Fresh sausage coming out too dry

eightysixCJ
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Post by eightysixCJ » Wed May 16, 2012 23:45

Chuckwagon wrote: How are your boys? (Three of them if I remember correctly).
Would you mind if I threw my 2 cents worth in here?
Hello, all three doing just fine and enjoying (at least so they say) what I'm grinding up. Michael is my consistent helper and stuffer-cranker. Here he is with the pork batch.


Image

I'm thinking that I've been to stingy with the pork fat and that I'll keep the wine in my glass.

Do most folks treat the whole shoulder with whatever fat is on it as the lean and add 20-30% fat (fatback) to it? So far everything I've made has been very tasty but on the lean/dry side.

Fun stuff, can't wait for my next batch! Thanks for all the help!

Tom
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Butterbean
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Post by Butterbean » Thu May 17, 2012 01:36

I guess it would depend on the fattiness of the butt. Before I did that though I'd try being sure the meat is next to freezing and once ground mix it really really well till it just sticks to your overtuned hand. Then stuff it. Just a suggestion to try.

Also, you might want to try cutting the meat up, seasoning it, grinding it, chilling it again and regrinding it then mixing it till it sticks to your hand.
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Post by Cabonaia » Thu May 17, 2012 04:08

Hi 86 - I unwittingly conducted an experiment. With the same 10 lb batch of 70% rather lean pork butt plus 30% back fat I made 2 recipes - one with wine (linguica) and one without (andouille). The linguica came out crumbly and dry, and the andouille came out just right. There were obviously other differences in the recipes, but I suspect the wine made the difference. When I make Mexican chorizo, which has vinegar, it always comes out crumbly, so I add more fat. Still crumbly, but that's the way it is supposed to be.

Sorry, I am not sure what recipe I used for the linguica, but I do remember it had a fair amount of wine in it. Next time I will:
- use less wine (just a little wine makes a significant difference in flavor anyway)
- make sure the wine is just short of frozen
- spritz it in midway during the mixing, instead of dumping it in all at once
- use more fat
....all good suggestions from this forum!

My 2 cents, in case it helps. Still experimenting over here, so will be interested to hear your results.

Cheers,
Jeff
eightysixCJ
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Post by eightysixCJ » Thu May 17, 2012 22:42

Cabonaia wrote: When I make Mexican chorizo, which has vinegar, it always comes out crumbly, so I add more fat.
I made one batch of chorizo which came out very crumbly and dry. I planned to cut back on the vinegar but (I still might) the additional fat is probably the important key.

There is a big difference in the dryness of the sausage I made with and without wine.

Thanks,

Tom
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Post by Baconologist » Thu May 17, 2012 23:55

eightysixCJ wrote: Do most folks treat the whole shoulder with whatever fat is on it as the lean and add 20-30% fat (fatback) to it?
I typically use butts with a good fairly thick fat cap without adding extra fat.
Godspeed!

Bob
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Post by Butterbean » Fri May 18, 2012 04:24

Baconologist wrote:
eightysixCJ wrote: Do most folks treat the whole shoulder with whatever fat is on it as the lean and add 20-30% fat (fatback) to it?
I typically use butts with a good fairly thick fat cap without adding extra fat.
Same here.
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Post by eightysixCJ » Mon Jun 18, 2012 21:57

Hello all,

Made a couple of different batches. I substituted water for the wine (kept the wine in my glass :grin: ) and added about 30% pork fat to the pork shoulder with whatever fat was on it (11# shoulder plus 4.5# fat). Perfect consistancy, jucy, and tasty.

Thanks for your help!

Tom
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Post by Chuckwagon » Tue Jun 19, 2012 02:42

Glad to hear it Tom. What kind of sausage are you making? Be sure to tell Michael that the guys at WD think he's doing a pretty good job! :wink:

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 el Ducko » Wed Jun 20, 2012 04:15

My chorizo batches come out crumbly, too, but are supposed to be that way. The vinegar added (which I believe is done to mimic the slight sourness of fermentation in the Spanish "real chorizo" varieties) makes it crumbly. Several of our forum participants have pointed that out to me. It's okay, though, because I usually (1) reduce the tendancy to crumble by using a coarser grind and (2) rather than slice it, I shred it before frying it up and mixing it into eggs. For that reason, I usually stuff the sausage into snack-size or sandwich-size plastic bags, roll them up, and stuff the bags into a gallon zip-lock bag. They freeze nicely, this way, and you can pull 'em out one at a time as needed.

The wine does help making it, though. Right after the step where you measure out the ingredients, start drinking the wine. Continue dosing yourself liberally as the sausage and seasonings are mixed.

I forget the last part. :mrgreen:
Experience - the ability to instantly recognize a mistake when you make it again.
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