Suggest a sausage recipe-Beef fat and duck meat

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indaswamp

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Apr 27, 2017
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South Louisiana-Yes, it is HOT
So, I have 3.75lbs. of trimmed beef fat from the brisket I cooked recently. I have a lot of duck breasts in the freezer and was thinking of making a batch of sausage using both. Maybe 40% duck meat, 30% pork butt, 30% beef fat?

Looking for a grilling link for appetizers or for tailgate parties. Possibly a texas hot link.

Looking for suggestions-
 
Aaron Franklin makes sausage using 65% brisket and 20% brisket fat, but he does mix in 15% pork butt. And he sells a pile of it.



The wild duck breasts are 100% lean so will need the additional fat. I think it will contribute flavor to the duck in the links.

I do agree that using brisket fat as the only fat source in sausage would not be optimal. Thus the inclusion of pork. Maybe adjust the ratio to 40% duck meat, 40% pork butt, 20% beef fat? The final mixed fat ratio will be somewhere around 25%.
 
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Point of note-

Aaron does specifically grill his links @ 275* for 30 minutes. This cooks the fat and makes the beef fat soft, like the bark on a brisket.

Which is why I think it will be great for a duck grilling link......Thoughts?
 
That sounds like a plan and can't argue with Pitmaster Franklin...JJ
 
Ok, so reading between the lines here on this video, there is both good and bad fat on a brisket. The good fat is from the top fat cap, the bad fat is the stringy deckle-not good for sausage making.



The fat I have is the good fat from the fat cap.
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Your fat to meat ratio is wrong. Duck is a really fat meat. Don't put the Brisket fat in there.
 
 
Your fat to meat ratio is wrong. Duck is a really fat meat. Don't put the Brisket fat in there.
Domestic ducks have a lot of fat on them, wild ones, it depends on where they are killed but they will not have as much as a domestic duck. The wild ones I have do not have any fat on or in them.

I'm planning on using 40% boston butt in the mix, which is 20% fat. The duck will be 100% lean so the additional 20% brisket fat will bring the total fat ratio up around 27~30% fat roughly 1.5 to 1 ratio of beef brisket to pork fat.

On the use of brisket fat-I trust Aaron Franklin and how he makes his sausages. The links are smoke cooked to 154*INT but when serving to customers, the links are grilled @275* for roughly 30 minutes. This softens the brisket fat. That will not happen otherwise. Eating the sausages after smoke cooking to 154*INT only would yield unpalatable hard brisket fat in the links no doubt. Hot grilling melts and softens the hard fat and is the secret to using brisket fat in sausages according to Aaron.

I will do a test batch first and check out the flavor profile along with how the brisket fat behaves when grilled. I saved the good brisket fat, and since I'm always experimenting, I will try this out to see how it goes and will report back.

BTW, I recently acquired about 12lbs. of canada goose breasts shot this past season and will be doing my pastrami. I also may substitute goose meat in place of the duck in this recipe.
 
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My standard mix is two pounds of skinless duck breast, two pounds of pork butt and a pound of back fat. All of my duck is wild. Having not used beef fat for sausage, I can't help there but maybe you could use beef fat instead of back fat.

This is my current favorite:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/259573/greek-loukaniko

Hank Shaw has a number of good recipes. His Toulouse sausage is another favorite. I've also done his Kielbasa recipe using duck and pork as the meat.
 
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Your fat to meat ratio is wrong. Duck is a really fat meat. Don't put the Brisket fat in there.
Domestic ducks have a lot of fat on them, wild ones, it depends on where they are killed but they will not have as much as a domestic duck. The wild ones I have do not have any fat on or in them.

I'm planning on using 40% boston butt in the mix, which is 20% fat. The duck will be 100% lean so the additional 20% brisket fat will bring the total fat ratio up around 27~30% fat roughly half and half pork to beef fat.

On the use of brisket fat-I trust Aaron Franklin and how he makes his sausages. The links are smoke cooked to 154*INT but when serving to customers, the links are grilled @275* for roughly 30 minutes. This softens the brisket fat. That will not happen otherwise.

I will do a test batch first and check out the flavor profile along with how the fat brisket fat behaves when grilled. I got the brisket fat, and since I'm always experimenting, I will try this out to see how it goes and will report back.

BTW, I recently acquired about 12lbs. of canada goose breasts shot this past season and will be doing my pastrami. I may substitute goose meat in place of the duck in this recipe.
My standard mix is two pounds of skinless duck breast, two pounds of pork butt and a pound of back fat. All of my duck is wild. Having not used beef fat for sausage, I can't help there but maybe you could use beef fat instead of back fat.

This is my current favorite:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/259573/greek-loukaniko

Hank Shaw has a number of good recipes. His Toulouse sausage is another favorite. I've also done his Kielbasa recipe using duck and pork as the meat.
Thanks for posting.
 
Your fat to meat ratio is wrong. Duck is a really fat meat. Don't put the Brisket fat in there.

A lot of people have this perception because they eat fatty farm raised duck and roast it skin on. As you are cutting it up rendered fat still under the skin is coating the meat, the platter and your plate. Remove the skin and attached fat and duck meat is no fattier than Chicken Legs. Wild duck hunted in the north can have some fat but by the time they hit the southern wintering grounds, they are leaner than a chicken...JJ
 
 
Your fat to meat ratio is wrong. Duck is a really fat meat. Don't put the Brisket fat in there.
A lot of people have this perception because they eat fatty farm raised duck and roast it skin on. As you are cutting it up rendered fat still under the skin is coating the meat, the platter and your plate. Remove the skin and attached fat and duck meat is no fattier than Chicken Legs. Wild duck hunted in the north can have some fat but by the time they hit the southern wintering grounds, they are leaner than a chicken...JJ
Yep. Spot on jj...
 
So, I have learned some secrets and thought to share...
If you use brisket cap fat in sausage, always grind it through a 3mm plate first then mix into the meat. You can use 6mm or 4.5mm for the meat, and pork fat, but the brisket fat should be through the 3mm plate. smaller fat pieces will get soft faster.
 
So, I have learned some secrets and thought to share...
If you use brisket cap fat in sausage, always grind it through a 3mm plate first then mix into the meat. You can use 6mm or 4.5mm for the meat, and pork fat, but the brisket fat should be through the 3mm plate. smaller fat pieces will get soft faster.
Good input!
 
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