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Hi you all
Could anyone advise me on: what cut of beef to use, is the rusk ratio the same as pork sausages, plus any useful tips when making beef sausages would be most appreciated
Many thanks
rob

Rob, I use leg of beef for making boerewors, where I use about 50% each beef and pork. For venison sausages, I use anything that the game dealer doesn't want, so it could be bits of leg but is mostly flank.

I don't use rusk at all in my sausages, so can't help there I'm afraid.

I made some mixed game sausages at the weekend (venison, pheasant and pigeon along with 25% pork fat) and I used the same amount of rusk as I always do, 10% of the weight of the combined meat and fat, and they came out great.

Never made beef sausage but I think I'd go for the same amount of rusk again.

Hi All

If the fat to meat ratio is the same then so should the rusk.

Cheers WW

Hi Rob,

I make a lot of beef sausages, and use mostly fatty brisket, I have also used shank, which is full of connective tissue and with some added fat makes a really nice Bratwurst style sausage, full of bite! If using a leaner cut such as chuck steak, I try to add fat to it, I have used suet (beef kidney fat unprocessed) and also the fat trimmings from out local supermarket quite successfully, to be honest with you, although most people recommend using suet, I have not really been able to taste the difference in flavour or texture. Although I have been wanting for some time to use fat from the tail, our local supermarkets always trim the fat from oxtail and just throw it away, I love oxtail and really like the richness of flavour that the fat gives it so though it would be nice in sausages as well!

On the subject of rusk, I seldom use it, although on a recent recommended recipe from Rik Von Trense, I did try breadcrumbs made from toasted bread and I have to say that the addition of the breadcrumbs in no way detracted from the flavour of the sausages and did appear to moisten them somewhat, of course this issue of moistness seems to be one of the big problems with beef sausages without the addition of pork fat, but I have found that with good hard beef fat and plently of mixing before stuffing, I have sausages which I really enjoy!

Basically it is all a subjective matter and unless you are producing sausages for other people to consume, it is just as well to experiment and find something that you and your family enjoy and leave it at that.

Regards,

Thanks to you all for the good advice
rob