Need Help with Chicken Sausage

[chefisaac]

Hello all. Need help with chicken sausage. Would like to nail down a recipe that works great. Right now, they are soft after being cooked versus firm. Juicy yes, just soft. Would like to stay away from pork products as my wife does not eat pork.

Here is what I went with today:

7 pounds chicken tights, boneless, partially skinless
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp marjoram
5 T garlic, minced
1 1/2 Franks Hot Sauce
1/2 sirachca
12 ounces turkey bacon
1 cup dry milk powder
2 cups ground oats
3 c bleu cheese

Everything was cold when I ground it and also when I stuffed it. I stuffed it and poached one then seared in it in the pan.

Here is what it looks like

https://plus.google.com/photos/10446632 ... Mu33v_XjwE

[NCPaul]

It may be that the vinegar in the balsamic and in Frank's hot sauce are inhibiting the bind. You might try boiling these ingredients down to drive off the acetic, then chilling them down and making them your last additions. Welcome to the forum.

[DanMcG]

It looks to me that you're way low on the salt. I think your 1.5 tsp of kosher salt weighs around 6 grams and for 7 I'd have used 40g-60g the salt is needed for a good bind of the proteins in the meat. And Paul might be onto something with the vinegar.

Welcome to the forums.

[chefisaac]

Is it best to stick with a proven recipe for forumla for suasage making? I have hit a frusteration point. GRRRR.

I took some of the sausage out of the causing (raw) and added more oat flour thinking it would tighten it up but it is still soft.

I am game if anyone has a great chicken sausage recipe that does not use any pork.

[Massimo Maddaloni]

DanMcG is right. Chicken meat contains a lot of water. What you can do is:
1) grind the meat
2) pre-salt with 1/2 of final salt (as per DanMcG suggestions). Vinegar squizees juice out ot the meat, so you may want to try the vinegar first (with or without the 1/2 salt) and see what happens.
3) let it purge overnite in the fridge
4) add the rest of the salt + spices and case.
Maddmax

[Wunderdave]

I really like the concept of a buffalo wing flavored sausage but what purpose does the Vinegar serve?

I agree that you have not nearly enough salt. I tend to like my fresh sausages with about 1.5% salt by weight, which means you'd need about 23g salt for your 15kg of meat.

Blue cheese melts, too, which will make your sausage softer.

This is a pretty great basic chicken sausage recipe: http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/sausage-re ... en-sausage

I have modified it with success with various herbs and spices. Nothing as extensive as yours but this might give you a good start with ratios. Notice that the recipe writer includes ground frozen chicken skin which helps the bind.

[chefisaac]

Vinegar gives it the sharp edge to the taste. It plays a different roll on your tongue then the hot sauce. Sorta fun to eat actually. The flavor sends your mouth on a roller coaster. A lot of flavor pop.

[chefisaac]

So, this is a little confusing.

Salt is a binder? This is interesting.

When do you know if you need bread crumbs or an egg for binding to different starches like tapioca, oat flour, etc?

[chefisaac]

And why is "special meat binder" I see in some recipes? When should that be used?

[DanMcG]

when salt mixes with the lean meat it helps extract proteins which binds liquids
The Special meat binder is a phosphate mix that also binds water like soy products and Dried milk. Phosphates are good for long slow smoked sausage to prevent moisture loose and shrinkage.
I just finished a chicken hotdog experiment using 3% tapioca starch as a fat replacement as per Captain Wassname's advice. will post it tomorrow

[chefisaac]

Dan,

So since I used chicken and used other liquids like hot sauce, siracha and bleu cheese, should I have used tapioca starch to hold all the liquid in?

[DanMcG]

not sure what you got going on, with all the DMP and oats I can't imagine you would need more binder, thats what made me notice the low salt amount.

[DiggingDogFarm]

I would definitely try a different recipe.
There's a lot going on in the recipe you posted, it's difficult to guess exactly what the problem is....the low salt, acid and turkey bacon will all affect the bind in a negative way, especially if its not mixed well.
Start with a basic recipe, get the binding right, then slowly tailor the recipe to your liking.


~Martin

[NCPaul]

I agree with DanMcG and DDF, there is a lot going on in your recipe. There are two proteins that bind moisture in sausage, actin and myosin. Both of these are extracted and unravel in the presence of salt. This allows them to bind water and to add structure to the sausage. Phosphates do this to an even greater extent. Different meats, of course, show this to different levels. In my experience, beef and lamb have less binding than pork, which has less binding than poultry. If the pH is low, binding is lowered. Additives such as breadcrumbs of starch also bind water but do not add structure to the sausage. Holding water is different to sausage makers than creating the bind. I hope this is clear, if not, keep asking questions.

[DiggingDogFarm]

NCPaul summed it up perfectly.


~Martin