Frying sausage?

[cjordan]

Been running into some issues when frying... pan pork sausage, and could use yalls input/help on how to correct it.

Here's what I've got.
Wild hog that I've processed myself.
Not for sure the size die that I'm grinding through but the holes are probably the size of a pencil maybe a little bigger. It's straight pork, with a good amount of fat in it.

I'm cooking it in a cast iron pan on the stove top, (just a regular gas stove nothing fancy) usually set on about 3-4.
The patties are probably 3/8" thick or so (+/-).

It seems to take a while to cook and at times they come out "mushy" if that makes any sense?

The meat is cooked all the way through, but if I try to cook them longer the outside starts trying to burn.

Although I'm no pro, I love to cook. I just wish I could get this figured out, to where they are a little more firmer.

I greatly appreciate any and all advice y'all can give.

 

[motocrash]

Are you pre heating the pan good ? If so try higher initial heat.

 

[junkpile]

I have had this problem with turkey burger in the past, but always blamed it on lack of fat in it. Try a quick initial sear, and then move it to the cooler side of the pan. Also could try throwing the pan in the oven.

 

[tropics]

Your recipe would give everyone a better idea.
Richie

 

[cjordan]

Your recipe would give everyone a better idea.
Richie

Ground pork with rebel brand seasoning

 

[cjordan]

Yes s

Are you pre heating the pan good ? If so try higher initial heat.

yes sir it's warm enough I'm getting a good sizzle when I lay the patties in

 

[chopsaw]

You say the plate hole is the size of a pencil ? That seems big to me . Try a finer grind and mix until it gets sticky . Sugar helps the browning . Maybe add some maple syrup if you like the flavor .

 

[tallbm]

Hmmm interesting. Have you tried a higher heat and then maybe add some vegetable oil so they can cook longer before they burn? If they have enough fat I wouldn't think the oil is necessary but if you are just grinding wild hogs with no added fat then your fat content could be way under normal as they are often quite lean.

I would also suggest small patty sizes so they cook through completely without burning on the outside if that has been an issue.

Let us know what you try and what does/doesn't improve :)

 

[crazymoon]

You say the plate hole is the size of a pencil ? That seems big to me . Try a finer grind and mix until it gets sticky . Sugar helps the browning . Maybe add some maple syrup if you like the flavor .

Cj, I agree with Chop about trying a smaller size plate like 3/16 or 1/4 inch or 6-7mm. As Chop said you need to mix well to release the myosin protein in the meat which will give you the good texture when cooking.

 

[cjordan]

Thanks guys... I do have a smaller die, and I'll be grinding some more today so I'll give that a try.

Tallbm, your post made me think of a few things that I didn't add from the beginning that I should have.

We vacuum seal the sausage in 8x8 or 11x8 inch bags, give or take an inch or two.
Once the bag is sealed we flatten it out, which is usually down to about 3/8" or so.
Normally all I do is cut the top off of the bag then use my spatula to cut the patties to the desired size... which is normally just squared off with the end of the spatula so the size of the patties are around 2.5"x2.5"x3/8" give or take.

Surprisingly... the hogs we have been killing, have been really healthy. Normally 180-230lbs with anywhere from 1"-2" of fat across the back.

I was kind of thinking I may have been adding to much fat causing them to cook that way.

I will usually add about 2-3 cap fulls of veg oil to the skillet while it's pre heating.

What I've gotten the best results of from cooking is...
To cook low and slow then right at the end turn the fire up some to crisp the outside but at times that's hit and miss.

I don't know if this will tell y'all anything or not but something else I just thought of.
After the sausage has sit on a paper towel for a bit and cooled down they seem to firm up more, just while they are hot or even still warm do they have the falling apart, mushy feel

 

[chopsaw]

Smaller grind and a good mix is gonna help some . You say you vac seal , is there alot of surface moisture when you take it out of the bag ? I like the 1 pound meat bags . Semi frozen slice thru the bag . Cheap , I think I got 100 count for 3 or 4 bucks .

 

[cjordan]

Smaller grind and a good mix is gonna help some . You say you vac seal , is there alot of surface moisture when you take it out of the bag ? I like the 1 pound meat bags . Semi frozen slice thru the bag . Cheap , I think I got 100 count for 3 or 4 bucks .

Yes sir the meat seems to be "pretty wet" when I cut the bag open. Maybe I should try to dry it off some and see what happens.

