Project KB (For Beginners)

[rgauthier20420]

Alrighty. The breakfast sausage has been made. 500g of pork butt was cubed, mixed with the spices, and put in the freezer along with the grinder assembly. I ground it and did a short mix in a bowl and fried up a taste test. A very nice balance of spices in my opinion. A good solid recipe. I would like to see a bit more heat, but that's just my opinion. I've snapped a picture of the after mix step, but here you go. Make this one your own by adding equal amounts of red pepper and cayenne.

[grasshopper]

Keeping it simple, I made the breakfast paddy's. I did use rubbed sage instead of ground. They are in the freezer now. I also made 5 lb of garlic pepper chubs. I grind my meat put the cure in the water stir and add the spices to the water and make a slurry. Then make actomyosin. In my opinion it mixes more even. Then I add the semi frozen fat. Meld overnight in the fridge. One question for CW, I will be gone tomorrow, so the chubs with cure are in the 3 inch casings in the fridge. Plan on smoking Friday, low and slow. I think I will be OK.?

[Chuckwagon]

BobK wrote:

There should be a less than blurred line between the temp that separates "Barbeque" and "smoking" meats. That would determine at which point meats need to be cured for safety reasons. Also it is well documented what the maximum amount of nitrites/nitrates are allowable by various government agencies but what is the minimum amount needed (PPM) to avoid the possible development of botulism??????

A less than blurred line? There is Bob! Absolutely there is. But I can`t post it here and now or I`ll get ahead of myself and I`m not going to do that. Have some patience pal, and we`ll get all that information to you as we progress. I`ll include the answers to your question in Project KB when we get to the "smoking" part.
SalP

Thanks for the clarification between smokin and cooking. I know alot of people use smokin as cooking. It also makes me feel better because i routinely cook my sausage and bratwurst on my smoker at around 250 for an hour.

Sal, there`s a LOT more information coming up about this subject. Look for the "smoking" part of this Project in about another week or so.
Hey guys... Walk before you RUN

Grasshopper wrote:

One question for CW, I will be gone tomorrow, so the chubs with cure are in the 3 inch casings in the fridge. Plan on smoking Friday, low and slow. I think I will be OK.?

Sounds like a plan Mike! Shucks, I just might saddle my pony and ride over to yer' hacienda for a bite!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

[rgauthier20420]

grasshopper:

Those are some nicely formed patties. Looks like some sort of press was used?

[grasshopper]

The patties are a little big, formed in a lem buger press. The press is adjustable. I have never seen a smaller one. I use the lem plastic freezer sheets.

[rgauthier20420]

The patties are a little big, formed in a lem buger press. The press is adjustable. I have never seen a smaller one. I use the lem plastic freezer sheets.

Adjustable press? Nice. I think I'm gonna have to look into one of those. I like larger patties for my breakfast patties, so they look perfect to me. Nice job!

[Chuckwagon]

I use an "adjustable press" too! A large plastic lid from an industrial mayonnaise jar.

[Bob K]

BobK wrote:

There should be a less than blurred line between the temp that separates "Barbeque" and "smoking" meats. That would determine at which point meats need to be cured for safety reasons. Also it is well documented what the maximum amount of nitrites/nitrates are allowable by various government agencies but what is the minimum amount needed (PPM) to avoid the possible development of botulism??????

A less than blurred line? There is Bob! Absolutely there is. But I can`t post it here and now or I`ll get ahead of myself and I`m not going to do that. Have some patience pal, and we`ll get all that information to you as we progress. I`ll include the answers to your question in Project KB when we get to the "smoking" part.

Thanks CW! I will be patient and wait, don't forget about the second question on nitrites/nitrates. It would be useful for folks that don't want to add the "maximum allowed amount"

[el Ducko]

It pays to read ahead, but only slightly.

Number one, you can study up on the material but it will still be fresh when you need it. Mainly, though, number two, you`ll have the proper supplies on hand, rather than having to wait for a shipment.

Being "pro"active (yuk yuk), I went to my not-so-local Category Killer Pro to buy some hog casings. ...seems that I had let the supply dwindle down to "less than three," which is the order point for my usual kilo-or-so batches of sausage. I walked in, and... Well... For some reason, I am drawn to the duck decoys, about two aisles over from the sausage making supplies. ...something about the way they look at you, the hens especially. Victoria`s Secret gots nuthin` on those beauties! (Get it? "nuthin` on!" Har-dee-har-har.)

