Questions from a newbie, must make Saveloys!

[expatsaveloyfan]

Hi to everyone, new to the forum and to sausage making.

My main goal is to make Saveloys, I love them and haven't had the pleasure of one for 5 long years, and I can't go on any longer. I'm not that desperate actually, well, perhaps a little bit desperate.

Right about my sausageing self; I have the following tools:

Manual meat grinder
Manual stuffer
Electronic smoker

I have the following ingredients:

More herbs and spices than you can shake a sausage at.
Readily available meats such as pork fat/belly/multiple beef cuts etc. (obviously)
Collagen saveloy skins from waschenfeild (if I got the spelling correct, someone here will probably know?)
Hog Casings (can't remember the brand/size)
Liquid smoke (hickory I believe)
Wood chips (can't remember the wood types, apple is one)

All in all, I'd say I'm ready to go.

My questions are:

1. What is a good Saveloy recipe? I've seen a few posted here that look lovely.

2. How best to calculate the amount of meat? I wouldn't like to go out and buy 10lb worth of meat, are small batches fairly easy to make? And how best to measure the percentages for the herbs/spices?

3(a). Curing, I really want to avoid the use of sodium nitrite in my food, no pickling salt.

3(b). Why is Sodium nitrite generally used for pork? I haven't even seen nitrite free ham, gammon or bacon (only those with celery i.e. natural sodium nitrite.)

3(c). Do I have to use it? And, what might happen if I don't?

4. Rusk isn't readily available here, is the economy rusk recipe on here good enough? I've also heard jacob's crackers are an excellent alternative, any reports on that?

Think that is about it, thanks for taking the time to read my thread, looking forward to posting here!

[Dingo]

Hi there,
I'm an Aussie trapped in the US of A and greatly miss the great Saveloy. I haven't got around to them yet, however, in answer to your questions;

Firstly, post your location, and some more detail on your equipment...specifically size of grinder stuffer etc. It will help global members answer your questions. Otherwise;

What is a good Saveloy recipe? I've seen a few posted here that look lovely.

Walfootrot has an extensive post on the subject here;

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=3085

How best to calculate the amount of meat? I wouldn't like to go out and buy 10lb worth of meat, are small batches fairly easy to make? And how best to measure the percentages for the herbs/spices?

Yes. See the above post for more info.

3(a). Curing, I really want to avoid the use of sodium nitrite in my food, no pickling salt.

3(b). Why is Sodium nitrite generally used for pork? I haven't even seen nitrite free ham, gammon or bacon (only those with celery i.e. natural sodium nitrite.)

3(c). Do I have to use it? And, what might happen if I don't?

You don't have to use it....if you're a Vegas gambler, understand the risks and take your chances. If you're a regular person, do some research on sodium nitrite/nitrate and re-assess how you feel about it. It is in nature, has been used for many centuries, and is an an essential part of the protection hurdles used in home production of cured/smoked products, whether it is pork, beef, venison or chicken. I do salamis, bacons & other cured products and smoke (both cold and hot) lots of stuff. I wouldn't proceed with many of my projects without it as I'm not willing to gamble with my life , my family's or friends lives. Don't get me wrong...i also went through a STEEP learning curve. ( Prior to Crusty's advice I made Biltong all the time without cure)

Rusk isn't readily available here, is the economy rusk recipe on here good enough? I've also heard jacob's crackers are an excellent alternative, any reports on that?

Don't know about the crackers...however I believe rusk is fairly easy to reproduce. Rusk is not readily available here either. I generally substitute bread crumbs. Alternatively, my understanding is that rusk is used to help preserve moisture in the sausage. There are other ways, ie NFD, Soy Protein, phosphates etc that may do the same thing. (note....it depends on the recipe so it isn't carte blanch)

Sorry if this post is overwhelming...I don't have the way with words of the "elders" (Wheels, Brican, Vagreys, NC Paul etc) on this site. My junior advice is to research lots! Once you've gained the basic knowledge, you will be able to vette web and other recipes to minimize your exposure to nitrites/nitrates and make awesome home made products. It is critical if you're curing and smoking to use cures. Both have great risks....but done correctly reap great rewards.

Hope this helps
Stephan