making breakfast sausage cant find pork fat help
- Thread starter pandemonium
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pineywoods
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yes i am using a but, but even using all the fat with it it is still too lean, when you fry a patty and it burns and there is no grease in pan means a little lean to me. hmm
in that case, a couple of ideas:
first, you should be able to get back fat, i would think any butcher had trimmings lying around, or even trimmings from shoulders.
another thing to try might be adding some salt pork. i have seen a couple of sausage recipes calling for bacon to be ground up in them, but i would think salt pork would be better since it isn't cured/smoked. either way, that might add the right amount of fat.
first, you should be able to get back fat, i would think any butcher had trimmings lying around, or even trimmings from shoulders.
another thing to try might be adding some salt pork. i have seen a couple of sausage recipes calling for bacon to be ground up in them, but i would think salt pork would be better since it isn't cured/smoked. either way, that might add the right amount of fat.
justsmoke2
Smoking Fanatic
bustintires
Smoke Blower
hog warden
Smoking Fanatic
- Feb 10, 2009
- 410
- 24
Only one local store, out of about 8 different stores/chains, sells pork fat, as such. Marked as "pork fat for seasoning" @ 49 cents a pound. But they also sell pork snoots, ears, upland "oysters", chicken feet and a variety of other exotic stuff found no where else in town. My favorite place.
As for the other stores, I've had mostly no luck. Either they don't butcher or trim locally, or they use the trimmings themselves to make brats and Italian, or simply tell me "we don't sell that".
Slab bacon would be an option, as would fresh side meat or fresh jowl. One store sells 5 pound boxes of "ends and pieces" of cured bacon......but that is mostly fat. What cure there is in it would likely not be noticeable in a sausage.
As for the other stores, I've had mostly no luck. Either they don't butcher or trim locally, or they use the trimmings themselves to make brats and Italian, or simply tell me "we don't sell that".
Slab bacon would be an option, as would fresh side meat or fresh jowl. One store sells 5 pound boxes of "ends and pieces" of cured bacon......but that is mostly fat. What cure there is in it would likely not be noticeable in a sausage.
Often you can get pork trimmings and that will work too. Generally around 15-20% fat.
I have a few friends that when they butcher their hogs save me the fat but before they grew their hogs I would order the trimmings.
Also you may want to get in the habit of saving larger chunks of fat from shoulders/butts when doing pulled pork then freeze it until needed.
I have a few friends that when they butcher their hogs save me the fat but before they grew their hogs I would order the trimmings.
Also you may want to get in the habit of saving larger chunks of fat from shoulders/butts when doing pulled pork then freeze it until needed.
Since you will be grinding your own, this is what I suggest...
I always remove the fat cap from my butts. I do this for many reasons but the most prominent are that smoke won't penetrate to the meaty portion that I actually want smoke to penetrate, and I love the bark / smoke ring and get this when I rub the actual meat that I want to eat. Since I remove the fat cap on mine, I have started saving them back in the freezer for when I grind up a butt for sausage. If it is a little lean then I add a fat cap from a previously smoked butt. Works like a champ.
I always remove the fat cap from my butts. I do this for many reasons but the most prominent are that smoke won't penetrate to the meaty portion that I actually want smoke to penetrate, and I love the bark / smoke ring and get this when I rub the actual meat that I want to eat. Since I remove the fat cap on mine, I have started saving them back in the freezer for when I grind up a butt for sausage. If it is a little lean then I add a fat cap from a previously smoked butt. Works like a champ.
If you can't find any I would do what TAZ said and find some salt pork. One thing to remember also is to save all your bacon grease and use it when frying up lean sausage. I have used a lot of straight butts and just needed to add a little pork grease when cooking. GOOD luck !
- Feb 3, 2009
- 1,720
- 14
I know what you mean there. I use all butts when I make fresh breakfast sausage, just made some the other week in fact. It is very lean, IF you compare it to say jimmy dean sausage which is loaded with fat.
When I fry mine up, I cannot set it in the pan and walk away, it will burn as it is "leaner" than store bought. When we cook breakfast on the weekends, I'll cook up one pound of sausage that I made and there will be maybe 1/2 tbl of grease or less in the pan.
But the trade of is, a superior and healthier product that rivals any commercial made sausage.
If you think it is too lean, just start saving any trimmings from ribs and such. In fact, if you eat pork chops, they usually have a fair amount of fat on the edges. I have a nice "collection of fat" just from pork chops that I keep for sausage recipes. We have several butcher shops around here, and no one has pork fat for sale so thats what I have to do.
When I fry mine up, I cannot set it in the pan and walk away, it will burn as it is "leaner" than store bought. When we cook breakfast on the weekends, I'll cook up one pound of sausage that I made and there will be maybe 1/2 tbl of grease or less in the pan.
But the trade of is, a superior and healthier product that rivals any commercial made sausage.
If you think it is too lean, just start saving any trimmings from ribs and such. In fact, if you eat pork chops, they usually have a fair amount of fat on the edges. I have a nice "collection of fat" just from pork chops that I keep for sausage recipes. We have several butcher shops around here, and no one has pork fat for sale so thats what I have to do.
ringodad
Fire Starter
When I do breakfast sausage I go and get a box of bacon ends and pieces. If you can't find that, just get the cheapest fatty bacon you can find. I use a pound per 7-8 pounds of pork butt and it seems to come out nicely.
jerseyhunter
Smoking Fanatic
You can always add beef fat/suet as you won't be adding much. Many sausages contain a mixture of meats.
ok well it turned out a little fattier than last time i made it, i think the problem was the first time i made it it was from a publix but and this was a sams but, i think they trim more fat off at publix? but from now on i will save my fat cap from pulled pork buts. and that salt belly made it pretty salty but its ok
- Mar 12, 2009
- 14,477
- 58
I have been around looking myself for pork or beef fat and I have found at Winn Dixie they will sell you fat at about .33lb and Publix will also at about .50lb but Sam's wouldn't sell you any but I'm still tring to meet the butcher kid at the dumpster and old trick we used as kids and make the switch there. Now I have found a butcher or two that would sell me some but they want 1.00lb so I don't go there unless I'm jonesing for some sausage.
dnovotny
Smoke Blower
next time you are looking for fat and you can't grind up some pork butts go to sausagemaker.com and they have a fat replacer that's really good.. worth a look
b8h8r
Smoke Blower
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