Anyway, I was standing next to a guy who had just flown in from the coast and was telling that old Henny Youngman joke about his arms being tired. We all glared at him as if his last name was "wing nut" and my friend, Juan Wing ("Lefty" to those who dare) says to him, uh...

Well, I`m off course again. Sorry about that. Read ahead, but not too far ahead, so you can avoid running out of supplies. That includes the right size of brushes, so you can scrub down in the crannies and threads on your grinder. It also includes a big supply of disposable rubber gloves, and even a chopstick or bamboo skewer to clean out the holes in the grinder plate. Think through it, then make a checklist, and add to it when the inevitable item gets forgotten. You`ll be glad you did.
Duk

[Bob K]

and even a chopstick or bamboo skewer to clean out the holes in the grinder plate.

Toothpicks and skewers are not needed!!!

Hold plate in your cupped hand under running water, tap (RAP) with heavy wooden dowel (I have a wooden pusher from my grinder) Meat will back right out of even 1/8 inch plates.

It was an I don't F'in believe this moment when I tried cleaning them that way for the first time.

[rgauthier20420]

and even a chopstick or bamboo skewer to clean out the holes in the grinder plate.

Toothpicks and skewers are not needed!!!

Hold plate in your cupped hand under running water, tap (RAP) with heavy wooden dowel (I have a wooden pusher from my grinder) Meat will back right out of even 1/8 inch plates.

It was an I don't F'in believe this moment when I tried cleaning them that way for the first time.

This is exactly how I do it. I used the 2nd to smallest plate yesterday for the breakfast sausage grind and I just rotated it in my hand under the warm water stream and it melted out. Was the first time using such a small plate, so I was pleasantly surprised.

[Chuckwagon]

Quick Review:

What Is "Fresh" Meat?

In butcher`s circles, the term "fresh" applied to meat is a bit confusing. It is not meant to imply the animal in question was butchered merely twenty minutes before you purchased it. Fresh simply designates meat products that have not been cured with sodium nitrite or nitrate curing agents. There is no such thing as "cured" meat without actual treatment of a product containing sodium nitrate or nitrite cures or other specific curing salts as potassium nitrate, no longer used in the United States (other than in a few specific applications). Almost immediately upon the application of Cure #2, bacteria in meat begins to reduce nitrate to nitrite, and finally into nitrate oxide, protecting the consumer from the toxic spores of colstridium botulinum. Modern science simply has not found an acceptable alternative for the age old fundamental concentrates of sodium chloride and sodium nitrite. Your local supermarket`s "fresh" is simply a raw meat product that may have or may have not been frozen by your grocer before being placed inside his refrigerated display case for immediate sale. Fresh meat (not cured) must be refrigerated, frozen, cooked, or cured by the consumer relatively quickly. Never attempt to smoke fresh meat of any type without actually curing it with nitrate or nitrite cures. To avoid the possible development of botulism, it simply must be cured before any smoking process takes place.

"Bindin` Yer Burger"!

Okay smoke addicts! Back to the study of proteins for just a bit. In the first exercise, we chopped some meat into small dice and used it either as "loose meat" for "Biscuits n` Gravy" breakfast, or for stuffing a hog casing for breakfast sausage. I was hoping for a few comments like... "the stuff fell apart" or, "it won`t stick together". There`s a great lesson to be learned here - we must develop a binder if the meat is to be used in sausage.

Loose meat is great for putting into your spaghetti sauce where you don`t want it to stick together. And it`s great for sausage gravy over biscuits and many other recipes as well... where you don`t wish to have it to stick together. But what about those recipes when you really wish to have the sausage stick together - and won`t? It can be frustrating, but with just a bit of knowledge, you`ll never be bothered with the problem again. You see, it`s all about proteins. if you wish to have sausage "bind" or stick together, you have to go about developing the proteins naturally found in the meat.

