Sausage Recipe Conversion

[SmokinEdge]

Most folks here understand the metric system and how to convert pounds to grams for their recipes. Most recipes are written for 1Kg (2.2lb) so if I have a random meat weight of let’s just say 5 pounds, what’s the best way to convert that 1Kg recipe to 5 pounds? Here is what I do.

5 pounds meat
5x454= 2270g
1Kg= 1000g
So to convert the recipe we need a ratio relative to 1000g.
2270 divided by 1000 gives us the ratio Of 2.27

So now we have a ratio number to multiply any ingredient amount by to make our 5 pound batch. I’ll post a simple recipe for 1Kg then the conversion next to it line by line.

Salt) 17g x 2.27 = 38.59g
Cure #1) 2.5g x 2.27 = 5.67g
Pepper) 2.0g x 2.27 = 4.54g
Garlic) 3.0g x 2.27 = 6.81g
Sugar) 1.0g x 2.27 = 2.27

This can also be done for 1 pound of meat. 1 pound is 454g so,
454 / 1000 = 0.454 that’s the ratio to convert all ingredients of a 1Kg recipe to 1 pound recipe.

I hope this information helps some of you convert recipes.

 

[DougE]

This is something I will definitely find helpful. Thanks for posting it.

 

[poacherjoe]

I just ask my Echo Dot " ALEXA " and she converts it for me. Guess I am just lazy

 

[motocrash]

Most folks here understand the metric system and how to convert pounds to grams for their recipes.

I'll expand on your hypothesis by venturing that most here have a high school diploma.

 

[Brokenhandle]

And for any newbies or those of us that forget things... Pop's put a sticky up in this sausage category on pre - proportioning mix ingredients...comes in handy! Whether you're a newbie or not and just having a brain fart!

Ryan

 

[Nefarious]

I'll expand on your hypothesis by venturing that most here have a high school diploma.

Are you suggesting that the post is less.or more useful?

 

[motocrash]

Are you suggesting that the post is less.or more useful?

Neither. Merely pointing out that I reckon most here surpassed a grade school education. That's where I learned the metric system.

 

[DougE]

That's where I learned the metric system.

I'd say that most of us did, but I graduated high school in 1983 and have not used anything metric in a lot of years (aside from metric wrenches and sockets), so now that I have stepped into the curing/sausage making arena, I'm getting a refresher course. I'm glad for it, though, because it's a heck of a lot easier to work with for this.

 

[Nefarious]

I graduated high school in 1972. I don't remember learning much metric system back then. I also taught non engineering physics classes in grad school and unless one is engineering or science oriented, that conversion information is needed. I personally think it should be a sticky somewhere and it it had a built in calculator, would be even better.

 

[chopsaw]

Choo ! Choo !

 

[SmokinEdge]

I appreciate the replies.
That said, there have been a lot of new guys and new to sausage making asking a ton of questions lately. I am genuinely trying to be helpful to them and anyone else who is interested in sausage making. If what I posted doesn’t apply to you, then scroll on by. It’s not difficult. If you just don’t like me, I understand. Scroll on by. If you have issue with what I have posted or concerns about my math, then address that and we will continue this discussion. Otherwise I’m genuinely trying to help those who don’t know.

 

[thirdeye]

One and one is two and two and two is four and five will get you ten if you know how to work it - Mae West.

“If God wanted us to use the metric system, He would have given us ten fingers and ten toes.” - Heard on US construction and fabrication jobsites.

The issue I have on many recipe conversions is starting with recipes that list meat weight in pounds, and ingredients in volumetric (teaspoon, tablespoon) measurements. So to build upon your example, I reset the base meat amount to 1 kilogram, then tare my measuring spoon and weigh the ingredients in grams. With this information I can size the ingredients perfectly. There are sites like THIS ONE that try to accomplish the same thing.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Oh hell! You're good SmokinEdge ! You are doing a good thing here by trying to help new people out! And some of us others. Yes, I use my smart phone half the time but mainly cuz I forget where I filed the printed off conversions at. That's what this forum is about...answering questions and helping others understand the safe way to do things! To some people this all comes very easy, to others it's sometimes hard to understand. I'm not a newbie by any means and appreciate it! Anyone that wants to squabble can go back to facebook and deal with those um....well you know!

Ryan

 

[crazymoon]

I'll expand on your hypothesis by venturing that most here have a high school diploma.

