Italian Sausages did not turn out right - Need advice

[pinkerton]

I snapped a photo to make things easier.

 

[DanMcG]

You'll get some droplets of oil on the surface, keep you water temp at 170 and you'll be good.
I just noticed the pic, Looks ok to me.

 

[pinkerton]

Well, they turned out better. They were juicier and had more flavor. Still, they are not quite right. I can't put my finder on what is missing. I feel like they taste more akin to breakfast sausages than real Italian sausages.

 

[pinkerton]

Here are my notes from this time around:

2269g of pork, in total
1.5% salt would 34.03g
30g fresh garlic
12g Fennel Seeds (2 Tablespoon)
8g Black (1 Tablespoon)
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano 2g
5g Cayenne Pepper
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder 9g
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder 5g
4g Cinnamon
5g Paprika
Handful of fresh chili peppers
¼ Cup Red Wine

Dry fried the fennel. Then dry fried the garlic.

Cubed the meat and added the spice. Hand mixed the cubes and then put them in the freezer.

Soaked my leftover hank, and then put in the fridge. Will soak it for 24 hours.

Ground the meat cubes with the larger die. Returned the meat to refrigerator overnight.

Add ice and wine to the mixture. Used the paddle in the food processor to emulsify the mixture. Returned to the refrigerator to let it cool down.

Let them sit in the refrigerator for 3 days to set. The first day was uncovered.

Poached them in 140f pot for about 15-20 minutes. Kept checking the internal temperature and it was sitting at 135f for a while. I had to increase the heat on the electric burner to get them hot enough.

Cut them into sections, and added them to peppers and onions. Seems I lost some fat when they were added at the end of frying up the peppers and onions.

 

[johnmeyer]

I buy sausage from the "Cowboy Sausage" guy at our local farmer's market. He always tells me NOT to grill the sausage. You also certainly don't want to ruin a good sausage by boiling it (my wife is English, and I can tell you some real horror stories about boiling meat).

Instead, he recommends very slow cooking on a CI griddle or pan. Do not prick the sausage!!! This lets the juice escape and makes them dry. Cook over very low heat. At lower heat they will take at least 25-30 minutes to cook. Also, by using lower heat, they won't burst, even though you didn't prick them. Test with a thermometer, near the end, if you are worried about food safety, although if you get a good sear when cooked for this amount of time, I'm sure they'll be fine. Finally, brush on a little olive oil each time you turn them.

I followed his advice, to the letter, and have enjoyed some of the tastiest, moistest sausages I've ever had. I've also grilled his sausages outside on the Weber gas grill, and while quicker, they most definitely dry out, and you lose a lot of the subtle spices (he adds some pretty exotic stuff to some of his sausages).

 

[pinkerton]

He recommends very slow cooking on a CI griddle or pan. Do not prick the sausage!!! This lets the juice escape and makes them dry.

Question about this. Most of the advice I've gotten has recommended pricking the sausages when they are first made. So, you're saying I should avoid doing this?

 

[cysmoker]

For Italian sausage I wouldn't emulsify the meat block before stuffing. You want a nice grind, typically we do 4mm for final grind size. I'd also add red papper flakes to your seasoning.

For your casings, rinse them good, then soak them in 100 degree F water for at least 1 hour minimum. Change the water every 30 min or so. In a sausage production setting, typically there is 100 degree water running constantly through the holding tub. You want the casing to be well hydrated and the warmth makes them less likely to break and be brittle.

For cooking them, no, do not puncture the casing. If you need to puncture the casing to keep them from bursting you are either stuffing them too tight or cooking them at too high of heat, or both. For italian sausage I take a pan or skillet, and place the sausages in the pan. Pour sprite or 7 up in the pan so that the sausages have liquid about half way up them. Simmer the sausages covered over medium - medium low heat turning every 5 min or so. after 10-15 min, the sprite should be pretty well reduced down to nothing, then you will get a nice browning on the sausages. Once one side is browned, flip it and let the other side brown for a couple minutes and you will be all set.

 

[zwiller]

To me it sounds like you have a mix/flavor issue rather than a cook problem. I am into DIY and plan to do my own mixes someday but being new to sausage I am sticking to commercial mixes and the results have been great. I have not run it yet but a few others of theirs which are very good.

 

[daveomak]

Question about this. Most of the advice I've gotten has recommended pricking the sausages when they are first made. So, you're saying I should avoid doing this?

Do it !!! You need to get the air out...

 

[daveomak]

Emulsifying the meat is necessary...

 

[pinkerton]

Emulsifying the meat is necessary...

View attachment 473795

 

[pinkerton]

Hmmmmm, there is a lot of advice that is being contradicted. I feel like I'm being pulled in 2 directions.

 

[cysmoker]

Emulsifying the meat is necessary...

View attachment 473795

For a traditional Italian sausage (or brat ) you want particle definition. You want to be able to identify the fat and lean, which will help appearance and mouth feel. You need everything to stick together, which is achieved by mixing the meat to get protein extraction. That protein will act as a “glue” and hold everything together so it doesn’t crumble when you bite into it. If you add the salt portion of your seasoning to the meat first, then mix by hand for 1-2min, that will start the protein extraction, then add the rest of your seasonings and continue mixing for another 2-3 min. If you pack the meat into your stuffer, and stuff the casings you can eliminate air in your meat, so you don’t have to pop holes into the sausage.
An emulsion is typically what you would use for hot dogs, smoked sausages, polish sausage, bologna, etc. Here’s a picture of a hot dog emulsion.

 

[cysmoker]

Here are some Italian sausages I did the other day. These were a 4mm final grind size. If you zoom in on the sausages you can clearly see the fat particles and lean particles. This was 25% fat.

 

[cysmoker]

Hmmmmm, there is a lot of advice that is being contradicted. I feel like I'm being pulled in 2 directions.

try the different methods and see which you personally like best and then you can modify from there.

 

[NewBuilder]

Maybe the meat is leaner in Japan and you may need to add some fat? I live in Canada and I think our meat is leaner then the States.

 

[chopsaw]

Maybe the meat is leaner in Japan and you may need to add some fat? I live in Canada and I think our meat is leaner then the States.

Had the same thought when I first read this .