Proteins And Amino Acids

Is sausage good for you? Of course it is. Your body uses the protein you eat to make particular protein molecules having specific jobs. For instance, your body uses protein to make hemoglobin that carries oxygen to every body part. Other proteins are used to build muscle. When you eat foods that contain protein, digestive juices in the stomach and intestine break down the protein (in food) into amino acids that may be reused to make the proteins the body needs to maintain muscles, bones, blood, and body organs. Proteins are sometimes described as necklaces with differently shaped beads of amino acids. These amino acids can join together to make thousands of different proteins, but only 22 of them are vital to human health - and the body makes only 13 of them naturally. The remaining nine amino must be acquire by eating protein-rich foods and they are called "essential amino acids".

Proteins from animal sources are called "complete", because they contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable proteins are considered "incomplete" because they lack one or more of the essential amino acids. This is a chief concern for vegetarians and people who are lactose intolerant. But people who eat a vegetarian diet can still get all their essential amino acids by eating a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods.

There are 3 categories of meat proteins. The (1.) myofibrillar proteins are called the "contractile" proteins for the way they act upon muscle e.g. rigor mortis. Myofibrillar proteins are composed of 55% myosin - generally considered the single most important because of their long, highly-charged, "filament" molecule that is present in lean muscle. Actin and myosin are primarily responsible for creating the "sticky gel" that holds mixed, comminuted meat together.

The (2.) stromal proteins are in connective tissue and are primarily collagen, composing about 20 - 25% total body protein in the skin, sinews, tendons, etc. They are designed to transmit force to hold things together, thus they are generally tough and inert. Stromal proteins are of little or no value in processed meats as they have little binding ability. Further, as an animal ages, its meat becomes tougher due to the stromal protein`s unique make-up of 33% glycine and 10% hydroxyproline - responsible for non-charged or "non-polar" molecules having a minimally low isoelectric point. Stromal protein is generally considered a problem in processed meats and "high collagen meats" are often limited to 15 - 25% maximum, although chopped, ground, powdered collagen which can be dispersed, can be useful in forming a gel when heated. They may also be useful in retaining water and fat.

The (3.) sarcopolasmic proteins are found in intracellular fluid and compose 30% of total muscle protein. They contribute only 20% to binding ability and the isoelectric point of its molecules is low, although they do contribute to tenderization through postmortem glycolysis, effecting a pH change. Don`t be too hard on the sarcopalasmic proteins though, because they potentially add flavor contributions from a process known as "protein hydrolysis".

Myoglobin consists of a typical amino acid protein concentration responsible for color intensity in meat. It was biologically designed to hold oxygen, and then release it for energy metabolism, so... it binds oxygen somewhat temporarily, dramatically changing meat`s color. Below are a few typical concentrations:

poultry white muscle .05 mg/g
chicken thigh 1.8-2.0 mg/g
turkey thigh 2.5-3.0 mg/g
pork, veal 1.0-3.0 mg/g
beef 4.0-10.0 mg/g
old beef 15.0-20.0 mg/g
mechanically separated meat 0.08-3.0 mg/g

Developing Myosin And Actin

Have you ever just haphazardly formed a ball of sausage into a flat patty for frying? Again, ground meat just does not naturally bind or hold together. Your burger probably fell apart as you attempted to turn it on the grill. But as you quickly learned to work with the meat, tossing it from hand to hand, mixing and pressing it in your hands, the meat became sticky and held together before grilling. The protein myosin was developed as you "worked" the meat and indeed, your finished burger was appetizing, juicy, cooked to perfection, and best of all, it held together! The mixture in your sausages needs the same extra bit of care to have great texture. Develop the primary bind! All you have to do is agitate the comminuted meat a little - just enough to create a sticky mass showing "peaks" when pulled apart.

To impress all you smoke-addicted, meat wranglers just how important this is, let`s make some sausage, this time with real binding quality. Here`s a recipe for a "fresh" type burger that will cause your tongue to slap the daylights out of your tonsils. Please follow the directions closely and do not substitute ingredients. If you make these "sausage burgers" correctly, you`ll never go back to your old recipe.

Introducing Another Binder - SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE

Today, soy protein is used in sausage making as a binder - not to be confused as a filler. As comminuted meat and fat particles are covered with the fine powder (having the consistency of corn starch), soy protein prevents fats from amalgamating and its water-holding ability only increases the firmness of a meat product. The amount added should not exceed 2-1/2% as the flavor of sausage becomes altered, most people calling it "beany" tasting.

