non fat dry milk in recipes

[nogoer]

I recently aquired the newly published 3rd edition of Rytek Kutas sasuage and meat curing book. In his book he discusses the use of soy powder and dry milk as a moisture retainer in some fresh and most smoked sausages. In this discussion he states that one should not use the dry milk intended for making milk at home, and instead use dry milk from a dairy farm because of its finer texture. Before reading this i had been using the dry powdered milk in my bratwurst. They have been plump and moist and the type of dry milk i used doesnt seem to cause any negative effects.

My question to all of you is, is Ryteks statement more of a purist way and does the finer type really work in a different way?

I know lots will say, use what works for me and i plan on that still. Using specialized harder to get ingredients really raises the cost effectivness factor for me.

 

[navionjim]

Rytek Kutas, "One should not use the dry milk intended for making milk at home, and instead use dry milk from a dairy farm because of its finer texture."

Damned if I didn't have the same question several years ago! That statement has been in the sausage bible forever. I've given away a half dozen copies to friends who wanted to get started in sausage making and every time I got a new book for myself I noticed that line was still in there. But I absolved all my worry and trepidation about it long ago. I was using off the shelf powdered milk too and didn't want to spend a fortune ordering something I could buy down the street either. But Rytek being the Guru he is, well he wouldn't steer me wrong would he? So now I just put the store bought milk in one of those small (clean) electric coffee grinders first and reduce it to a fine powder before using it in in the mix. I do that with several of the cheaper bulk ingredients I use. Call me cheap, but it works for me and nobody has ever complained.

 

[nogoer]

lol, grinding to a finer powder was my first thought when i read the statement last night too

My last batch had me mixing all the ingredients up with cubed meat. This sat for a few hours before grinding. By grinding time the milk had turned into a thin paste and after grinding...i highly doubt i had an issue with adequate dispersal. The recipe wasnt actually from Kutas' book but from Charcutrie which makes no mention of dry milk types. Until last night it never ever even slightly occured to me my dry milk wasn't completely the correct thing to use.

Considering i have gotten raves on this last batch and it used the less suggested version of powder I don't think im on the wrong road. The raves could be from the higher fat % than normal though, but man even i thought they were incredible and i didnt have any veal for them either.

thanks for the positive response though. It's funny you actually were able to quote the line!

Jenson

 

[navionjim]

I think you nailed it right there, I too have noticed the milk powder turns to liquid anyway, if I powder it up or not. for some of my sausage that requires the addition of liquids like a lactic culture, red wine or balsamic vinegar I'll sometimes blend a portion of the finer spices in the liquid and pour it all in the mix at the same time. It seems like I get better dispersion that way. Spices like fennel or caraway I tend to just crack and add more or less whole for a better texture though. Whatever works is what I go with. I have jet to make a bratwurst as yet because I have mixed feelings about veal and it cost so much. Sounds like your doing well with an all pork version, hum.. maybe this weekend.

 

[nogoer]

Another book i have by Jerry Predika has a bunch of bratwurst recipe that do not include veal as well. I did it by necessity because it was time to grind and i forgot the veal at the store. Veal is too expensive though to waste on a bad attempt. It will also majorly affect my recipe because its not as fatty as the pork. I will definately try veal in it again, but only once im confident the seasonings are correct and reproduceable every time. Im not even sure what flavors the veal brings to the sausage. The no veal ones i made tasted the same as any i have had with veal in them.

The only thing im missing is the pure white color im looking for. Not that i need it, but im worried im missing an ingredient or incorrectly doing a step.