Beginner Sausage Making

S@usage · Post by **S@usage** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 15:45

Hi All
Nice to be apart of this forum and looking forward to learning from you'll.

Firstly, before i continue further, I am a total beginner at Sausage Making. I've never ever made sausages before but i have tasted a fair amount of store bought sausages, some good, some bad and some just despicable to even mention.

None the less, i decided to embark on a mission to make my own sausage that i can call the best in my opinion.

I have just obtained a Mincer with a sausage filler attachment and I'm half way there to start. I have also sourced some Sheep Casings and I will be using lamb as my meat source.

I have one teeny weeny problem. Most of the recipes call for Pork Fat and i understand the need for it as it adds juiciness to the sausage however I'm not allowed to eat pork at all - what's the next best alternative?

I was thinking of adding some oil or maybe margarine that's hard and mince it with the lamb to create a bit of juiciness - would this work?
With regards to the lamb, is there any specific cut of lamb I should be using or will anything go?

Look forward to hearing from you guys
Regards
S

Post by **redzed** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 17:28

Greetings and welcome to the forum! Not being able to use pork in sausage making will certainly limit your options but is not impossible. Techique will be the main hurdle for you. There are some very good lamb and mutton recipes around, such as the Polish podhalanska and the Greek and Bulgarian versions of loukanika. Lamb by it's nature is already quite fatty so you may not always need to add any other fat to it. I think you can make a variety of fresh sausages, flavours in many different ways for grilling or baking without having to add any other fat. Check out some beef sausage recipes as well. For smoked sausage, you can buy or make a fat replacement. Our leader, Chuckwagon is an expert on fat replacements so he will help you in that area. Do not use margarine, it will welt out and spoil the taste of the sausage!

As far as the cuts, you can use any part of the lamb, just trim the meat well. You will need to experiment a few times with how much fat you want to leave on the meat. It might be also cheaper for you to use mutton instead of lamb. See if you can order a whole mutton from a wholesaler and bone the whole thing out for sausage.

S@usage · Post by **S@usage** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 16:05

Thanks a million for your speedy reply.
It's good to know I can still do lots without the use of pork.

I'll be sure to use the tips you have provided.

I ran across a topic yesterday regarding emulsified sausage and in there it was mentioned that 100% water is used to the same weight as the beef (if you use beef) and the meat is very finely minced - I'm still coming to grips with the different terminologies and I understand emulsified means binding but my question is would this kind of sausage grill well?

Most of the recipe's i have seen for emulsified sausages don't call for any pork so it would be a great experiment.

Thanks
Regards
S

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 16:55

S , this is a web site that I recommend to everybody because it contains so much information. The chapter on raw-cooked meat products explains many of your questions about emulsification. The web site acknowledges the restriction for some people for pork and some other types of meat. http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/ai407e/AI ... m#Contents

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 03:54

Hello ssorllih,
How can I buy this book? Where can I buy it?

Delie here

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 04:08

Doug, The FAO is an arm of the United Nations. I have no idea about purchasing but the entire text can be down loaded to your computer.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 04:25

ssorllih,

My nephew is visiting Bankok at the present time. I'll email him with pertinent information
on this book and see if he can pick one up for me.

It's good to know that it can be downloaded to my computer but my eyes won't cooperate.

Thank you,
Doug

ssorllih · Post by **ssorllih** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 04:51

Doug, You can adjust the type size.

Doug · Post by **Doug** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 05:48

I like your idea best.