I done gradiated from the 4th grade wid Jethro Bodine ! :)

 

[kawboy]

As much as I hated to admit it, the metric system made a lot more sense while going through culinary last year. As far as graduating highschool goes, my class mates were all 22 and under (I was 52) had no clue how to do the simple mathematic formulas. I showed them long division and you'd think I was a wizard! They'd never seen any such thing! They caught on a bit after I taught them simple math. Common core didn't seem to teach them much. I do still use the conversion formulas quite a bit.

 

[Biggy1]

Most folks here understand the metric system and how to convert pounds to grams for their recipes. Most recipes are written for 1Kg (2.2lb) so if I have a random meat weight of let’s just say 5 pounds, what’s the best way to convert that 1Kg recipe to 5 pounds? Here is what I do.

5 pounds meat
5x454= 2270g
1Kg= 1000g
So to convert the recipe we need a ratio relative to 1000g.
2270 divided by 1000 gives us the ratio Of 2.27

So now we have a ratio number to multiply any ingredient amount by to make our 5 pound batch. I’ll post a simple recipe for 1Kg then the conversion next to it line by line.

Salt) 17g x 2.27 = 38.59g
Cure #1) 2.5g x 2.27 = 5.67g
Pepper) 2.0g x 2.27 = 4.54g
Garlic) 3.0g x 2.27 = 6.81g
Sugar) 1.0g x 2.27 = 2.27

This can also be done for 1 pound of meat. 1 pound is 454g so,
454 / 1000 = 0.454 that’s the ratio to convert all ingredients of a 1Kg recipe to 1 pound recipe.

I hope this information helps some of you convert recipes.

Can you explain how you get the grams of ingredients because I am trying to learn.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Can you explain how you get the grams of ingredients because I am trying to learn.

Sure,
454 grams in a pound, so multiply the pounds of meat x 454 and that gives the weight in grams.

To find a percentage for cure or salt simply multiply the total grams of meat by the percentage wanted. Example.
10 pounds meat and we want 2% salt:
10x454 = 4540 x .02 = 90.8g salt.
For cure #1 we apply at 0.25% so:
4540 x 0.0025 = 11.35g cure #1

Then for spices there is a general guideline per 1 Kg meat (2.2 pounds) but these are subjective to your taste, these are in grams per 1Kg:

garlic powder) 1.5g
pepper) 2.0-3.0g
nutmeg) 1g
mace) 0.5g
fennel) 2g
allspice) 2g
onion powder) 2.0-10g
thyme) 1g

Hope this helps.

 

[Biggy1]

Sure,
454 grams in a pound, so multiply the pounds of meat x 454 and that gives the weight in grams.

To find a percentage for cure or salt simply multiply the total grams of meat by the percentage wanted. Example.
10 pounds meat and we want 2% salt:
10x454 = 4540 x .02 = 90.8g salt.
For cure #1 we apply at 0.25% so:
4540 x 0.0025 = 11.35g cure #1

Then for spices there is a general guideline per 1 Kg meat (2.2 pounds) but these are subjective to your taste, these are in grams per 1Kg:

garlic powder) 1.5g
pepper) 2.0-3.0g
nutmeg) 1g
mace) 0.5g
fennel) 2g
allspice) 2g
onion powder) 2.0-10g
thyme) 1g

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much I really appreciate it sir!

 

[kevin james]

As a sausage beginner, I knew this was the part that would be the most difficult for me, so I decided to make it as simple as possible. I built myself a "sausage calculator" in Excel that basically does exactly what you're describing, so that all I have to do is input how many pound of meat I'm using, it converts it into grams for me, and then calculates exactly how much of each ingredient is needed based on simple percentages.

Also since I'm a beginner, I started with a couple recipes I trusted, both from Chud's BBQ, one of my favorite BBQ Youtube Channels. The cool thing is that once I had the calculator all set up it made it super easy to dial in my own recipe's which are now inspired by, but totally different than Chud's original recipe's I started with.

 

[SmokinEdge]

As a sausage beginner, I knew this was the part that would be the most difficult for me, so I decided to make it as simple as possible. I built myself a "sausage calculator" in Excel that basically does exactly what you're describing, so that all I have to do is input how many pound of meat I'm using, it converts it into grams for me, and then calculates exactly how much of each ingredient is needed based on simple percentages.

Also since I'm a beginner, I started with a couple recipes I trusted, both from Chud's BBQ, one of my favorite BBQ Youtube Channels. The cool thing is that once I had the calculator all set up it made it super easy to dial in my own recipe's which are now inspired by, but totally different than Chud's original recipe's I started with.

That’s great Kevin. Look at Len Poli as a source as well for recipes. His recipes are solid. I hope you enjoy your venture into sausage, anything I can do to help, call on me and I’ll help always as far as I can.