134 replies to this topic

[Busboy]

It all depends on your own preferences, but I don't find butts give me the richness I prefer in my sausages. I find the trend towards lower-fat sausages unfortunate. I add about one part fatback for every four parts meat.

[deltadoc]

I've been making Italian Hot Sausage for some 25 years, and 85% of the time I use a fatty pork butt, and the sausage comes out just fine. The other 15% of the time I use Pork Shoulder. Several butchers have told me that pork shoulder makes better sausage than pork butt, but I don't see a whole lot of difference.

doc

[Juanito]

No agreement, it seems. My suggestion would be to make two batches, one with added fat, and one without. Then you'll know.

FWIW, when I was making (Italian) sausage commercially, we ALWAYS added extra fat, and that was when pork was fattier than it is now, 20+ years ago. Makes for nice, juicy sausage. I would say the final ratio was 65 - 35, lean to fat. Of course, your mileage may vary, what with today's leaner pork and all.

[snowangel]

I've been making Italian Hot Sausage for some 25 years, and 85% of the time I use a fatty pork butt, and the sausage comes out just fine.  The other 15% of the time I use Pork Shoulder.  Several butchers have told me that pork shoulder makes better sausage than pork butt, but I don't see a whole lot of difference.

doc

I always thought that a butt was just a boned shoulder. ???

[Fat Guy]

My understanding is that both are from the forequarters of the pig, thus making the term butt a bit confusing (the cuts from the hindquarters are called leg, I think), but that what is colloquially known as butt is "shoulder butt" whereas what is colloquially known as shoulder is "picnic shoulder." The shoulder butt is above the picnic shoulder, as in closer to the back. Here's a chart indicating how the National Pork Producers Council names the cuts:

http://www.porkboard...es/porkcuts.pdf

[woodburner]

The USDA currently limits the total fat content of fresh sausage to 50 percent, which is pretty freakin high in most people's world including mine.

Ground beef is graded to lean/fat content, ie: 80/20 for ground chuck.

What is puzzling, to me at least, is that there is no current limit to the fat content in store bought ground pork. I don't expect nor do I want, the federalies to watch over me, don't get me wrong, but what would be so radically wrong with listing the fat content on ground pork packages?

Or better yet, how can I test for the fat content, in my home?

woodburner

[coquus]

I have just been making some salami from Aidell's book, he says 80/20 for that. For fresh sausage, I believe, he recommends a slightly higher fat content, 70/30? And a pork butt is also a pork shoulder, and the acutal gluteus maximus belongs to the ham.

[daves]

I've done both straight pork butt as well as adding more fat -- depending on the sausage type and if I was smoking them or not. I've experimented with a few batches to figure out how fatty we like our sausage, so I agree with the poster above to make a batch with each to determine how you like your sausage.

[GordonCooks]

Get Ruhlman's new "Charcuterie" book - I'm halfway through and I'm becoming a sausage scientist.

[POLKEDOT]

When attached, picnic shoulder and pork butt are the front shoulder. The break is at the shoulder joint, putting the picnic lower on the pig, closest to the foot. The butt is attached to the loin. On a cow the "butt" would be called "chuck".

My experience in making sausage is the same as Juanito's. 65-35 lean to fat ratio, maybe even closer to 60-40. I would not expect 80-20 to have much flavor.

Side note, most people I made venison sausage for preferred almost 50% venison to 50% pork fat.

[coquus]

I have a quick question about my first batch of salami. I don't suppose you have had the experience of the lactobacillus mold (white stuff) turning green. It should be almost done, some of them felt right, but I noticed today that in addition to the white stuff some of them had some mosy greenish mold growth. Have you had the experience of bad mold taking over or is this just another stage in the cycle of the good mold? Aidell's book says to wash off the green mold and re seed it with white mold, but I don't think he meant at this stage after it was already well seeded. I am hoping for a quick answer in case something is wrong, and there is something I can do about it.

[Ore]

In my opinion you can just brush off this green mold if you are at the ready to eat stage.

Then again, if the green mold is taking over and you see it in FULL EFFECT then there may be something wrong. I wouldn't worry about it too much if there is a small hint of green.

Let someone know before you try your salami...just to be safe (j/k!)

How about a photo?

[jmolinari]

What happened to the replies I and Ruhlman posted to Coquus' question?

[davebr]

Put in curing chamber set at about 52 deg. F and 75%
humidity.
after about 4 or 5 weeks the meat should have lost
about 35% of its weight (weight from after cure).

I am at the point that my coppe need to hang(I used the Rhulman book recipe,,,kinda). I dont have a curing chamber. How bad is it for me to put it in the walk-in? Is a curing chamber something Im gonna have to drop a few dimes on?

[davebr]

  I came back to the US (Los Angeles area) yesterday and I am in the process of searching for quality Pork and the works for a small salumi biznes!

Some pics are on the blog.

Ore

Did you ever start your salumi biz in LA?