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Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 6:29 am
by Gizo
I have made a couple of recipes and none have been great, they are nice flavour but not right in texture. So for the next lit I want a base recipe that I can play with different seasonings. Either beef or pork. Has anyone got a recipe they recomend

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:09 pm
by NCPaul
I would use pork and to it I would add 1.2 % salt and 0.5 % pepper. To explore texture changes you can try some of the following: grind once, grind some twice. Try salting the meat the night before grinding. Try bread crumbs at 5-10 % with the same amount of water. Try some with 5 % NFDM. Try some with pork skin well boiled and ground times at 5 %. Try some with reduced pork stock. Try some with 0.6 % sodium bicarbonate. Try taking the fat down to 10 % or up to 30 %. Add course chunks of hand cubed meat or fat to the mince after mixing. This basic blend is good as is or can be seasoned in any direction you want to go.

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:57 pm
by RodinBangkok
Good advice, just to add don't change too many variables at one time or you won't be able to figure out what change effected what characteristic, take your time make small test batches and evaluate what changes effected which characteristics, and take good notes as you go. Accurate measures by weight, not volume, use and or learn percentage formulations.

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 4:24 pm
by wheels
The first thing is to learn how pork mince changes to sausage meat by reaction with salt to produce a thing called myosin. Adding salt well in advance helps this to happen; otherwise it's achieved by mixing until it occurs.

99% of texture issues are solved by mastering this.

Phil

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:43 pm
by Gizo
Thanks everyone,
So should I add salt to the diced porkthe night before grinding the meat?
as a filler, rusk, bread crumbs rice?

1.2% seems like a lot of salt so for 1kg of meat that is 120 grams of salt am I correct?

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:20 pm
by RodinBangkok
No, make sure you understand how to change a percentage to a decimal equivalent.

1kg = 1000 grams... 1.2% = 0.012 decimal.... so 0.012 x 1000 = 12

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:39 pm
by wheels
Wot he said! ^^^

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:03 am
by Gizo
Yep
So it's 12g,
That. Sounds better,
What about best filler, I was thinking of making my own rusk, and keeping it in the freezer?

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:20 pm
by wheels
If you make it and dry it, it will store great just in a plastic bag.

HTH

Phil

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 6:18 am
by Gizo
Well my most successful attempt yet.
I went to the butcher and got the pork.
1.1kg of lean pork (topside)
450grams pork fat
75 grams leek
95 grams rusk
95 ml water
Salt and pepper

Came out really good, could have used a bit more salt, and probably a bit less fat.
Minced on a 8mm plate, did a second grind on a 4.5mm plate for 80% of the mix

Mixed well by hand and filled.
Texture was good, flavour was good
Pretty happy all round
Thanks all for the advice

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:15 am
by sevorg
Out of interest, did you use fresh or dried leeks, and how finely were they chopped?

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:36 am
by Gizo
Fresh leeks diced to about 4mm, minced some with the meat, left others larger for a bit more texture.
I wouldn't mince any of them if I do it again

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 8:56 pm
by sevorg
Cheers for that, pork & leek are on my list for the next batch or the one after. Another question, did you use all of the leek, green and white or just the green for colour, or just the white even? (I'm fortunate in that we have a lot of good leeks this year on the allotment so can be choosy as to what goes in.)

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:13 pm
by Gizo
I used the white part, I think it could do with a bit more leek than I put in

Re: Suggestions for a idiot proof base

PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 11:17 am
by Snags
Mum and dad used to make pork and leek sausages when I was a kid and they used mainly the green part.