Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage by Warren R. Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Warren R. Anderson
fat, use enough pork fat to bring the percentage of fat to the desired level.
Poultry flesh is increasingly used for making sausage. Sometimes sausages are made entirely of poultry, but it is more commonly added to pork, beef, or a blend of pork and beef. I often substitute turkey or chicken thighs for the more expensive veal.
Often, there will be some pork, beef, or fowl left over after preparing meat to make a batch of sausage. This meat may be frozen for future processing, even though it was previously frozen. Every time meat is frozen, the ice crystals formed in the meat will cause physical changes that allow juices to escape when it is thawed. This will cause no serious deterioration in quality unless it is re-frozen many times.
COLD WATER THAWING
Thawing in a refrigerator is safe, and it is commonly recommended. However, cold water thawing is just as safe, and it is much faster.
If cold water thawing is employed, the pieces of raw material must be sealed in plastic bags to prevent absorption of water ( this is important ). It is best to put only one piece of raw material in each plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible. Place the bagged material in a deep container, and fill the container with cold tap water. The meat should be pressed below the surface of the water. Set the container in a sink, and allow a thin stream of cold tap water to run into the container—or change the water in the container from time to time.
A large joint of meat (a whole pork shoulder butt, for example) might require only a few hours to thaw in cold water, but the same joint of meat might require several days to thaw in the refrigerator. This will be true even if the temperature of the water in the container is the same as the temperature of the air in the refrigerator. Why does cold water thaw more effectively? The heat conductivity of water is much greater than that of the air in the refrigerator, so thawing is much faster, even if the thawing temperatures are the same.
Cold water thawing can be used in combination with refrigerator thawing. Even if you began thawing in the refrigerator, you can finish the thawing quickly in cold water. This is especially useful when you have underestimated the refrigerator thawing time and you need to begin your processing schedule.
Plastic Food Wrap
Plastic food wrap, which many people still call Saran Wrap , may be one of your most frequently used supplies. If you find that you use a lot of plastic food wrap, you might want to purchase a larger, more economical roll such as those used in restaurants and commercial kitchens. These rolls are about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter; they are bulky, but the easy-to-use cutter provided with each roll makes wrapping easier than with the home-use roll. These large rolls can be found at restaurant supply grocery stores. The plastic wrap is normally 1 foot (30 cm) wide, and the roll contains 3,000 linear feet (914 meters).
Salt
One of the best kinds of salt to use for all sausage-making purposes is the kind of salt known as pickling salt or canning salt . This salt is over 99 percent pure, and it contains no iodine or other additives. Another variety of salt that is equally acceptable is known as non-iodized table salt or plain salt ; only a freeflow agent (usually calcium silicate or magnesium carbonate) is added. This salt is also over 99 percent pure, and the taste of the small amount of free-flow agent will not be noticeable. When used for sausage making, curing, and canning, the impurities or additives in salt, depending on the kind and amount, can cause discoloration and bitterness in meats, fish, and vegetables. The freeflow agent will not cause problems for sausage making or meat curing, but the salt with no additives should be used for pickling and canning.
A 5-pound (2.27 kg) box of pickling salt can be obtained in most grocery stores for about $1.50. A 25-pound (11.35 kg) bag of plain table salt (containing the acceptable free-flow agent) can
Poultry flesh is increasingly used for making sausage. Sometimes sausages are made entirely of poultry, but it is more commonly added to pork, beef, or a blend of pork and beef. I often substitute turkey or chicken thighs for the more expensive veal.
Often, there will be some pork, beef, or fowl left over after preparing meat to make a batch of sausage. This meat may be frozen for future processing, even though it was previously frozen. Every time meat is frozen, the ice crystals formed in the meat will cause physical changes that allow juices to escape when it is thawed. This will cause no serious deterioration in quality unless it is re-frozen many times.
COLD WATER THAWING
Thawing in a refrigerator is safe, and it is commonly recommended. However, cold water thawing is just as safe, and it is much faster.
If cold water thawing is employed, the pieces of raw material must be sealed in plastic bags to prevent absorption of water ( this is important ). It is best to put only one piece of raw material in each plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible. Place the bagged material in a deep container, and fill the container with cold tap water. The meat should be pressed below the surface of the water. Set the container in a sink, and allow a thin stream of cold tap water to run into the container—or change the water in the container from time to time.
A large joint of meat (a whole pork shoulder butt, for example) might require only a few hours to thaw in cold water, but the same joint of meat might require several days to thaw in the refrigerator. This will be true even if the temperature of the water in the container is the same as the temperature of the air in the refrigerator. Why does cold water thaw more effectively? The heat conductivity of water is much greater than that of the air in the refrigerator, so thawing is much faster, even if the thawing temperatures are the same.
Cold water thawing can be used in combination with refrigerator thawing. Even if you began thawing in the refrigerator, you can finish the thawing quickly in cold water. This is especially useful when you have underestimated the refrigerator thawing time and you need to begin your processing schedule.
Plastic Food Wrap
Plastic food wrap, which many people still call Saran Wrap , may be one of your most frequently used supplies. If you find that you use a lot of plastic food wrap, you might want to purchase a larger, more economical roll such as those used in restaurants and commercial kitchens. These rolls are about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter; they are bulky, but the easy-to-use cutter provided with each roll makes wrapping easier than with the home-use roll. These large rolls can be found at restaurant supply grocery stores. The plastic wrap is normally 1 foot (30 cm) wide, and the roll contains 3,000 linear feet (914 meters).
Salt
One of the best kinds of salt to use for all sausage-making purposes is the kind of salt known as pickling salt or canning salt . This salt is over 99 percent pure, and it contains no iodine or other additives. Another variety of salt that is equally acceptable is known as non-iodized table salt or plain salt ; only a freeflow agent (usually calcium silicate or magnesium carbonate) is added. This salt is also over 99 percent pure, and the taste of the small amount of free-flow agent will not be noticeable. When used for sausage making, curing, and canning, the impurities or additives in salt, depending on the kind and amount, can cause discoloration and bitterness in meats, fish, and vegetables. The freeflow agent will not cause problems for sausage making or meat curing, but the salt with no additives should be used for pickling and canning.
A 5-pound (2.27 kg) box of pickling salt can be obtained in most grocery stores for about $1.50. A 25-pound (11.35 kg) bag of plain table salt (containing the acceptable free-flow agent) can
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