uwanna61 » Thu Nov 17, 2011 03:12

Holy smokes their pal, I just made a fresh batch of sausage a buddy of mine gave me to try and he mentioned the same thing, turns out 100% true. I took the advice and added the wine using a spray bottle, works really well! As for the garlic, huge difference when roasting the garlic, eliminates the harsh garlic taste of the fresh sausage. I noticed on past projects even if you dribble the wine on the mix, it leaves a stained color on the meat. Good point!
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Post by ssorllih » Thu Nov 17, 2011 03:32

If the mix calls for water and wine or spirits is there any reason to not mix them before the spray application?
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Post by snagman » Thu Nov 17, 2011 06:03

Chuckwagon wrote:bake their garlic
Hi Chuckwagon,
That's an interesting thing to do. Recently I have been pulverising the garlic with water added and simmering it until a paste forms. This also lessens the raw taste of it, and mixes better into the meat as well. I like to remove the cores, especially if green, baking as a whole head will make that hard to do, but I will be trying this method too, thank you. Does the article suggest anything about spraying wine into the mouth rather than tossing down the gullet for a better end result ...? :roll:
Regards, Gus
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Post by Chuckwagon » Thu Nov 17, 2011 23:00

Hey Snag-O,
You asked:
Does the article suggest anything about spraying wine into the mouth rather than tossing down the gullet for a better end result ...?
Heck no! It has always been my carefully considered presupposition, meticulously assiduous hypothesis, as well as my coldly calculated conjecture, that any liquid containing C2H5OH should be immediately and efficaciously propelled against the tonsils at speeds of up to .3084 meters per second in a constant aerated stream of less than 25.4 millimeters in diameter. Further, having had much practice, I have found the ideal vessel for the task to be an ordinary shot glass held in the right hand with slightly bent elbow. :shock:

My Best Wishes Sir, (hic) :oops: ...
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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Post by snagman » Fri Nov 18, 2011 07:18

Chuckwagon wrote: Heck no! It has always been my carefully considered presupposition, meticulously assiduous hypothesis, as well as my coldly calculated conjecture, that any liquid containing C2H5OH should be immediately and efficaciously propelled against the tonsils at speeds of up to .3084 meters per second in a constant aerated stream of less than 25.4 millimeters in diameter. Further, having had much practice, I have found the ideal vessel for the task to be an ordinary shot glass held in the right hand with slightly bent elbow.
Your methodolgy "Ol Chuck is faultless.............
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Post by K98 AL » Mon Oct 31, 2016 13:22

Chuckwagon, what do you expect a sausage that has the "unraveling" of proteins to look like? I had a nice mix, firm, sticky, then added some wine. Mix got "loose" (I thought it was just watered down) - sausages were nothing to brag about.
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redzed
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Post by redzed » Tue Nov 01, 2016 16:22

Hi Al,
The reference here was to the denaturation of proteins in the meat and the use of alcohol in sausage making. The alcohol and acids in wine can effect the bind of the sausage and ultimately the texture and mouthfeel. The method that is promoted here is to introduce the wine into the meat mixture in a small dose using a spray. The main thing here is not to add large quantities of wine into our sausages and there are also good arguments for not adding it all. I almost always add a few splashes around 25 or 30ml per kg when making salami. And it is important that the wine be added after the nitrite because once proteins are denatured the meat will not turn pink.

We have had some lively and informative discussions about using wine in sausage on this forum and you can peruse them here:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... sc&start=0
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... light=wine
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... light=wine
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... light=wine
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... light=wine
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.ph ... light=wine
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Post by K98 AL » Tue Nov 01, 2016 18:57

Thanks - I'll look at those.
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