why is vinegar in some fresh sausage recipes?

[mattwright]

So I am looking at making some fresh sausages soon, and a lot of recipes I see (especially in Ruhlman's book) call for some kind of vinegar to be added.

I would think that some acid in the sausage would start breaking down the meat fibers, and making mush.. Kind of like if you stuff a pork loin too early with acidic ingredients, you get odd texture on the inside..

any ideas?

[wheels]

I know that Spuddy removed the citric acid from his chorizo recipe as he (and I) found that it made the texture granular. I would think that, without care, vinegar may do the same. Having said that vinegar features quite regularly in salami recipes.

Phil

[NCPaul]

I agree with Wheels; it does make it harder to get a good primary bind. I would be tempted to leave it out of fresh sausages.

[mattwright]

From what I have read (Marianksi in particular) the added acid with salami was there to drop the pH fast, just for food safety.

No idea at all why it would be there for fresh sausage however.

[grisell]

I have used it in fresh chorizo with good result. Not too much though, maybe 1 tbsp/kg.

[BriCan]

From what I have read (Marianksi in particular) the added acid with salami was there to drop the pH fast, just for food safety.

just had a look in my book of commercial recipes and see non with vinegar, it maybe done due to ""bad"" practices of pushing the envelope with the larger company's. Smaller producers will either make like I do or with cultures. I see the use of red and white wine, rum and brandy.

No idea at all why it would be there for fresh sausage however.

With all the recipes that I have collected (enough for at least two books if not more) the only ones I see is Boerewors and as my friend tells me after working many years in Jo'burg as a butcher is because most of the meat was rotten and the sausage was being sold to the locals

[BriCan]

I have used it in fresh chorizo with good result. Not too much though, maybe 1 tbsp/kg.

A good dry red wine works better

[schlafsack]

Could it be for the taste?

[NCPaul]

I looked in the Ruhlman book and he has vinegar added to his Italian sausage and to the Mexican chorizo. I have made the sweet Italian and did not care for the texture, which I believe was due to the vinegar (I prefer Aidell's sweet Italian with 1 t anise added). I have not made the chorizo recipe. The one time I bought it from the store, it was crumbly (and loaded with fat), so it may be that the vinegar helps to get the texture for this sausage.

[Massimo Maddaloni]

Vinegar is instrumental in imparting the right taste to chorizo. Acids "squeeze" water out of the meat and in fact after a night in the fridge one cen see all that juice (and spices) in the bowl out of the meat. I compensate by not adding any water or tomato sauce to the meat (I use tomato paste instead). It makes it difficult to case, but it alleviates the problem.
Regards
Massimo

[Zulululu]

I have also been down the vinegar trail and now leave it out of my boerewors, the only time that I do use a small amount is with game meat which is much touger than the beef you get from the supermarket and you can still get a good bind.I have marinaded my corriander in vinegar and you can pick it up when you eat the wors, but have just decided to leave it out altogether.

[JerBear]

I'm bummed I didn't see this post earlier. I also just made an attempt at the Ruhlman version of Italian with the vinegar and the sausage was terrible! I had to add some phosphate and beer to make it more palatable and recover the texture.... I've made the recipe with wine in the past and found the wine was too strong a flavor, I'm thinking 50/50 wine/water next time 'round....

[Thewitt]

I use it in two of my longganisa recipes for flavor. Without it I cannot match the local flavor.

[JerBear]

I use it in two of my longganisa recipes for flavor. Without it I cannot match the local flavor.

In this recipe the flavor wasn't right, definatly lacking on the front end... I did use lower quality red wine vinegar 'cuz that's all that was available when I realized I'd forgotten to purchase the better stuff.

Thewitt, would you say that the texture is somewhat mealy in your sausages when using the vinegar? What's the percentage of vinegar to meat you're using?

[Thewitt]

Typically 50ml per 1kg of pork.

I use a 70/30 pork to fat ratio for these and double grind thru a large plate. Very coarse final sausage texture but no issues with a good bind.

Mixing well of course is key.

One note. The added vinegar seems to accentuate the salt so I reduce to 12g per 1 kg as well for fresh sausages when adding vinegar.