Venison bologna questions (powdered milk and cheese)

[Jeepinman99]

I'm making what I refer to as venison bologna, some would call it summer sausage. Either way I have two questions.

The recipe calls for powdered dry milk as a binder. Should I mix this with the meat as a dry ingredient or add it the the other dry ingredients that get mixed with water? I feel like if I mix it with the water its no different than adding regular milk into the meat.

Second, I'm going to add high temp cheese to some of the batches. Each batch is 15 pounds, how much cheese should I add to each batch to maintain a good meat/cheese ratio?

Thanks!

 

[tallbm]

I'm making what I refer to as venison bologna, some would call it summer sausage. Either way I have two questions.

The recipe calls for powdered dry milk as a binder. Should I mix this with the meat as a dry ingredient or add it the the other dry ingredients that get mixed with water? I feel like if I mix it with the water its no different than adding regular milk into the meat.

Second, I'm going to add high temp cheese to some of the batches. Each batch is 15 pounds, how much cheese should I add to each batch to maintain a good meat/cheese ratio?

Thanks!

Hi there and welcome!

I believe you can go either way with it and have no issues.
Here is a thread on the same exact topic, enjoy! :)

https://smokingmeatforums.com/threads/nfdm-how-to-incorporate-it-into-your-sausage.181660/

 

[Mauritius]

Hello! You've probably seen the answer to your first question in the link tallbm posted (mix everything with the water first) but I wanted to answer why you'd do this vs using straight milk. The idea with using milk powder is to add extra protein to the mix to help bind it together and retain moisture, without actually adding a lot of moisture. You'd end up with an extra cup or so of liquid per pound of meat if you used the equivalent in actual milk...which is a good start on biscuits and gravy, but probably not the best for sausage/bologna. :)

For venison summer sausage I normally use 3 tbsp milk powder and 2-3 tbsp water mixed with the rest of the spices per pound (assuming you're mixing your own spices). It's just enough water to make a slurry that's easy to mix into the meat, you'll know it when you see it.

Re: Cheese, I haven't tried this yet but I've heard 5-10% by weight, and a lot of people seem to use 10% or even a little more. It's a personal preference.

 

[archeryrob]

I didn't see anything on the fat mixture for your venison bologna recipe, which I think is absolutely crucial in the moisture connection. I do not use any milk in mine as the wife is a better cook and she said NO, loudly! ;) I have found that you need about 14% fat in bologna to make it not dry. You need some water or syrup of some kind also and percentages might vary based on these amounts. I would assume the water is what this milk is holding, but I've never had any trouble with my bologna falling apart.
Personally from what I have read I think milk only changes the texture and does not bind it. Some places selling it even state that. As for the cheese, I think its personal taste there. Personally I would devide the batch and mix the cheese ratios and see which one you like better.

Non-Fat Dry Milk Powder (1 lb.)
$3.93
Milk powder has been used for years in sausage making. Although not highly effective as a binder, it can impart a creamier taste to some sausage products. Milk powder is good at hiding salt flavor in most sausage and is used in liver sausage, hot dogs and bologna. If used in conjunction with our Special Meat Binder, use at a rate of no more than 1/2%, or 2 oz per 25 pounds of meat.

I use a 50/50 mix of very well trimmed ground venison and 73% ground beef. I was going to use pork shoulder to get my fat, but the wife said "beef is better" and it wasn't worth fighting. I think she likes beef better as ham always swells her up. I tried the 80% beef and the bologna was to dry because of the low fat content at 10%. I have not tried over 14% as I can't commercially fine a higher fat content GB in the stores.

Also too high a tempurature and over cooking will dry a great recipe out too. Had my wood chips catch on fire when I fire started and that was some dry stuff. 8)

 

[limpit84]

I’m looking for a good deer meat baloney recipe. Something that actually breaks everything down to what I need per pound and how to do it. Getting tired of wasting money

 

[Brokenhandle]

I’m looking for a good deer meat baloney recipe. Something that actually breaks everything down to what I need per pound and how to do it. Getting tired of wasting money

Can't help you out with a recipe but you'll get much better responses to start your own new thread... this one was last responded to almost 7 years ago. Also, explain what's not working right or why you feel you're feeling like you're wasting money. The more info you provide the better answers you'll get.

Ryan

 

[archeryrob]

My wife lebabnon bologna which I am making now with pork and NFDM as a binder. Never used a binder with beef mixed in. It was sticky when mixed.

Also Old Fat Guy's recipe for Mettwurst. Its pretty good as a milder bologna with more flavor than store bought. I've thought about kicking the spices a high higher. Non-sweet but pretty good.

 

[limpit84]

My wife lebabnon bologna which I am making now with pork and NFDM as a binder. Never used a binder with beef mixed in. It was sticky when mixed.

Also Old Fat Guy's recipe for Mettwurst. Its pretty good as a milder bologna with more flavor than store bought. I've thought about kicking the spices a high higher. Non-sweet but pretty good.

I appreciate the help. It would be a first for doing bologna for me but jerky I’ve mastered. I will def give this a try . Thank you