Italian Sausage
Sausage is a Shallow Curve
There's something counter-intuitive about the phrase learning curve. Back when I had a real job programming computers for a living the term came up a lot in reference to users learning a program and most folks seemed to think a shallow learning curve was best. The intuition is that shallow is easy and steep is hard because shallow hills are easy to climb and steep hills are hard. But the learning curve's axes are time and amount learned, effort doesn't come into it. This means that a steep learning curve represents a lot learned over a short period of time. Steep learning curves are good.
Yesterday afternoon I made four pounds of Italian sausage — about two pounds more than I should have because it's not great sausage. I made so much because I'm an optimist (or pretend to be) and because I used the recipe in Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn (click here for my review). Charcuterie is one of the two best books on food that I bought last year and one of the best cookbooks (if you can call it that, it's more a primer than a simple collection of recipes) I've ever purchased. Despite earlier travails with sausage, I was sure this book would steer me right because it had on everything else I'd made from it. Nope.
Based on the sample I'd cooked and eaten, I went back and doubled the fennel, coriander, basil, oregano, and salt. The second sample was much better, but still not great.
But here's where you run into the real trick of sausage making. I could have tweaked the mixture again, but doing a third mix on the batch would have seriously overworked the meat, destroying the texture. Also, I wasn't sure what was needed. Thinking back, I suspect I needed some caraway seed, but I'm not on a first-name basis with caraway seed, or fennel seed either, for that matter. Or mace or anis seed. Finally, the spices in sausage need at least 24 hours to meld properly so today the flavor will be different from yesterday. However, I don't know how it will be different.
To make excellent sausage I need to know the seasonings well and know how they'll interact over time.
So I have four pounds of not-so-great Italian sausage. It'll be fine for cooking with, and in fact that's what I planned on doing with it, which is why instead of stuffing it in casings I made up 1/4 pound balls, but it'll be a while before I get to try making Italian sausage again. And it looks like my sausage learning curve is more shallow than I'd like.
There's something counter-intuitive about the phrase learning curve. Back when I had a real job programming computers for a living the term came up a lot in reference to users learning a program and most folks seemed to think a shallow learning curve was best. The intuition is that shallow is easy and steep is hard because shallow hills are easy to climb and steep hills are hard. But the learning curve's axes are time and amount learned, effort doesn't come into it. This means that a steep learning curve represents a lot learned over a short period of time. Steep learning curves are good.
Yesterday afternoon I made four pounds of Italian sausage — about two pounds more than I should have because it's not great sausage. I made so much because I'm an optimist (or pretend to be) and because I used the recipe in Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn (click here for my review). Charcuterie is one of the two best books on food that I bought last year and one of the best cookbooks (if you can call it that, it's more a primer than a simple collection of recipes) I've ever purchased. Despite earlier travails with sausage, I was sure this book would steer me right because it had on everything else I'd made from it. Nope.
Nobody seems more obsessed by diet than our anti-materialistic, otherworldly, New Age spiritual types. But if the material world is merely illusion, an honest guru should be as content with Budweiser and bratwurst as with raw carrot juice, tofu and seaweed slime. ~ Edward Abbey
After making it I tried a sample and it was almost flavorless. The fennel seed, coriander seed, basil, and oregano were way in the background. There wasn't even enough salt in it. The only spices that came out as I hoped were the peppers. There also wasn't enough fat, but I can't really blame the book for that lack. Cuts of meat vary in their fat content and the pork butt I bought had been trimmed too closely and I should have added more.Based on the sample I'd cooked and eaten, I went back and doubled the fennel, coriander, basil, oregano, and salt. The second sample was much better, but still not great.
But here's where you run into the real trick of sausage making. I could have tweaked the mixture again, but doing a third mix on the batch would have seriously overworked the meat, destroying the texture. Also, I wasn't sure what was needed. Thinking back, I suspect I needed some caraway seed, but I'm not on a first-name basis with caraway seed, or fennel seed either, for that matter. Or mace or anis seed. Finally, the spices in sausage need at least 24 hours to meld properly so today the flavor will be different from yesterday. However, I don't know how it will be different.
To make excellent sausage I need to know the seasonings well and know how they'll interact over time.
So I have four pounds of not-so-great Italian sausage. It'll be fine for cooking with, and in fact that's what I planned on doing with it, which is why instead of stuffing it in casings I made up 1/4 pound balls, but it'll be a while before I get to try making Italian sausage again. And it looks like my sausage learning curve is more shallow than I'd like.
Technorati: Food | italy | sausage | charcuterie | essay
Labels: charcuterie, essay, food, italy, sausage
17 Comments:
I really like your new web design. Very nicely done!
Malin,
Thanks a bunch!
I really like the new design. It's fun seeing a picture of you up in the header too! Personally I'm very partial to three column designs, and this looks very nice.
Good job!
I've never made sausage, but have been eager to experiment with both chorizo and breakfast sausage. Good to know that I should work in smaller batches so I don't overwork the meat.
So have you tasted it in its maturity yet? Maybe it mellowed perfectly.
BTW, I'd say skip the caraway.
Sounds like fun, however it came out. You are an inspiration.
Kalyn,
Thanks for the comments and stay tuned. The design is going to go through one last paroxysm before it breaths on it's own.
Homesick,
It's an odd concept, but overworking ground meat produces a tougher result. Protein is a pig-headed beast.
CC,
I'll taste it shortly. And caraway seed surprised me in something I made last year -- the brats, I think, but maybe a rye bread. It was absolutely the signature flavor I wanted. I just don't know these flavors the way I know things like basil and thyme and even cardomom.
