Salt Content in Sausage
Salt Content in Sausage
Hi, I just joined today and this is my first post on this wonderful site. As I read and learn, I see from the sausage making guidelines that the recommended amount of salt for fresh sausage is 1.8%. I wanted to try the Hickory Hill Hot Italian Sausage recipe, but the it calls for 42 grams of kosher salt for 10lbs of meat. This comes out to be 0.9% salt. I am reluctant to try the recipe now seeing that it calls for half the amout of salt that is recommended in the guidelines. Can someone please expain to me how the salt content can vary so much from the recommended 1.8% and still taste good, or is there an topographic error in the recipe?
1.8 is rather the upper limit of salt/ palatability curve. I generally make bread with about 1 per cent salt as measured against the total flour. Some people ask if I use salt because they are accustomed to higher levels.
In the guideline published with this forum it is always recommended that before you stuff the sausage you cook a small patty and check the seasonings.
In the guideline published with this forum it is always recommended that before you stuff the sausage you cook a small patty and check the seasonings.
Ross- tightwad home cook
Re: Salt Content in Sausage
Hi there. Salt content fluctuates depending on the type of product. A fresh sausage might require 1.8-2% salt, but a fermented/dry aged sausage contains a higher concentration (about 2.5%) as it is a a safety measure. When dry curing whole muscles such as loins and hams, the concentration goes even higher (about 3-3.5%). In this case the lower amount of salt isn't going to make the sausage unsafe to eat, but you might find the flavor a bit lacking since salt draws out flavors.Dumoine wrote:Hi, I just joined today and this is my first post on this wonderful site. As I read and learn, I see from the sausage making guidelines that the recommended amount of salt for fresh sausage is 1.8%. I wanted to try the Hickory Hill Hot Italian Sausage recipe, but the it calls for 42 grams of kosher salt for 10lbs of meat. This comes out to be 0.9% salt. I am reluctant to try the recipe now seeing that it calls for half the amout of salt that is recommended in the guidelines. Can someone please expain to me how the salt content can vary so much from the recommended 1.8% and still taste good, or is there an topographic error in the recipe?
You can always adjust the salt in the recipe if you are set on trying it out though
Maybe you could post the recipe for everyone to see.
Re: Salt Content in Sausage
While I can't comment on the reason behind the amount of salt in the original recipe, I can tell you it is as written and given to me by my Aunt Polly a few years ago. Polly is said to have had the recipe from her third husband Dominick Russo as he received it from his grandpa Sal Russo.Dumoine wrote:Hi, I just joined today and this is my first post on this wonderful site. As I read and learn, I see from the sausage making guidelines that the recommended amount of salt for fresh sausage is 1.8%. I wanted to try the Hickory Hill Hot Italian Sausage recipe, but the it calls for 42 grams of kosher salt for 10lbs of meat. This comes out to be 0.9% salt. I am reluctant to try the recipe now seeing that it calls for half the amout of salt that is recommended in the guidelines. Can someone please expain to me how the salt content can vary so much from the recommended 1.8% and still taste good, or is there an topographic error in the recipe?
If I were making the recipe today, I would probably make the adjustment in the salt content my self. Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of heat from the peppers?
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Chuckwagon
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- Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 04:51
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Hi Guys, allow me to insert Stan Marianski's advice on the subject. It is on pages 187-188 of his book, "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages". He has also graciously included it in the "homepage" of this site. Here's a link: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-making/curing When the page comes up, click on the fourth topic from the left called "sausage recipes". Select the third topic down the list called "Recipe Secrets". There's a lot of good information here and it includes the following:
2. Salt. The sausage needs salt. Salt contributes to flavor, curing and firmness, water holding and juiciness, binding and texture (protein extraction), safety and it prevents water cooking loss. In general sausages contain 1.5-2% salt. About 3.5-5% will be the upper limit of acceptability, anything more and the product will be too salty. Get the calculator and punch in some numbers. Or if you use the metric system you don`t even need the calculator: You need 2 grams of salt per 100 grams of meat. If you buy ten times more meat (1 kg) you will also need ten times more salt (20 grams). Now for the rest of your life you don`t have to worry about salt in your recipes. If you want a consistent product, weigh out your salt. Estimating salt per cups or spoons can be deceiving as not all salts weigh the same per unit volume.
