AC Leggs #103... Hot Italian seasoning mix... Final Money.... 2-8-16...

[daveomak]

I'm planning on making sausage Saturday....   How is the salt in this mix...  OK....  a bit too much..... perfect.......

Step; daughter is coming over to help....   We plan on making a big batch.....    I would prefer to not have it salty...

The directions figure out to add 2% by weight... I'm thinking of adding 1.5% by weight and adding extra fennel, paprika and red pepper to make up for the 25% loss of original mix..

So, What's your experience with the mix......

Thanks....   Dave

I used the mix as-is....   came out REALLY good....  Bride like it.....    that says it all....

I used 2% of the AC Leggs mix as recommended.....

6140 grams of ground butt through the medium 7mm plate.. (13.5# - 2 butts)

15 grams of Cure #1... (0.25%)

25 grams of Ames Phos... (0.4%)

120 grams of AC Leggs #103 Hot Italian Sausage Seasoning... (2%)

61 grams of Soy Protein Concentrate... (1%)

6 grams of MSG... (0.1%)

Fried up a small test patty for Heather, Bride and me to taste...    after a minute or so, a pleasant burn to let you know the heat was there...  It's NOT hot like the label lets on...

Stuffed into some old hog casings I had....  A few blow outs....   but that meat and the left over from the links went into the muslin casings I had made a few weeks ago...

Pictures suck but you can get the idea....   

These are the muslin bags I made....   Started out making the one on the right...   sewed the end shut.... 

 ... 

 .....   Why don't I sew a really long tube....   tie off the end..... slip it on the stuffing tube...  fill the muslin casing as full as I want....  tie it off and cut the casing to length.......   That's what I did on the one on the left....    I like it.....   That's what I'm doing from now on....     A heck of a lot easier to make, fill and it looks better with 2 pinched ends....

Hot Italian Sausage 001.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

...  twisted links....

Hot Italian Sausage 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

Hot Italian Sausage 003.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

Tomorrow I will dry a few and smoke them... I will also smoke the muslin cased Italian Sausage and use it like salami....  maybe....  if it holds together....  time will tell......

Thanks for looking..... 

 

[pc farmer]

Never used it but I am here for the info.

 

[SmokinAl]

Same as Adam.

I'm here to learn.

Al

 

[mowin]

Ok, I my opinion may not be typical. I rarely use salt on any foods, so im not big on salty food/mixes.

I've used the 103 a few times, but it was a few yrs ago. I found it to be to salty. Unfortunately I can't remember what % of salt we used for our final mix. We did add more fennel and red pepper flakes.

We've since started using a recipe my dad and uncle worked up in the 60's for our hot sausage.

Hope this helps some...

 

[daveomak]

AC Leggs was kind enough to answer my questions REALLY FAST !!!!!

Here's what they sent me....

..click on pic so you can read it...

AC Leggs 2.jpg

• daveomak
• Feb 1, 2016

.. ..

AC Leggs 1.jpg

• daveomak
• Feb 1, 2016

Anyway..... 25,225 mg of Sodium in 100 gram of seasonings =

25225 x 2.5 / 1000 = 63 grams of salt or 63% salt...  (100 grams of stuff in which 63 grams is salt)...

So, to answer my own question, if I use 2% of the mix, as suggested, I will be adding approx. 1.26% salt to the meat which will be just fine.. considering I normally add ~2% to bacon..

 

[mowin]

I would definitely do a small batch first. Glad leggs got back to you so fast.

 

[bkleinsmid]

Morn'n Dave........

I have used it about a half dozen times. I too find it salty but the other half likes it. I started using about 2/3 rd's of the mix and add extra seasoning to fill in. Although this an OK blend, personally I like the mix from Checkered Past that Mad Hunky carries. 

Brad

 

[daveomak]

 
Morn'n Dave........

I have used it about a half dozen times. I too find it salty but the other half likes it. I started using about 2/3 rd's of the mix and add extra seasoning to fill in. Although this an OK blend, personally I like the mix from Checkered Past that Mad Hunky carries. 

Brad

Good to know....  I'll cut back and add more seasonings.....

 

[daveomak]

.......GO SEE POST #1.....

