Salt question

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks SFL.
I picked up some NU-Salt and some of the Morton's yesterday for her (and me) to use as table salt.
I was curious to know if I can use them in sausage. Hopefully I can find them in something larger than salt shaker size.

In cured, low temp smoked sausage, I would caution against the use of non sodium salt substitutes. The sodium is needed to control bacteria. I have no clue on the effectiveness of non sodium alternatives controlling bacteria.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Thanks SFL.
I picked up some NU-Salt and some of the Morton's yesterday for her (and me) to use as table salt.
I was curious to know if I can use them in sausage. Hopefully I can find them in something larger than salt shaker size.

You will be fine using one of the salt alternatives. My brother in law needs no salt because of high BP. I use the mortons with 0 issues and sometimes he has vac sealed for couple weeks in his fridge...again 0 issues.

 

[SmokinEdge]

You will be fine using one of the salt alternatives. My brother in law needs no salt because of high BP. I use the mortons with 0 issues and sometimes he has vac sealed for couple weeks in his fridge...again 0 issues.

Is this safe with smoked sausage as well?

 

[BGKYSmoker]

yes

 

[SmokinEdge]

yes

Good to know.
Could you please expand on the science behind this? I’m curious.

 

[Jimbo9414]

Thanks SFL.
I picked up some NU-Salt and some of the Morton's yesterday for her (and me) to use as table salt.
I was curious to know if I can use them in sausage. Hopefully I can find them in something larger than salt shaker size.

In in a similar situation with my wife and have experimented with NU-salt in sausages I make. I have found that I can replace about 1/3 of table salt with NU salt, any more than that leaves a metallic taste.

As far as a cheaper source of NU salt, it’s just potassium chloride with a bit of.creme of tartar. Potassium chloride is about 10 bucks a pound on Amazon.

of course, you should check with the doc. Potassium chloride can have ill effects with certain medications. Our doctor was ok with it and said the main culprits of high sodium lies in processed food and in the restaurant industry. Going low sodium takes some time to readjust, but once you do many things will taste overly salted...not a bad thing. Good luck and take care.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Good to know.
Could you please expand on the science behind this? I’m curious.

Science?

I make my BiL 2.5 lbs and use the mortons at 2 T. Its his taste. others may need more or less. Taste it you like by a small fry patty. I dont do a fry as i like raw meat.

 

[Norwester55]

Marshalls Creek makes quite a few salt free blends. I haven't tried any of them myself but I passed them on to Pops a couple years ago and he was pretty excited about the sausage seasoning.
https://www.pureandnaturalspices.com/Seasoning_Without_Salt_s/1819.htm

 

[SmokinGame]

For "no-salt" rubs, we have been testing the line from Dak's. Really more of seasonings, but I am trying them a smoke rub. For a lot of our beef it is hard getting away from just SPG types, but we really like Dak's "Citrus Groove" on poultry. Smoked a turkey breast and baked a chicken with it an both of us was very pleased.

 

[Cajun Smokes]

Good afternoon!
My wife just came home today from a stay in the hospital for a cardiac "incident".
She's fine, but we were told she needs to restrict her sodium intake to 2000 mg a day. Unfortunately my sausage recipes use a good deal of salt (5 tsp for Sweet Italian, 2 1/2 tbls for Kielbasa, 5 tsp for Hot Italian and 2 1/2 tbls for Kosher Style Beef). This is way too much.
I can cut back on the salt in the mix but I don't think I can totally eliminate it (or can I?). According to the cardiologist even a little is too much.
Is there a zero sodium salt substitute I can use? If we have to give up sausage we will but if there's an alternative I'd love to hear it...
Dan

When you first cut back on sodium it's noticeable because of what you have been accustomed to but is manageable, speaking from experience. I am now down to 1/2 teaspoon of Morton kosher salt per pound when making sausage. Morton kosher salt is less sodium than table salt, about 480mg per 1/4 teaspoon. I have seen many post by some of the more experienced on the forum mention that some salt is needed in slow smoking, I think they mentioned it aids in preventing bacteria. Hope I remembered that correctly. Glad your wife is doing well.

 

[indaswamp]

For low-salt sausage making, it is recommended to use a fine grind; 3 or 4.5mm plate. This offers more protein extraction with the lower salt used. Also, do not mix the salt in a fluid prior to adding to the meat. You want the salt concentration as high as you can get it. Take the salt and run it through a spice grinder into a very fine powder (so it will disperse and dissolve more easily) then mix the salt into the lean first, then add in the fat. This concentrates the salt further in the lean meat where protein extraction occurs. We don't extract proteins from the fat. Once the lean is tacky, you add in the fat and any liquid. This should optimize the low salt for maximum protein extraction.

