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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 14:07
by revid
I use pork shoulder,and try to buy the leanest at that.I keep my fat down to 25%.My friends tell me that you can hardly taste that "gamy"moose taste so thats why I stick with this.I have been using the 60/40 moose/pork ratio but might go to 75/25 moose just to see what it turns out like.The pork here is really expensive,around $3-$5 /lb and the pork fat back even more.I get the beef fat for free and a memeber said thats what he uses in his moose/game sausages and it tastes bettr than pork fat.Iam really new at this sausage racket so Iam going on advice for now.

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 15:47
by partycook
Wow $3-$5/per pound. I guess I should not complain at our prices.we have been paying. $1.76 per pound in double packed craovac =about 30 lbs. or $1.45 in 75 lb. case lots. Last year I was paying $1.09 in case lots. One of the hardest things to get is back fat.They are getting $1.00 per pound and I have to drive 45 miles to get it.

John

Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 16:30
by revid
trade ya,lol.Ever tried to get beef fat,ask for the trimmings of the steaks and roasts.Thats what I did and it wasn't a problem.They only throw the stuff away anyway and I think its a better flavor.

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 16:34
by two_MN_kids
I am wondering how far ahead of a sausage making project do forum members mix their spice and seasonings? I generally use packaged seasoning and after awhile they start to taste flat. Would two or three days still give a prime flavor? Do most of you get the spices together just before mixing? Should I toss out the old spice mixes or can adding additional new spices renew them?

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 18:35
by ExhaustedSpark
I myself have used spices that were years old. I just gave it the old sniff & taste test and if it tast like i think it should i use it.
I just mix up the seasonings as i go along. Drop it in to some cold water and then pour in to batch of meat and mix.
Karl :grin:

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 19:41
by revid
do you always use cold water(any water)in your spice mix or can they be mixed up dry and blended in?Just wondering if there was an advantage to adding water.

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 19:52
by ExhaustedSpark
I always use some kind of liquid. Beer, Butter milk. wine something liquid to mix the spices and make the meat easier to handle.
I think it was nepas that mentioned using butter milk for some tang in the mix. It tast great.
Also for using your grinder for stuffing it helps a lot to get a foot switch so you have both hands free.

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 19:57
by ExhaustedSpark
It is a lot easier on the grinder motor also.

Rubbed Sage

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 00:30
by ajwillsnet
I live in Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island. I can't find rubbed sage locally. Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Bert,

Re: Rubbed Sage

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 01:25
by Oxide
ajwillsnet wrote:I live in Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island. I can't find rubbed sage locally. Any suggestions?
Thanks,

Bert,
Hi Bert.

Rubbed sage is a dried sage leaf that is rubbed between the palms of your hands. It makes you hands smell good! :mrgreen: I believe it blows back to olden times when herbs were hung upside down in the kitchen to dry. When sage was needed you'd grab a leaf or two and pub them between your hands to crumble it up in the dish being cooked.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 02:06
by ssorllih
While that is probably correct McCormacks Spice company packages it sells nationwide in the US.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 02:52
by ajwillsnet
Most sausage recipe that call for sage as an ingredient usually call for rubbed sage. The only product I see here in Victoria is sage powder. I don't think I would get the same result by using sage powder. I found a guy over in Vancouver who sells it by the kilogram(2.2 lbs)
That would be a lifetime supply.

Bert,

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 04:30
by Oxide
From memory, there are a whole bunch of plants that fit into the family of herbs used as sage. Sage(s) are mints. Rubbed sage is the leaf, only. Powdered sage contains stems. Chopped sage should be leaf but may have pieces of stems. By weight they are all pretty much the same. By volume powdered same has more flavor and will weigh more. Rubbed sage weighs the least and by volume will have less flavor. Some folks swear by rubbed sage, won't use the others. Other folks will not touch dried sage, insist only fresh sage will due. I grow my own herbs, hang them in the kitchen and use whatever I have around.

Bert, you'll probably be ok with substituting chopped sage, if you can find that.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 05:48
by ssorllih
Oxide, Do you find that your herbs have more or less flavor depending on when you harvest them? I picked sage leaves this summer for some flat bread and they were very good but later in the fall some that I picked and dried were quite bland.

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 19:06
by Oxide
ssorllih wrote:Oxide, Do you find that your herbs have more or less flavor depending on when you harvest them? I picked sage leaves this summer for some flat bread and they were very good but later in the fall some that I picked and dried were quite bland.

Yes, I experienced the exact same thing. Sage was actually very disappointing in the fall. Some leaves I had picked earlier and didn't use I tossed into a bowl. They dried and I used them in the fall, too. They had a lot of flavor, but the fresh sage was flat.


Fwiw, the same radio program that was talking about GMO also mentioned that all herbs/spices sold in the US now are irradiated (nuked). It seems to compliment what is written in (I think) 'Charcuterie' by Ruhlman and Polcyn about NOT using fresh herbs from your garden in your aged meats. They mention botulism is airborne, everywhere including your garden herbs, but insignificant because it is dormant in an aerobic environment. As soon as you include those tasty herbs from your garden in your aged meats you move the botulism into an anaerobic environment, and it becomes game on.