 

[daveomak]

Short bag and LOOOOOOONG tube......  

Muslin Bags 001.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

.. ..

Muslin Bags 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

..This is a "delicates" bag I use for washing them in.....

Muslin Bags 003.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

 

[crankybuzzard]

Short bag and LOOOOOOONG tube......  

Muslin Bags 001.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

.. ..

Muslin Bags 002.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

..This is a "delicates" bag I use for washing them in.....

Muslin Bags 003.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 6, 2016

So, they can be reused. I was wondering about that!

 

[daveomak]

I'll know more later....   I washed them, when new, because I didn't knowhow many Chinese rats had visited the pile of muslin....  They may work fine for re-use...  I'm thinking I'll smoke a few to check out the flavor with smoke...   Bride seems to think, the flavor profile won't go too well with smoke....   She may just be getting tired of everything having to take a side trip through the smoker...  I'm thinking I'll "lightly" smoke some  with Sweet Wood Pellets from Todd...  I haven't used it yet.......   It will be interesting to taste the new pellet....

 

[daveomak]

Sweet Wood pellet....   and a dozen Hot Italian links in the smoker + the 2 muslin bags...   drying for now....  smoke coming soon.....

DSCF2431.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 7, 2016

.. ..

DSCF2432.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 7, 2016

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Looks good! I like your open ended muslin idea.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Looking forward to the finish, and also your thoughts on the bags and pellets.

 

[daveomak]

Looks good! I like your open ended muslin idea.

The tube muslin worked awesome....    Tie the end with a clove hitch...  Slip it totally up on the tube....   when it's as full as you like, another clove hitch on the tube and slide it down to the meat....  or something like that.......  scissor off the tube and tie it up again....

I'm thinking of doing a long 160 ish temp cook on the muslin bags...   gonna try and dry it out some so it slice like salami.....  Heck who knows....  not me and that's for sure....  with the Ames Phos and the Soy Protein Concentrate, I'm hoping I won't get a fat-out....    160 and all that other stuff should keep that from happening...   I hate dry crumbly sausage....  

I'll probably leave the muslin tubes in the 160 smoker for 24 hours....   If the smoker dies, it's in the low 20's so no worries...  It will then freeze dry.... LOL

 

[redheelerdog]

Nice sausage Dave. Thanks for the AC legg sodium info! The muslin reuse is a great idea.

 

[daveomak]

Looking forward to the finish, and also your thoughts on the bags and pellets.

I'm liking the tube bags....  Maybe a little big in diameter but the meat should shrink a bit...  I'm wanting cracker size....    but like all my other threads, this is another work in progress...

The meat was pretty dry when I stuffed it...  I added only 1 cup of water for that 13.5 #'s of meat...  It did stuff a little tough..  I was hoping to not break my plastic gears...   I ended up switching to a larger stuffing horn...  I should have done that at the start...

I did the boykjo water soak for 2 weeks....  was a BIG help on the old casings....  they were a lot more "stretchy"...  that could have been my blowout problem...  NOT PAYING ATTENTION to how big the casing were getting...   ONE MORE learning process for this old dog.....  anyway, that's the last of my 25 years old salt encrusted casing I got from the Sausage Maker WAAAAAAAY back when....   New batch from B&P soaking now....    

I think Heather enjoyed making sausage and she cleaned up the kitchen !!!!!   WHOA.... what a helper....  but she did suggest she was bringing the granddaughter/sausage making helper with her next time to wash.....    took us about 6 hours from start to clean up...   my back was yelling at me... YOU ARE TOO OLD FOR THIS $%!T........  I need a table that is taller so I don't have to bend over when doing this stuff....

 

[daveomak]

HOLEY KOW !!!!  I just poached a couple links for Bride and me to try.....    WOW !!!   The heat from the peppers really comes through...

Could be the overnight sit in the refer for the flavors to take effect.....  or the poaching....   They do have plenty of heat.....  wowzer !!!!  and overall great flavor....   the fennel comes through but not overpowering...  

DSCF2437.JPG

• daveomak
• Feb 7, 2016

 

[crankybuzzard]

Looks like a winner Dave!

You've convinced me to make some bags now.