Salt perception can be an acquired taste. If you decide to go on a low sodium diet and start decreasing the amount of salt you consume, in about three weeks time you may reach a point when your food tastes enjoyable, though you use less salt than before. This is fine as long as you prepare those meals for yourself. When making sausages for your friends, try to adhere to the amount of salt the original recipe calls for, as other people might like a different amount of salt. When smoking large amounts of meat that will be kept for a week or longer, remember that it will keep on drying out (losing moisture). Salt will, however, remain inside and your sausage will now taste saltier and will be of a smaller diameter. The meat flavor will also be stronger now. In such a case you may use less salt than originally planned for, let`s say 15 g/kg. That will not apply when making a fresh sausage which will be consumed in a matter of days, and (1.8-2%) salt will be fine.
There are different types of salt and people often speculate which kind is the best. Well, probably the cheapest salt that is known as rock or canning salt might be the best as it is very pure. Salt was originally mined and transported in huge slabs to different areas. It was a valuable commodity and was named after the mine which had produced it. Different mines produced salt with different impurities content. If a particular salt contained more Nitrate, it would impart pink color to the meat and improve its keeping qualities. Such salt would be popular for meat preservation.Table salt that we use for general cooking contains many added ingredients such as iodine (there is a non-iodized salt, too) and anti-caking agents such as sodium silicoaluminate or magnesium carbonate that prevent salt from acquiring moisture. Pure rock salt will lump together and will not shift from a salt shaker. Salt lumping is of a minor inconvenience as the hardened salt can be reversed to its original powdery form by shaking the container. Cleaner salt will produce cleaner gelatin in a head cheese. Some salts are finely ground and some are flaked. A finely ground salt will be more suitable for curing fish in brine. Due to a short time involved finely pulverized salt will penetrate fish flesh faster. On the other hand dry cured products such as ham or bacon which cure for weeks at the time, might benefit from a coarsely ground salt.
For brining purposes both table salt and kosher salt will work equally well in terms of providing the desired effects, though kosher salt - and in particular Diamond Crystal kosher salt dissolves more readily. What is important to remember is that kosher salts are less dense than ordinary table salts and measure quite differently from a volume standpoint. Kosher salt has larger crystals and is bulkier. A given weight of Diamond Crystal takes up nearly twice the volume as the same weight of table salt. One teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 g but 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt weighs 4.8 g. Five tablespoons of Diamond Kosher Salt (72 g) or five tablespoons of Morton Table Salt (90 g) will add a different percentage of salt to your product as the former salt is much lighter. Yet when you weigh 90 g of salt on a scale it makes no difference what kind of salt you choose. Ninety grams of table salt equals to 90 g of flaked salt regardless of the volume they might occupy. The table below shows approximate equivalent amounts of different salts:
Table Salt 1 cup 292 g (10.3 oz)
Morton Kosher Salt 11/3 to 11/2 cup 218 g (7.7 oz)
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 1 cup 142 g (5 oz)
As you can see it is always advisable to weigh out your salt. The above table proves how misleading a recipe can be if listed ingredients are measured in volume units only (cups, spoons, etc).
Sea salt. Sea salt is made by evaporating sea water and what is left is the salt plus impurities which were in sea water. Those impurities include different minerals and chemicals such as magnesium, calcium or nitrate. If a substantial amount of Nitrate is present, such salt will somewhat cure meats and make them pink. Due to imputities sea salt may taste a bit bitter. Sea salt is occasionally added to dry cured and air dried products which are made without Nitrates. Nevertheless such a manufacturing process is not recommended for an amateur. Each gallon of sea water (8.33 lb) produces more than 1/4 pound of salt. (Stan Marianski - P. 187 "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" (Bookmagic 2010)
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
2. Salt. The sausage needs salt. Salt contributes to flavor, curing and firmness, water holding and juiciness, binding and texture (protein extraction), safety and it prevents water cooking loss. In general sausages contain 1.5-2% salt. About 3.5-5% will be the upper limit of acceptability, anything more and the product will be too salty. Get the calculator and punch in some numbers. Or if you use the metric system you don`t even need the calculator: You need 2 grams of salt per 100 grams of meat. If you buy ten times more meat (1 kg) you will also need ten times more salt (20 grams). Now for the rest of your life you don`t have to worry about salt in your recipes. If you want a consistent product, weigh out your salt. Estimating salt per cups or spoons can be deceiving as not all salts weigh the same per unit volume.
