Dry & Crumbly Sausage

boykjo · Jul 1, 2014

The left side looks wet and the right side looks dry. The meat on the right looks like its not binding or has too much binder and has soaked up the water. Grill it and see how it comes out. If its still dry and crumbly,omit the NFDM

danbono · Jul 1, 2014

boykjo said:
The left side looks wet and the right side looks dry. The meat on the right looks like its not binding or has too much binder and has soaked up the water. Grill it and see how it comes out. If its still dry and crumbly,omit the NFDM

Hi I didn't add any NFDM..I was thinking of using the NFDM next time.I did pan fry the sausage links in the pic,they were juicy before I added them to the pasta sauce, then they became dry.

Left side/right are you taking about the links or the uncased meat?

Thanks Dan

boykjo · Jul 1, 2014

Did you put the sausage in the hot pasta sauce and cook the sausage even more. Sausage should only be in sauce for about an hr to heat. If you leave it in there the fat will render and you will have dry crumbly sausage even though its in sauce

danbono · Jul 2, 2014

Hi Yes the sausage was in the sauce for awhile.Will give it less time, in the sauce.

Thanks Dan

danbono · Jul 20, 2014

Hi All A couple more sausage pics.How does the fat content look, to me it looks pretty good. Your thoughts on the fat content? ..They are now in the smoker, cooking hot & fast/250*

Thanks Dan

DSC02576.JPG

danbono
Jul 20, 2014

DSC02577.JPG

danbono
Jul 20, 2014

cinnamonkc · Jul 20, 2014

I agree with DiggingDog that it looks lean.

danbono · Jul 20, 2014

Hi All Out of the smoker 160* the sausage was juicy but still the texture is way off..Way to crumbly . What do next time? Maybe grind the pork with the finer plate, all these were coarse grinded.

Thanks Dan

boykjo · Jul 20, 2014

Hey Dan. Grinding through a finer plate wont make a difference. I just made a small batch of hot dogs trying something different by making them 35% fat content and pureed the meat with a lot of water to make a fine paste and the hot dogs came out crumbly too. I would keep it simple next time, Buy a fresh shoulder with a good fat cap, course grind, season (no binder) and cure with little water, stuff then smoke..... With my hot dog test I am betting I added too much water to the meat and caused it to become crumbly. I never have crumbly sausage but this time I bet excessive water was the culprit.

Joe

danbono · Jul 20, 2014

Thanks Boykjo Next time a good fat butt salt/pepper/fennel. I think the fat content looked good to me, noithing like adding some pork fat next time..

Dan

szynka · Jul 20, 2014

You know what? Fresh Italian sausage, with a course grind, is supposed to be a bit crumbly and juicy. If you want to make a rubbery sausage, then yes, grind it fine and mix it longer than necessary. You will then have a spongy sausage that you just might like. You can even take it a step further and emulsify it.

danbono · Jul 21, 2014

Szynka said:
You know what? Fresh Italian sausage, with a course grind, is supposed to be a bit crumbly and juicy. If you want to make a rubbery sausage, then yes, grind it fine and mix it longer than necessary. You will then have a spongy sausage that you just might like. You can even take it a step further and emulsify it.

Hi I have to disagree. Been eating Italian Sausage all my life/70yrs.Never came across crumbly sausage like mine.

Dan

danbono · Jul 21, 2014

DanBono said:
Hi All Out of the smoker 160* the sausage was juicy but still the texture is way off..Way to crumbly . What do next time? Maybe grind the pork with the finer plate, all these were coarse grinded.

Thanks Dan

Hi All

So "IF" the sausage was juicy when cooked/smoked right, the the fat content should be good?

Thanks Dan

rgautheir20420 · Jul 21, 2014

Dan,

Can you put your recipe up? Also, next time you make links, take some pictures of your grind and your mixture just before stuffing. I wouldn't say 100% if the pork was juicy and taste good then it's enough fat, but that might be lower on the list of potential problems. I've begun making my own sausage, so I've been following your thread with great interest. I'm always looking for learning experience be it good or bad.

I made a batch of andouille chicken sausage with 100% deboned deskinned chicken thighs last week. With just the meat and spices, no binder or liquids, the sausages were juicy and not crumbly. The thighs were about 30% fat to meat ratio.

Good luck!

danbono · Jul 21, 2014

Hi Recipe is in post #34. You can adjust to your liking.

Dan

keithintokyo · Jul 19, 2015

I know it's been a year since this was first asked, but in case others are still following this (and you haven't sold off your equipment), I'll add my two cents. I'll try not to repeat the topics too much aside from putting my vote in for absolutely ensuring the meat and equipment are very cold. But one of the things that looked apparent to me from your pictures is that the meat doesn't look "furry". Perhaps not mixed enough. But to check, a couple of questions.

When you cook the sausage, are you finding that the fat is bubbling out from the meat and pooling inside the casing? That if the casing gets pierced you'd have a pool of fat in your pan? Because I had that problem early on, and the results were as you described. When I'd cook them on the grill I was getting fat pouring out causing flare ups, and leaving me with a dry, crumbly sausage.

I changed two things:

Made the meat (and everything around it) colder. My grinder was I the freezer, as was the meat. I grind the meat into a bowl set on ice. The meat was crunchy coming out.

Fat ratio was never an issue - I used a pork shoulder with visible fat on it and I've never had a problem.

And as for the "furry" look, I mixed the meat in my mixer with paddle attachment until it had a furry or fuzzy look to it - like a sticky paste. I know when I've done it right when the test patty releases only a drop of fat. If a pool of fat is coming out of my test patty, it's not properly bound to the meat and will produce a crumbly, dry texture. If the fat is in the pan, fit doesn't matter if you have the right fat ratio going in as you're leaving most of it in the pan!

I've never used any binders, etc. so can't speak to those, but can say I've not needed them. The sausages I make now are juicy, flavorful, and always requested at my barbecues.

And of course be sure not to overcook!

danbono · Aug 20, 2015

NFDM will retain some moisture and help with smooth mouth feel but it's not magic , it's not going to overcome the fundamental issues that are leading to your dry crumbly sausage.

Good sausage can be made without NFDM.

I would increase the fat content, ensure that your're mixing the sausage meat well and not overcooking.

Most importantly, with proper mixing salt extracts soluble proteins from meat, as the sausage is carefully heated the protein matrix coagulates, the meat particles bind together, fat particles are surrounded and the texture of the sausage becomes firm. That's what makes a juicy sausage a juicy sausage. It's essential. No shortcut can make-up for it.

Hi All Just an update on my making of sausage using NFDM. Seams the NFDM has worked it's magic, or I got real good at making sausage. Used 1 cup for 7 lbs. sausage came moist and not crumbly, also tasted real good.

Thanks Dan

boykjo · Aug 20, 2015

Glad to hear Dan....... You'll be ready for the cooler weather as the sausage season near's.

Joe

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