How would you suggest I go about doing so?
Lay paper towels on it with a little pressure to absorb the water?

I do have some of those round bags that take the tape or hog ring I stuffed them with the grinder attachment a year or two ago, and done just what your talking about with slicing. That was kind of a pain stuffing them that way but I'm still alive so it didn't kill me. I've got a 120lb water stuffer, we filled some with it as well, which worked much better than using the grinder.

 

[daveomak]

Jordan, morning.... Try this....
Grind 1/2 the meat through a fine plate....
Grind 1/2 the meat through a medium plate....
That will keep the "tooth" chew in the patty.... and the fine grind will fill in the spaces between the larger hunks...
To firm up the patties, add a filler like Soy Protein Concentrate..
I use it... Start with about 1/2 recommended for part of the batch... then 3/4 recommended for another part... and the full amount for the rest of the batch....
I recommend that method because the SPC seems to toughen the patties the more you add... doing a trial test will help you to achieve a final texture to your liking... I get mine from The Sausage Maker...

Soy Protein Concentrate for Meat Processing
Natural soy protein concentrate is derived from soybeans and has a number of different cooking and baking applications. Soy protein concentrate for sausage is used in smoked or cooked varieties to improve the meat’s consistency and flavor. The concentrate binds the fat and meat for a smoother consistency and minimizes shrinkage in the smokehouse by increasing moisture retention. Because it contains seven times more protein than meat alone, it can help improve the nutritional quality of your foods as well.

If you're making smoked or cooked sausage or lunchmeats, this item is a must. Buy soy protein concentrate from the Sausage Maker in two convenient bulk sizes—find our larger 5 lb. size here.

Product net weight: 1 lb. 12 oz.

Instructions: Use 1-2 cups per 10 lbs. of meat. Do not pack when measuring! 1 lb. 12 oz. of soy protein concentrate will process approximately 25-50 lbs. of meat.

 

[chopsaw]

Dave has good info . I use soy protein in alot of meat mixes . Never needed it in the breakfast sausage , but I use a mix from sausage maker so it may be added .

Putting the patties in the pan wet will affect browning .

 

[cjordan]

Thanks guys I'm going to try drying them and if that doesn't work then I'll try the SPC I will also try the 1/2-1/2 dies as well

 

[Smokehowze]

To help dry them before frying, just try sitting the patties on a wire rack in the fridge uncovered for a day after they are thawed out. That will pull some of the moisture from within the sausage in the low humidity fridge and should firm them up.

Also - how much water did you add while mixing the sausage batter? There is a sweet spot between enough water to make the batter a sticky mass that a small patty will not fall off your hand held upside down and the point where the batter is too wet and gets sloppy.

If the patties/meat are way too wet in general, next time you thaw some add a small amount of non-fat dry milk from the grocery store. Try about 1/2 to 1% NFDM (as a starting point) based on meat weight to all the patty meat, remix the batter, reform patties and fridge set overnight. 1% NFDM is 0.16 oz in a pound or around 3 teaspoons. Too much gives the sausage a 'fakey' texture/taste. Don't go over 3% or so is the general rule.

NFDM functions similar to the soy protein mentioned previously and is usually available in any grocery.

Hope this helps.

 

[cjordan]

I didn't add any water to it. Just cut the pork into strips and chunks, put the seasoning on, mixed real well, then ground it up,once that was completed i vacuum sealed in bags and stuck it in the freezer.
The meat was wet from being in a cooler full of ice though

 

[daveomak]

Soooo, the meat got wet from ice melting ??

 

[JckDanls 07]

so as more of the story is told... we start putting two and two together.. was the drain open on the cooler ??

 

[cjordan]

The drain was only open when I would drain the bloody water out of the cooler.

The process we have always used for wild game along with everyone else I know without a walk in cooler around here is

Quarter or debone the meat after you skin it, put the meat in a cooler full of ice for 5-7 days, each day draining the bloody water and adding more ice to keep the cooler full of ice.

This "bleeds" the animal and helps pull some of the game taste out. Myself I don't mind the gamey taste but I do like pulling as much blood out as possible.

Then bring the cooler in the house pull a piece of meat out cut it however you wish, then get it into another cooler full of ice or into the fridge in a tote asap.

If I'm putting it in the fridge a couple days prior I will turn the fridge control all the way to the coldest setting. Once the meat is ready to be ground I will pull it out of the fridge or cooler grind it vac seal it, then straight to the freezer