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Fermento or Culture for Tang

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 03:52
by Rick
I noticed in the Kutas book under the recipe for Lebanon Bologna it calls for 6 oz. of Fermento for a 10# batch. Evidently this gives the meat a little tang in its development. Unfortunately it appears one must have some way of introducing humidity control into the smokehouse at various process steps which I think for most of us isn't possible.
Now I do enjoy sour/tang and would like to try to introduce that into a bologna. In the past I've seen where folks use cultures, but I'm not sure if this is for tang or some other purpose. I know very little about the world of meat culture introduction.
So I guess my question would be if there is a specific culture one could add to the meat in order to produce this "tang" without going to all the trouble of tight humidity control?

Re: Fermento or Culture for Tang

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 07:57
by Agoracritus
There are basically two different ways to create “tang” in sausages.

One is fermentation, which is a process that converts sugars to acids, in the sausage.

The other is by adding acid to the initial mix.

If you just want to add some tanginess to a COOKED sausage recipe that you’re already comfortable with (like bologna), then adding something like Fermento will work just fine. I’d suggest something more potent though, like encapsulated citric acid. Fermento is basically just powdered buttermilk, and it takes a LOT more of it to make a noticeable impact on the sausage flavor than the manufacturer (and many others) claim.

The alternative method of using specific cultures, sugars, temperatures, humidity and time to ferment meats (to control the Ph) can be complicated, to say the least. However, if you’re interested at all into going down that rabbit hole, it opens up whole new world of possibilities (and isn’t nearly as daunting as it’s often made out to be).

Re: Fermento or Culture for Tang

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 14:11
by Bob K
If you don't want to use a Culture I would use ECA instead of Fermento. To me there is no question go with the Culture. As they are large chubs and will only be fermented for 18-24 hours there is no need to be overly concerned about humidity control. All you need is an area that you can hold at around 85 F. FLC would be a good choice. There are amounts and instructions for both ECA (Encapsulated Citric Acid) and FLC in this thread on Taylor Ham which is a similar product. viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6212&hilit=taylor

Re: Fermento or Culture for Tang

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 15:34
by redzed
I agree that ECA would be the best route to go here for the Lebanon bologna. But I am kind of confused here in trying to understand what exactly you are wanting to make. In an earlier post you wanted to make an American style bologna, the type you buy in a supermarket. That one is spin off the European mortadella, it's an emulsified product and has no acidity. The Lebanon bologna is a bit of of a misnomer because it is more like a cooked salami or a summer sausage that is not dried. The tang comes from its German roots.

Re: Fermento or Culture for Tang

Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 19:54
by Rick
To everyone who commented, thank you for your input. I believe I do have some ECA on my sausage shelf. Now it's a matter of searching for the amount to be added to a 10# batch of American style bologna.
Redzed, you are correct, I did post regarding an American style bologna which was the recipe I found on this forum. I was also looking through my only sausage making book which is by Rytek Kutas, revised edition, at what he had to offer in the way of bologna recipes. Thus I found his Lebanon bologna recipe with the Fermento added for tang which started me thinking. Since I am a fan of pickled, sour, tang, anything, I was wondering why not try the American style bologna with the addition of a little tang. The best of all worlds for me! Sorry if my previous posts caused any confusion, but I was just thinking about a little experimenting here. I know sausage making seems to allow for some latitude in its making, and thought I'd take advantage of it. Then again, I'm sure some of you seasoned veteran sausage makers who let their curiosity get the better of them might have already tried such an experiment? I'm sure just keeping it simple, I'd be happy stuffing a mixture into some beef rounds and utilizing my big pickling jar with some pickling spices and vinegar.