*Edit to add:
I've had good bind with sausages using 0.75~1.0% salt following this mixing process.

 

[indaswamp]

Can also add in 1-2 raw eggs per 5# mince. This will increase available protein for binding..

 

[DanMcG]

I did a quick breakdown of your Italian sausages I'm pretty sure my math is right.

Mortons kosher salt is 4 gram per teaspoon. So you have 20 g's in five pounds. Which is 8g's of sodium.
For reference I looked at Johnsonville Italian sausage links and they are 82 g's and 570 mg of sodium per link. So your 5 lb.s will give ya 28 same size links, which will have 0.29g's of sodium. Or 290 mg.
Your recipe is actually pretty low on salt as it is. Less then 1%, so you're ahead of the game already. almost half the salt as Johnsonville
I hope this will be of some help in you quest for low salt sausage.
And if anyone see's an error in my math please let me know

 

[DanMcG]

You might consider getting a copy of Marianski's book, "Making Health Sausages" they have a chapter on low salt with some ideas on herb substitutes

Making Healthy Sausages

Making Healthy Sausages By Stanley Marianski “Making Healthy Sausages” reinvents traditional sausage making by introducing a completely new way of thinking. The sausage is not spiced hamburger meat anymore, but rather a “package” which contains meat plus other ingredients. All those ingredients...

www.sausagemaker.com

 

[chopsaw]

So you have 20 g's in five pounds.

Less then 1%,

Great work on getting an answer to the question .
I follow a lot of Marianski formulas . Most are 18 g's per 2.2 pounds .

 

[DanMcG]

Most are 18 g's per 2.2 pounds

I'm about the same, 15-18 per kg.

 

[indaswamp]

For fresh sausages, I use 1.4% salt...

 

[SmokinEdge]

You might consider getting a copy of Marianski's book, "Making Health Sausages" they have a chapter on low salt with some ideas on herb substitutes

Making Healthy Sausages

Making Healthy Sausages By Stanley Marianski “Making Healthy Sausages” reinvents traditional sausage making by introducing a completely new way of thinking. The sausage is not spiced hamburger meat anymore, but rather a “package” which contains meat plus other ingredients. All those ingredients...

www.sausagemaker.com

Thanks for the link. I have several of Marianski’s books. I trust his formulations. I never knew about this particular book.

 

[Bearcarver]

Happy to hear she is doing good.

I have used these in place of salt in some sausage for a family member.

Mortons salt substitute
My salt
Nu salt
No salt

Any of them are good and cut the regular salt way way down.

I've been adding zero salt at the table for 8 years, and still had a craving for Salt.
So I tried "No Salt" a few months ago. It tastes like salt, so I've been using it on my morning Eggs & a few other things, however due to the Covid Outbreak, I haven't been able to see my Dr to ask him if the heavy amount of Potassium will affect any of my Heart, Aorta, or Kidney problems.
1/4 teaspoon of "No Salt" Has:
0 Calories
0 Sodium
640 mg of Potassium. (fixed)

Bear

 

[SmokyMose]

With all respect, you should know you’re salt percentage to Meat weight .That is a known value, and repeatable always. Learn to cook with salt as a percentage this will give you the control over taste and sodium content in your finished product. No matter if sausage or stew.
Add up the total weight of meat and or soup stock in pounds. Convert that to kg. That is 454kg per 1pound. Then multiply that by salt desired in percentage.

like this: 1 pound=454 grams. So,,,,, to obtain a certain salt percentage you would do this:
454x0.015=6.81 grams of salt per pound of whatever.. You can increase or decrease this easy. Say you want 0.1% salt:
454x 0.01=4.54 grams per pound. This is all for one pound of meat, or one pound of soup or stew including meat. This method is absolutely repeatable and gives you control on your salt.
Pickling and canning salt is a fine salt and is more dense in volume than is kosher salt. So measuring salt volumetrically will never be accurate. Weighing is accurate. The volume changes, but the salt content ( weight) is same.

I hope this helps.

Thank you. I'm afraid I'm a bit lazy with math (must be the leftover English Major in me).
I've weighed Morton's Kosher in tablespoons and teaspoons and come up with ~14g~ and ~4g~. That tells me I'm at 1.5% and less. I know about the different densities which is why I've always stuck with Morton's. When I settle on a substitute I'll be using weight. I think my scale is probably accurate plus/minus 1g....