Buffalo chicken sausages... Questions?

worktogthr · Jul 6, 2015

Hey all,

Relatively new to sausage making with a few good batches under my belt thanks to everyone's help! I was planning on making some buffalo chicken sausages with this recipe...

4 pounds pounds skin on, boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, chilled

Now the questions I have are:

How much NFDM should I use per 4lb batch? (I prefer to use this and leave out the skins to increase moisture and lower the fat)

If I wanted to add blue cheese to the mixture how much would you suggest per 4lb batch?

Thanks again and I'll be sure to share some pics when I get these sausages going.

-Chris

tropics · Jul 6, 2015

worktogthr I am not a pro,I use 1 cup NFDM for a 5 # batch.

Make a dipping sauce with the Blue Cheese.

That seems like to much liquid for the small batch,8 oz. is all I use for 5#s

Richie

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 6, 2015

I do skinless thighs all the time for chicken sausage. I have never added any NF to mine and they always come out nice and moist. The liquid amounts do seem a bit high for the batch, as does the amount of heat going in. As for the blue cheese if it's good quite and crumbles good I'd say anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a cup. The nice thing about blue cheese is its melting point is pretty high so you shouldn't have an issue with it fatting out.

worktogthr · Jul 6, 2015

tropics said:
worktogthr I am not a pro,I use 1 cup NFDM for a 5 # batch.
Make a dipping sauce with the Blue Cheese.

That seems like to much liquid for the small batch,8 oz. is all I use for 5#s

Richie

dirtsailor2003 said:
I do skinless thighs all the time for chicken sausage. I have never added any NF to mine and they always come out nice and moist. The liquid amounts do seem a bit high for the batch, as does the amount of heat going in. As for the blue cheese if it's good quite and crumbles good I'd say anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a cup. The nice thing about blue cheese is its melting point is pretty high so you shouldn't have an issue with it fatting out.

Thanks for the responses. I agree wth you both that the amount of liquid should be about a cup for a 5 pound batch. If you count both hot sauces and the vinegar, we are looking at a cup and half. Is it possible that since he hot sauces are not compelty liquid that the actual amount of liquid would be about or less then a cup. Not really sure how that works. I was thinking about doing a 5 pound batch with the ingredients listed for 4 lbs. and maybe eliminating the vinegar all together because hot sauces are a good part vinegar to begin with.

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 6, 2015

I would probably eliminate the vinegar too. Seems a bit overkill. One thing that I do when adding liquid to the sausage is I add a bit less then mix and then if it doesn't feel right I'll add some more.

tropics · Jul 6, 2015

worktogthr said:
Thanks for the responses. I agree wth you both that the amount of liquid should be about a cup for a 5 pound batch. If you count both hot sauces and the vinegar, we are looking at a cup and half. Is it possible that since he hot sauces are not compelty liquid that the actual amount of liquid would be about or less then a cup. Not really sure how that works. I was thinking about doing a 5 pound batch with the ingredients listed for 4 lbs. and maybe eliminating the vinegar all together because hot sauces are a good part vinegar to begin with.

I think you may want to make that mix,and then taste it.If it seems okay to you add half and see if you can do a fry test.That is some seriously

mummel · Jul 6, 2015

Buff chick sausages sounds delicious. Subbing.

worktogthr · Jul 6, 2015

Now that I think about it... The salt seems high too since hot sauce is very salty. I might do a little more research before I commit to this recipe or a variation of it. I have seen a Couple of buffalo chicken sausages on the forums but they all contain bacon, butter, sugar, etc. trying to make these a healthier option

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 6, 2015

It'd be pretty easy to make a 1 pound batch to get things right. When I make chicken wings (scarbelly style) it's a 50/50 mix of Franks and beer that gets injected. Then for a run its garlic powder, chipotle powder and black pepper. No salt at all.

worktogthr · Jul 7, 2015

I got boneless skinless thighs on sale for 99 a pound so I figured I'd go with a combo of all your advice. For $4, I figured I'd try the recipe as printed although I had my doubts. So here we go...

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

Right away it looked like too much liquid.

Mixed it thoroughly but felt too wet..

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

Difficulty even making a test patty:

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

Crumbly mess:

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

And pretty darn spicy. I didn't mind it but for friends and family it might be over the top.

Luckily I had extra chicken I had ground since I was going to make a bunch of cilantro chicken burgers.

image.jpg

worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

I added a pound to the mix and remixed it until it felt more like what I was looking for. Stuck to my palm without having to be completely peeled off if you know what I mean?

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

Much less crumbly but still seemed very moist!

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worktogthr
Jul 7, 2015

Decided to keep it as is because the flavor was great. Texture might leave a little to be desired when all is said and done... I will be back in a couple of days when I stuff it. Thanks again for all your help!

tropics · Jul 8, 2015

Did you use the NFDM ?

worktogthr · Jul 8, 2015

tropics said:
Did you use the NFDM ?

I did use the NFDM out of habit with chicken sausages and I'm afraid with the high no sure content already it was probably unnecessary. I'll stuff them tomorrow and let them chill in the fridge and grill some up Friday for lunch and let you all know how they turn out!

worktogthr · Jul 8, 2015

worktogthr said:
I did use the NFDM out of habit with chicken sausages and I'm afraid with the high moisture content already it was probably unnecessary. I'll stuff them tomorrow and let them chill in the fridge and grill some up Friday for lunch and let you all know how they turn out!

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 8, 2015

It will be interesting to see how the heat level ends up. Did you use cure?

worktogthr · Jul 10, 2015

dirtsailor2003 said:
It will be interesting to see how the heat level ends up. Did you use cure?

I didn't end up using cure and the heat level isn't over the top. The franks wing sauce is more peppery and buttery than super hot.

worktogthr · Jul 10, 2015

Stuffed and linked them yesterday and have them in the fridge... Did better on the stuffing today. Usually I understuff but this time I may over stuffed a little. Had two blow outs while twisting links.

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worktogthr
Jul 10, 2015

Going to grill some up for dinner tonight. I'll be back with the cooked pics.

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 10, 2015

Looks great!

tropics · Jul 10, 2015

I see puddles of Swet in your future

Richie

worktogthr · Jul 10, 2015

Well i grilled them up for dinner tonight...

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worktogthr
Jul 10, 2015

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worktogthr
Jul 10, 2015

Served them over rice with some homemade blue cheese dressing

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worktogthr
Jul 10, 2015

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worktogthr
Jul 10, 2015

The verdict: taste... Amazing. Exactly like a buffalo wing. Texture: crumbly and loose like I was expecting. Just too much liquid. Now the question is how to cut the liquid content which is mostly hot sauce and responsible for the great flavor. It's tough. If you lessen the hot sauce it will get bland, but as is that amount of sauce makes the texture displeasing. Still a work I progress. Will eat the rest for quick weeknight meal but wouldn't serve to guests. Thanks again for everyone's help.

tropics · Jul 10, 2015

From what I can tell is not enough fat,leave a little skin on next time.It does have possibilities

Richie

Buffalo chicken sausages... Questions?

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