Salt perception can be an acquired taste. If you decide to go on a low sodium diet and start decreasing the amount of salt you consume, in about three weeks time you may reach a point when your food tastes enjoyable, though you use less salt than before. This is fine as long as you prepare those meals for yourself. When making sausages for your friends, try to adhere to the amount of salt the original recipe calls for, as other people might like a different amount of salt. When smoking large amounts of meat that will be kept for a week or longer, remember that it will keep on drying out (losing moisture). Salt will, however, remain inside and your sausage will now taste saltier and will be of a smaller diameter. The meat flavor will also be stronger now. In such a case you may use less salt than originally planned for, let`s say 15 g/kg. That will not apply when making a fresh sausage which will be consumed in a matter of days, and (1.8-2%) salt will be fine.
There are different types of salt and people often speculate which kind is the best. Well, probably the cheapest salt that is known as rock or canning salt might be the best as it is very pure. Salt was originally mined and transported in huge slabs to different areas. It was a valuable commodity and was named after the mine which had produced it. Different mines produced salt with different impurities content. If a particular salt contained more Nitrate, it would impart pink color to the meat and improve its keeping qualities. Such salt would be popular for meat preservation.Table salt that we use for general cooking contains many added ingredients such as iodine (there is a non-iodized salt, too) and anti-caking agents such as sodium silicoaluminate or magnesium carbonate that prevent salt from acquiring moisture. Pure rock salt will lump together and will not shift from a salt shaker. Salt lumping is of a minor inconvenience as the hardened salt can be reversed to its original powdery form by shaking the container. Cleaner salt will produce cleaner gelatin in a head cheese. Some salts are finely ground and some are flaked. A finely ground salt will be more suitable for curing fish in brine. Due to a short time involved finely pulverized salt will penetrate fish flesh faster. On the other hand dry cured products such as ham or bacon which cure for weeks at the time, might benefit from a coarsely ground salt.
For brining purposes both table salt and kosher salt will work equally well in terms of providing the desired effects, though kosher salt - and in particular Diamond Crystal kosher salt dissolves more readily. What is important to remember is that kosher salts are less dense than ordinary table salts and measure quite differently from a volume standpoint. Kosher salt has larger crystals and is bulkier. A given weight of Diamond Crystal takes up nearly twice the volume as the same weight of table salt. One teaspoon of table salt weighs 6 g but 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt weighs 4.8 g. Five tablespoons of Diamond Kosher Salt (72 g) or five tablespoons of Morton Table Salt (90 g) will add a different percentage of salt to your product as the former salt is much lighter. Yet when you weigh 90 g of salt on a scale it makes no difference what kind of salt you choose. Ninety grams of table salt equals to 90 g of flaked salt regardless of the volume they might occupy. The table below shows approximate equivalent amounts of different salts:
Table Salt 1 cup 292 g (10.3 oz)
Morton Kosher Salt 11/3 to 11/2 cup 218 g (7.7 oz)
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt 1 cup 142 g (5 oz)
As you can see it is always advisable to weigh out your salt. The above table proves how misleading a recipe can be if listed ingredients are measured in volume units only (cups, spoons, etc).
Sea salt. Sea salt is made by evaporating sea water and what is left is the salt plus impurities which were in sea water. Those impurities include different minerals and chemicals such as magnesium, calcium or nitrate. If a substantial amount of Nitrate is present, such salt will somewhat cure meats and make them pink. Due to imputities sea salt may taste a bit bitter. Sea salt is occasionally added to dry cured and air dried products which are made without Nitrates. Nevertheless such a manufacturing process is not recommended for an amateur. Each gallon of sea water (8.33 lb) produces more than 1/4 pound of salt. (Stan Marianski - P. 187 "Home Production Of Quality Meats And Sausages" (Bookmagic 2010)
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon
Last edited by Chuckwagon on Thu Apr 19, 2012 09:25, edited 1 time in total.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it probably needs more time on the grill! 
Re: Salt Content in Sausage
Well if it is ok with Dominick and Sal Russo, I would like to try their recipe but increase the salt to 1.8%. I have made hot Italian sausage before, but never with coriander or caraway. I am looking forward to tasting how these two additional spices influence the flavor. I will post after I make a batch.
There is only one restriction about modifiying someone's recipe as far as I know; If it doesn't turn out to be to your liking , "It ain't their fault". 
Like the woman who used a friend's recipe for crab cakes but substituted tuna for crab meat and blamed the failure on the original recipe.
Like the woman who used a friend's recipe for crab cakes but substituted tuna for crab meat and blamed the failure on the original recipe.
Ross- tightwad home cook
