www.sausagemaking.org

Hi, I�m new on the block, though not new to cooking.

I am also new to a low fat, very low sugar, reduced alchohol, no nicotine diet for the
rest of my life. So I am having to remake the habits and recipes of a lifetime. And I do
not want to give up sausages. I have not found much in the way of low fat produced
sausages that look satisfactory yet.

I have therefore decided to make my own.

Most REAL sausages have far too much hydrogenated animal fat for my diet.

But I also realise that the fat carries the flavour, produces texture, and makes the
sausage.

So the question is, WHAT can I use for texture/filler/flavour holder instead of natural
fat?

So far I have thought of:

Tofu

Soya �meat�

mashed beans/pulses

I can substitute rusk with dried/baked wholemeal breadcrumbs.

I can get 5% pork mince from Tesco, and 10% beef mince from Waitrose, and I do
not need to have NO fat, just very little. So I think I could use these meats to start
with.

I intend to try and make fresh English type sausages (Oxford, Cumberland) as a
starter, and see how it goes.

Any help or suggestions with the basic fat ingredient problem most welcome.

Hi,

Any sausage can be made to have a similar texture as a regular sausage, if you are allowed to have 10% fat mince add some ice cubes with the mix and you will have a moist sausage.

I would also add rusk or breadcumbs to the mix to make it a little softer because a sausage with a very high percentage of meat becomes hard.

Franco

Thanks.

I have an old Moulinex electric grinder with a sausage filling attachment that I was going to use to stuff the skins with.

Since I will be using pre minced meat initially and just using the stuffer, I presume I should crack the ice first, mix it with the mixture and then stuff the casings?

I guess the casing/rusk holds the moisture, and I should then let the sausages "mature" for two to four days in the fridge for the seasonings etc. to blend?

Thanks for your help.

Low-fat information

Even though several companies have prepared products down to 1-3 % fat levels, the general consensus is that an acceptable palatable product could be made using a 10 % fat level.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE
1) Oatmeal along with crushed ice
An excellent binder, also good for lowering cholesterol
2) Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC 80%)
Refer to http://www.doitwithdiary.com/formulations/meat/ and
www.extraordinarydairy.com
They have been testing sausages; hotdogs etc in the 3-6 % fat range with 40 % less shrinkage than normal. Basically for every 10 % of fat that is removed from the sausage formulation 10 % water and 1 % WPC (80 %) is added in its place.
3) Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
In its rehydrated state can be used at up to a 10 % inclusion rate without being overpowering. Rehydrated TVP should be kept refrigerated and used within 5 days. To rehydrate add � - 1 cup (180 - 250 ml) of boiling water per cup of TVP and allow to stand for 10 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Allow to cool then use like meat.
4) Virgin Olive Oil and Rape Seed Oil
These have been used with some satisfactory results up to 2/3�s of the pork fat inclusion rate without being detectable. Check out www.danexport.dk
5) Fat Replacer
Developed by the US government this can be purchased from the Sausage Maker (www.sausagemaker.com). Maybe Franco would stock it if enough people expressed interest. Others are Z-Trim (www.ars.usda.gov.is/pr/1996/z-trim896.htm ) and Oatrim-10.
DON'T FORGET THAT UNDER US LAW BINDERS CAN ONLY BE INCLUDED AT A RATE OF 3.5 % (UK LAWS DIFFER)

Kind Regards

Parson Snows

Dear Parson,

Thanks for the tips. I will see what I can do to incorporate them/obtain the ingredients. I am not making commercially so do not have to worry about regulations as to content, but am having problems geting basics in small quantities at a reasonable price.

I have posted the first recipe I have found to work above, and would welcome your comments if you think you can add anything.

Oddley, check your PM box!

Regards,

Is the recipe that you are referring to the one that you posted under "A Working Low Fat (Cumberland) Sausage + orig. recipe" ?

kind regards

Parson Snows

Yes.

That was the first one I found to work reasonably well. Fresh, it had the taste and texture of a real sausage.

I have since made some Oxford sausages, not bad, but not postable yet.

I think I will try a Lincolnshire sausage next, and flavour it (to 1/2 lb meat) with 1/2 tea white pepper very fine milled, 1/4 tea each black and green peppercorns course ground, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of ginger. Basically, a "peppery" sausage which is what I associate with the Lincolnshire.

I'll post a recipe for a Lincolnshire Sausage next week.

hope that this is some use to you

kind regards

Parson Snows