It's a bit humbling to find myself at the bottom of the curve.
Kevin - maybe your forgot the ears?
Two coincidences, Kevin: I just received my copy of "Charcuterie" and I also had a comment from a reader complaining about the bland Italian sausage he made. All this after my participation in a "matanza" where we killed six pigs and made aroudn 300 pounds of sausage in Southern Maryland. During this process, we always had an iron skillet on the propane fire, frying up some of the sausage we were working on. Our principal reference was "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by a fellow named Rytek Kutas, now deceased. All I can say is there was much chatter and deliberation among the 8 or so people in the group over spicing and mixing, but with that much sausage to make, nobody agonized very long.
Ed,
I read that series on matanza, I think I left a note about it reminding me of FoxFire. I know what two problems: unfamilliarity with the spices that are the most distinctive parts of the recipe, and unfamiliarity with how those spices meld over time.
The solution is just making more sausage.
Ed,
I read that series on matanza, I think I left a note about it reminding me of FoxFire. I know what two problems: unfamilliarity with the spices that are the most distinctive parts of the recipe, and unfamiliarity with how those spices meld over time.
The solution is just making more sausage.
My first several batches of sausages were much too bland, light on fat content, or both. You really need to hit it hard with the seasoning, particularly if they're fresh herbs. Most of the recipes I find online seriously underestimate the seasoning.
I usually mix my chunked meats with seasonings, refrigerate for 24 hours, grind once, and then make a little patty and fry it up to taste for balance. You can adjust before the second grind and stuffing.
Tom,
I did season the meat a few hours before grinding and did a taste test. The technique, I understad, the taste I'm still having trouble with.
Oh, 'scuse me, Kevin. Mississippi avid cook here just popping into this cozy place. Maybe I didn't catch what ethnic direction you were intending to take your sausage. Did you say? Are you aiming for Cajun? Traditional Southern? Italian? Mexican? I know Southern friends who put in a LOT of sage, often too much for me, but it's fairly traditional. Also, some who put in ground black pepper, ground cayenne and also dried hot red pepper flakes, as they all hit the tongue differently and kinda balance each other. Is there a commercial brand of sausage that comes close to your ideal? Maybe you could give us an assignment: have us all run out and buy it and try to figure the balance of ingredients. :D You are right about the fat--good sausage, IMHO, has way too much of it. "Too much" being a very good thing. Too little fat and it just tastes like a dried up, insipid hamburger patty.
Barbara,
In this case, Italian, and I kow what you mean about the pepper assortment (the recipe I used in this case hit the heat component dead on) I learned that from one of Pruhomme's books.
Actually I think I know the correct spice mixture, but I need to refine the proportions. Also, you're absolutely right about the fat, that was why my first sausage efforts failed.
I have been making my own sausage for a while because what you buy has MSG in it, and that's not a good thing. I have been buying the ground pork and seasoning it, but I liked what Tom said about seasoning the chunks, letting the flavors marry overnight, and then grinding and tasting to adjust. I have the portions down pretty good on the 1 1/4 pounds of packaged ground pork, so I think I could come pretty close. I like coriander, sage, salt, pepper (I use the six pepper, Durkee's brand in addition to black pepper) garlic (a fine dry minced), and ginger. I just made this combo up, but I know there must be classic combos for say the Italian. I know that has fennel, which I love. I am interested in how others make theirs. My husband hunts, and we make venison sausage every year. He just got a really nice grinder for the hamburger and sausage. I'm thinking I might need to move it to the house; he has his own little processing room for the venison down at the small barn on our property. Maybe a year in sausage to go with the bread! Thanks Kevin, your blog is encouraging to me. judyinknoxville
Judi,
I love begin inspiring.{g}
There's nothing wrong with MSG, it occurs naturally in all sorts of foods, including red meat (and tomatoes). And it, like salt, is the only mineral we've evolved taste buds for.
black mold exposure,black mold symptoms of exposure,wrought iron garden gates,your next iron garden gates, here,hair styles for fine thin hair,search hair styles for fine thin hair,night vision binoculars,buy, night vision binoculars,lipitor reactions,lipitor reactions,luxury beach resort in the philippines,beach resort in the philippines,homeopathy for baby eczema.,homeopathy for baby eczema.,save big with great mineral makeup bargains,companies marketing mineral makeups,prodam iphone praha,Apple prodam iphone praha,iphone clone cect manual,manual for iphone clone cect,fero 52 binoculars night vision,fero 52 night vision,best night vision binoculars,buy, best night vision binoculars,computer programs to make photo albums,computer programs, make photo albums,free printable tax forms,printable tax forms, free here,craftmatic adjustable air bedcraftmatic adjustable air bed, info hereboyd night air bedboyd night air bed, low priceair bed in wisconsinbest air beds in wisconsincloud air inflatable bedbest cloud air inflatable bedsportable sealy air bedportables, sealy air bedsaluminum rv luggage racksaluminum made, rv luggage racksair bed form raisedbest air beds form raisedsupport equipments aircraftbest support equipments for aircraftsinformercials bed airbest, informercials bed airmattress sized air bedsbest mattress sized air bedantique doorknob identificationantique doorknob, identification tipstroubleshooting dvd playertroubleshooting with the dvd playerflat panel television lcd versus plasmaflat panel television, lcd versus plasma pic the bestcauses of economic recessionwhat are the causes of economic recessionbed air foam adjustablebed air adjustable foam hoof prints antique and unusual equestrian printshoof prints, antique equestrian printsbuy adjustable air bedbuy the best adjustable air bedsair bedscanadian storesair beds, cheap canadian stores
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home