Cubano Sausage

[BrianGSDTexoma]

First off made some more AC Leggs breakfast sausage. Man that is good stuff. Than on to the Cuban sausage. Broke the KA Grinder making it and lucky it broke instead of the KA. Learned a lesson of not putting grinder in freezer from now on. I did a little better on the stuffing this time. The baking soda worked well in the casings. The drawer liner Rick mentioned worked great under the stuffer. No clamps needed. There something about the texture and taste I am not liking and I pretty sure its the milk powder I added. I planned on not adding it but decided to follow the recipe at last minute. All I had was buttermilk powder so used that. Recipe called for 45 grams which was a lot. Not again. I having a really hard time tying the knot in the casings. Can you use some kind of tie wrap? I will be doing a tried and true recipe next time! Now for a new grinder!

 

[chopsaw]

WOW !!
Damn bud , they look fantastic . Let them sit a while . Maybe that will change the texture .

There something about the texture and taste I am not liking and I pretty sure its the milk powder I added.

Recipe called for 45 grams which was a lot.

follow the recipe

That's how you learn . I always add NFDM or potato starch in smoked sausage .
I stopped following the amounts years ago . It's always to much for me .

I get it all seasoned and mixed , then add the liquid and binder a little at a time until it binds , then I stop .
If your lean to fat is good , it won't take much .Most times I only use 1 or 2 TBLS per 2 1/2 pounds of grind . Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid .

 

[chopsaw]

I forgot to ask again , What AC Leggs breakfast did you make ? I just did the 109 .

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I forgot to ask again , What AC Leggs breakfast did you make ? I just did the 109 .

Blend 10 and I add a little more sage. Been making this for several years now. Way better than that store bought stuff.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Sausage looks good Brian!
Our two favorite breakfast sausages we found by accident.

Ryan

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Sorry your not happy with the taste and texture Brian… they do look really good though!

 

[jcam222]

They sure look picture perfect! Next batch I bet you nail it for your taste.

 

[chopsaw]

I having a really hard time tying the knot in the casings. Can you use some kind of tie wrap?

Twisting the links , tying the ends ?
When I do natural casings I loop underneath and bring the tag end over the top . That way it falls into and down through the loop from above .
I know you have hand trouble . I've hand 2 hand surgeries and wrist surgery .
It's no fun .

All I had was buttermilk powder so used that.

I keep looking at the pictures above , and they look perfect . I'm not seeing signs of using to much milk powder .

I'm not a fan of the Buttermilk powder myself , and milk powders in general go bad .
I had it happen once . I could not tell using it from the jar , but the sausage was off .
Looked at the bottle and it was expired by 6 months .

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Twisting the links , tying the ends ?

Yeah the ends. I will give that a try.

Looked at the bottle and it was expired by 6 months .

I bought it several years ago. Time for a new one.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Really nice work Brian. Sorry the taste was off because they look fantastic.
As to the knot at the end, leave a long tail of casing maybe 6” so that when you make your loop it’s large which makes going under or over back through much easier, then be carful to roll that loop up snug to the end of the sausage before tightening. You will waste a little casing but if it makes life easier why not. Also you could just use butcher string then trim that off after smoking.

 

[chopsaw]

I bought it several years ago. Time for a new one.

I'm willing to bet that's the trouble with taste . Brian , the sausage looks really good .

 

[Dave in AZ]

Those sausages look great. And a good taste combo idea! Sorry to hear you're not loving them.
Here is a little Cook Ego tip! When I make a sausage I dont think is the greatest, before I or family can really complain too much, I... give the dogs a Special Treat! THEY ALWAYS give me rave reviews and let me know how tasty them sausages are! ;)

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I'm willing to bet that's the trouble with taste . Brian , the sausage looks really good .

I went and looked and it expired over two years ago. Thanks for that heads up!

 

[geostriata]

There something about the texture and taste I am not liking and I pretty sure its the milk powder I added. I planned on not adding it but decided to follow the recipe at last minute.

Looks great, and sorry to hear about your grinder! Hope you can find a new good one that you like even more.

My take: NFDM or milk powders or phosphates/binders in general are ubiquitous in commercial sausages and in the category of "fillers." They improve fat binding and improve water binding, making them easier to mix and more profitable for businesses (especially for dry/semi-dry sausages). However, because I feel that they greatly impact the final texture of the sausage, I frequently omit this ingredient (in general, I use for hot dog-type-links only). I think their absence is also are the mark of an artisan sausage: simpler (if it's not needed don't add it) and with more grams of protein per square inch.

Instead, you can simply supplement with 20% lean fine-ground beef (lean beef has superb water binding). Or skip it entirely and just ensure you get superb protein extraction. Or hedge your bets and cut the amount down more and more until you find a sweet spot you like.

In any case, just wanted to add a point in support of your instincts on thinking maybe you should try to omit the binder. That being said, I'm also not saying binders are bad -- you may just be like me and prefer the texture of sausages without.

 

[geostriata]

Can you use some kind of tie wrap?

I like to use cotton twine. I bought a giant roll of it for like $15, and it'll last forever.

I simply tie a loop over the casing, keeping it open to let out the air (or push the air out on natural casing), and then pull it tight as the meat comes through. This way I have no risk of an air bubble when tying it up. It also saves on casing. I only tie it off at the end when I have surplus casing remaining.

 

[GatorAGR]

Those look awesome! I too found that NFDM leaves a "creamy" taste that I don't like. Thought it was just me. I haven't added any binder in my last couple of sausage batches and have had no problem with bind and I don't have that flavor.

 

[geostriata]

I too found that NFDM leaves a "creamy" taste that I don't like.

Exactly! Although in my experience, the 'creaminess' is more of a texture than a taste. I did a binder test in my snack stick thread, and you can visually see the difference in the bite marks:

You can guess which two batches used binder.

 

[JLinza]

Sorry they weren't a favorite. They sure look great

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I like to use cotton twine. I bought a giant roll of it for like $15, and it'll last forever.

I simply tie a loop over the casing, keeping it open to let out the air (or push the air out on natural casing), and then pull it tight as the meat comes through. This way I have no risk of an air bubble when tying it up. It also saves on casing. I only tie it off at the end when I have surplus casing remaining.

That sounds like a great idea. Thanks

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I think Rich nailed the problem with the milk powder being expired. Think these are going to feed the river cats and coons and move on.