When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

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When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:48 am

Hello I'm new at making sausage and I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong.
When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is very soft like mushy.
I'm looking for it to be firm like when I buy them from the butcher.

Thanks for any advice
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby klephtZA » Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:10 am

Hi there

First a couple of questions to help us help you.

How are you stuffing the casings (hand/manual machine/automatic machine)?

How much do you work the mixture before stuffing?

How are you cooking the sausages (bake, fry, BBQ/Braai, poach)? Are the sausages cooked through 100%?

What recipe are you using that results in the "mushiness"?

-Chris
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:31 pm

I use a 5 lbs sausage stuffer it clamps to the counter and crank the handle
I might be working it to much I really don't know though
I cook them on the bbq
I have made to types. A chicken with tomato basil and provolone what red wine and Greek sausage. 5lbs pork shoulder leeks dry spices and 1 cup of water mix it until its sticky them stuff and hang for 3 days

Thanks
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby wheels » Thu Sep 08, 2016 11:36 pm

Please tell us the recipe that you used. There's absolutely no reason why your sausage shouldn't be like, or better than, your butchers.

Phil
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby klephtZA » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:07 am

Working the mixture would tend to make it tighter and less "mushy" so I don't think that's the problem. Are you 100% sure its cooked all the way through? The only other thing I can think is that the center is still uncooked and hence "mushy". Waiting on those recipes.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:24 pm

This is the Greek one

Macedonian Sausages (Μακεδονικα Λουκανικα

15 lbs. pork butt, coarse grind
(from pork shoulder)

5lbs. pork fat, ground
5 lbs. of leeks, cleaned, chopped and blanched
1/4 cup black pepper
1/3 cup Boukovo (red chilli flakes)
1/2 cup fine sea salt
2 Tbsp. ground allspice
1/4 cup dried oregano
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 little tubs of hog casings

Mix all the above ingredients in a large Rubbermaid container and mix well with your hands.
Take a handful and fry it off on your stove to taste test. Adjust seasoning. Cover and place the container with sausage filling in a cool place (our garage is as cold as a fridge). over night to allow the ingredients to marry.
The next day, soak the hog casings in warm water for 30 minutes and then rinse. Replenish the cold water and leave them in a bowl of water. Take a hog casing and place it on the nozzle where your sausage mix will come out.
Place the sausage mix on the top entry point of the sausage maker and start pumping out sausages (I have an electric sausage maker). Plunge the meat down and with your other hand, ensure the sausage filling is fully filling the casing as the sausages are being formed. Twist the sausages into links of your desired size.
Replenish hog casings on the nozzle of the sausage maker as they run out. Repeat until all of your sausage mix has been made into links.
Hang your sausages for a 3 to 5 days (until the casings have slightly hardened to a skin) in a cool, dry place like a cellar, garage or if you have a spare fridge.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:31 pm

This is the chicken one

INGREDIENTS
5 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 1/2 ounces kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons tightly packed chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh diced Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled
10 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 min and rinsed
DIRECTIONS
1.
Combine the meat, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, and tomatoes and toss together until evenly mixed. Chill until ready to grind.

2.
Grind the mixture trough the small die into a bowl set in ice.

3.
Using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, oil, and wine, increase the speed to medium, and mix for 1 more minute, or until liquid is incorporated and the sausage has a uniform, sticky appearance.

4.
Fry a bite-sized portion of the sausage, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

5.
Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

6.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill the sausage over direct heat until cooked through, having an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Swing Swang » Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:56 pm

How cold was your meat when you ground it? And did it grind nice and cleanly and quickly? I grind my meat partially frozen and 'crunchy' when squeezed in the hand, I also ensure that my grinding blade is sharp and that any meat sinews that wrap themselves around the blade are removed quickly. My guess is that if it was the grinding that was at fault then this would have shown up in the 'prueba'/taster, which does not appear to be the case here.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:08 pm

i had it in the freezer for 1/2 hour it was cold not actually frozen
The blade is sharp it's brand new and I guess it ground quickly
Last edited by Grinch on Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:10 pm

The blade is sharp it's brand new and I guess it ground quickly
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby DanMcG » Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:41 am

You have a lot of liquid in the two recipes, at least more then I typically would use.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Sun Sep 11, 2016 11:05 am

How much would you use ? Thanks
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby DanMcG » Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:23 pm

I'd go around 2-5% liquid with fresh sausage and 10% with a smoked sausage... I'm thinking your leeks in the first recipe were mostly water which would be well over my liking...could you dehydrate them some to remove some water? I'm just throwing out what struck me and I'm sure others will have other opinions.
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Snags » Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:22 am

Grinch wrote:
Macedonian Sausages (Μακεδονικα Λουκανικα

15 lbs. pork butt, coarse grind
(from pork shoulder)

5lbs. pork fat, ground
5 lbs. of leeks, cleaned, chopped and blanched
1/4 cup black pepper
1/3 cup Boukovo (red chilli flakes)
1/2 cup fine sea salt
2 Tbsp. ground allspice
1/4 cup dried oregano
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup sweet paprika
2 little tubs of hog casings

Mix all the above ingredients in a large Rubbermaid container and mix well with your hands.
Take a handful and fry it off on your stove to taste test. Adjust seasoning. Cover and place the container with sausage filling in a cool place (our garage is as cold as a fridge). over night to allow the ingredients to marry.
The next day, soak the hog casings in warm water for 30 minutes and then rinse. Replenish the cold water and leave them in a bowl of water. Take a hog casing and place it on the nozzle where your sausage mix will come out.
Place the sausage mix on the top entry point of the sausage maker and start pumping out sausages (I have an electric sausage maker). Plunge the meat down and with your other hand, ensure the sausage filling is fully filling the casing as the sausages are being formed. Twist the sausages into links of your desired size.
Replenish hog casings on the nozzle of the sausage maker as they run out. Repeat until all of your sausage mix has been made into links.
Hang your sausages for a 3 to 5 days (until the casings have slightly hardened to a skin) in a cool, dry place like a cellar, garage or if you have a spare fridge.

Great memories
Thanks for this I remember my parents making this about 40 years ago
Dad forgot the recipe when I asked him
There was no dried garlic in those days it was fresh I remember they cooked the leeks first so they probably cooked the garlic too.
The all spice or cloves rings a vague bell.
I was a kid at the time but curious,
They hung under the eaves of the house until dried out
They were sprinkled in black pepper first to keep the flys away
yet to take the plunge still researching
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Re: When I make sausage after its cooked the inside is mushy

Postby Grinch » Wed Sep 14, 2016 10:51 am

That's great hope you enjoy
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