Soy protein has been around longer than most people think. In 1936 it was developed for use in fire extinguishers by the company that eventually became Kidde. The U.S. Navy called the foam product "bean soup" and used it to fight fires aboard ships throughout WWII as it was ideal for putting out gas and oil fires on aircraft carriers. In 1958, the Glidden Paint Company further tested the product and was the first to produce edible soy protein isolate in 1959. However, it wasn`t until 1987 that the product became a leading food additive as defatted soy flour was developed by a corporation named PTI. Later, DuPont Chemical (who owned Ralston-Purina), joined with General Mills creating the first marketed food-grade soy protein isolate. Not to be confused with soy protein concentrate or soy protein flour, the product known as soy protein isolate contains more than 90% protein and no other added ingredients. It is much stronger and more expensive than other soy protein powders. It binds 5 parts of water and is used in the food industry in other applications than in sausage making.

Soy protein concentrate is produced by immobilizing soy globulin proteins while allowing soluble carbohydrates to be leached from the defatted flakes along with whey and salts. With these removed, soy protein flour remains. Now, there is a lot of technical saddle-bum science going on to further create edible soy protein concentrate. It involves the removal of specific aqueous acids in something called the isoelectric zone of minimum protein solubility . And no kidding... it is achieved by the use of... (ta da)... alcohol! When the science settles down, the consumer winds up with soy protein concentrate at about 70% protein... with other additives, including ash and fiber. Shucks, there`s even 1% oil in the stuff. It binds 4 part of water and it takes one ton of defatted soybean flour to make 1653 pounds of soy protein concentrate. The list of the uses for soy protein concentrate in every industry you can imagine today is as long as El DuckO`s beak!

In 1984, three years before "defatted soy flour" was developed by PTI, Rytek Kutas (referring to non-fat dry milk) wrote on page 159 of his "revised edition" book, "If you are going to use a non-fat dry milk for a binder, your local dairy is usually the only place you can buy it today. The milk has to be a very fine powder and not the granules used for making milk at home. Better still, it should have the consistency of corn starch."

Other Binders

Non fat dry milk powder can also bind water although it is not as effective as soy protein concentrate. Non fat dry milk powder is a good natural product and it does not affect the flavor of the product. It is added at about 3% and effectively binds water and emulsifies fats. Its action is very similar to that of soy protein concentrate. Dry milk powder contains 50% lactose (sugar) and is used in fermented sausages as a source of food for lactic acid producing bacteria. It also contains around 35% of protein, about 0.6 - 1% fat and may be considered a healthy high energy product. Dry milk powder greatly improves the taste of low fat sausages.

Although it does not have quite the binding power of soy protein, non-fat dry milk powder is half lactose (sugar) and is often used in making fermented type "dry-cured" sausages such as salami and pepperoni. Why? It is ideal in supplying essential sugar to the lactic acid producing bacteria known as pediococcus acidilactici and lactobacillus curvatus. Although it is 35% protein, it is also known for improving the taste of low-fat sausages.

I have heard of people buying grocery-store dry milk powder (granules) and pulverizing it inside a blender or food processor for use in prep-cooked-type sausages and semi-dry cured sausages. Many folks say they are not able to tell the difference. Personally, I`m not able to assess it because I am terribly allergic to lactose. However, you may choose it over soy protein. I just count myself lucky to be living in a time when modern science has developed a refined soy protein concentrate.

Carrageenan is a natural extract from red seaweeds used in processed foods for stabilization, thickening, and gelation. Carrageenan can bind plenty of water and about 0.01% (1 g per kg of meat) can increase the yield of the finished product up to 8%. Carrageenan forms a solid gel during cooling.

Crumbling Hamburgers?

Have you ever wondered why the burgers down at "Al`s Malt Shop" always keep their shape as well as their juices? And just where does that particular special flavor come from? Whenever many people make a burger at home, it crumbles and shrinks and the juices remain upon the griddle as the burger is removed from the heat. The secret for making the best burgers is the addition of the natural "binding" power of soy protein concentrate. The product is natural and, as its name implies, it is simply concentrated soy bean protein. Soy protein binds comminuted (ground) meat together, and for that reason, it helps in retaining its natural juices. This of course, keeps it from shrinking.

Soy protein concentrate has one shortcoming only - the meat becomes a little more difficult to "sear" or brown while cooking. However, adding a little powdered dextrose or corn syrup solids, adding their own flavors as well, easily solves this problem. Please note these products are also "natural" and used in most commercial sausage kitchens today. Don`t be hesitant to use these products in your cooking as they are completely safe and contain no additives, preservatives, or foreign chemicals. Powdered dextrose is only 70% sweet as sugar and its weight forces itself into the cells of the meat more readily than other types of sugars, for complete distribution.

Years ago, the best burgers were charred outside and barely pink inside. Today, we must protect our guests against possible salmonella, listeria, e-coli, and a host of other bacteria, by cooking the burgers until their inside temperatures register 150 F. or thereabouts, allowing the "carryover" to finish bringing it up to a preferred temperature. Burgers are "medium" at this point. Here`s a good... uhhhj... no... here`s a great recipe for a tasty non-shrinkin` burger that won`t fall apart on you.

RECIPE CORNER

Chuckwagon`s "Hip Shot" Hamburgers

2 lbs. pork shoulder
3 lbs beef chuck
1 tblspn. powdered dextrose
3 tblspns. soy protein concentrate
1-1/2 tblspns. un-iodized salt
1 tblspn. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tspn. coriander
1/2 tspn. nutmeg
1/2 cup ice cold whole milk

Trim the shoulder and chuck and cut it into inch squares. Grind the nearly-frozen meat with its fat through a 3/8" plate. Mix all the other ingredients into the meat and distribute them thoroughly as you develop the actin and myocin. When pulled apart, the meat should be slightly sticky with soft peaks. Be careful not to over-mix the meat. Form 1/2 pound patties, flattening them evenly with a rolling pin. If you prefer burgers "griddle-fried in smoke", simply place your portable griddle (or cast iron black skillet) on top of the grilling bars of your gas or charcoal grill using plenty of dampened hickory or other hardwood to provide the smudge. Try apple, mesquite, alder, and oak. Don`t even think about pressing the patties down while they`re cooking! Put them on the griddle and allow them to sear and cook halfway before turning them over. You should only have to turn them once.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

[trucktramp]

Well I just finished pumping and putting Hamilton's (the hog's name...I didn't name him) hams in the brine. It was actually much easier than I thought once I figured out the brine formula. The hams were 25.5 and 27 lbs. I did notice that they wanted to float in the brine so I weighted them down (like a mafia hit man hiding the body) with a dinner plate. I hope this is acceptable. I will post pics when I get some time.

Next come the bellies. I can't wait. My smoker is going to be busy in a few days.

[Shuswap]

CW, here`s the hand chopped meat for the breakfast sausage. It was so much fun all I could think of was mucking out the barn when I was a kid and didn`t have a cigarette stolen from my Mom to enjoy the experience. I`m making paddies by request instead of stuffing but looks like I`ll have to hand place the fat to hide the chunks. I`m holding you to your "just once" promise.

[Chuckwagon]

Phil, without a binder, your "handcut" sausage will never hold together without a casing. This is the lesson I am trying to get across. If you want these hand-cut pieces to even begin to stick together, you'll have to work them with your hands, kneading the stuff. For sausage gravy for biscuits, you can't beat your hand-cut sausage. If you wish to have the comminuted pieces bind together, you really should use some nice hog casing... and even then, without a actomyocin protein binder, when you cut into one, the contents will spill out of the casing onto your plate in "pieces". It's a harsh lesson but one you'll never forget. The primary bind is very important. When we get into hanging sausages in your smokehouse and heating them for "type 2" sausages, you'll see another way to make the binding fail. MOST new sausage makers experience this while applying too much heat in too little time because of impatience. The binding quality ends up looking like sawdust. With some know-how and just a bit of experience, you can actually make the most deliciously moist sausages you every saw! Hang in there... we'll get to that point soon. First we'll have to learn all about nitrates and nitrites and a few other important items. Good to hear from you Shuswap. Take a few photos of the cooked up product.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon