Chris Amirault

Lakefront is a great brewery indeed. The house I used to live in is on the Riverwest Stein beer label. So what're the basics about this spirit? Proof? Flavor? Dry or sweet?

Figger a pound a liter? Or more?

Jason, I'm about to order a package of this. It says 30g for 10l. How much meat is 10 liters? And about what powder:water ratios do you use?

More on this myosin question, this from Paul Bertolli in a NY Times article: I'll check CbH when I get home, but if anyone can find this information in there before evening, that'd be swell.

Here's another crack at the list, with the helpful additions in re dry curing. Please check that section in particular for errors or bad translations: Equipment Prep Assemble all equipment: grinder, stuffer, pricker, scale, smoker, etc. Check that all parts are clean Put grinding, mixing, and stuffing parts in freezer Clear freezer space for chilling of ingredients Make sure you have lots of ice, clean towels, trays, spatulas, and bowls on hand Confirm the maximum amount of meat your mixer can handle and parcel accordingly Mise en Place Assemble all ingredients: meat, fat, liquids, additional ingredients, casings, etc. Put any liquids you'll be adding to the bind in the fridge or freezer (NOT starter culture if dry curing) Weigh (and thaw, if necessary) meat, fat, and any other ingredients Slice meat into long thin strips to facilitate grinding Dice fat (if necessary) Combine spice mixture Distribute mixture over meat (Optional) Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to meld (NOT starter culture if dry curing) Lay meat out on tray and freeze until well below 30F: very cold, even crunchy, but not frozen solid Rinse casings inside and out and start soaking in tepid water Grinding Assemble all ingredients Confirm ingredients are all under 30F prior to grinding Set up grinding station with bowl set in ice and proper grinder plate Feed meat strips, fat, and any other ingredients through grinder into bowl If regrinding: check meat temperature: if not under 30F, spread on a sheet and put in the freezer until it is; check grinder temperature: if not still cold, disassemble and chill in ice water bath until it is; reassemble; regrind Refrigerate meat Mixing Check meat temperature is <30F (see above for procedure if not) Divide into the portions you've determined your stand mixer can take; leave unmixed in fridge/freezer while mixing Set up mixing station with mixer bowl surrounded by ice Mix each batch on low speed 30 seconds Check meat temperature is <30F (see above for procedure if not) Add extremely cold liquids and mix to combine (if necessary and NOT with starter culture) beat at medium 20-30 seconds until tacky Refrigerate entire batch while frying up small test article Check and adjust seasoning (if necessary) If dry curing, mix starter with distilled water at room temp & let bloom for a few minutes, then thoroughly combine into mixture Stuffing Set up stuffing station with a wet tray to receive the links Thread casings onto sausage nozzle Stuff casings Twist/tie into links Poke each casing several times with a clean pricker Dry Curing Bloom mold (hour in distilled water) & spray onto sausages (if using) Ferment stuffed sausages in a warm (70-80F) room at 80-90% humidity for 12-48 hours per starter instructions Check sausage pH; it should be under 5.0 after fermentation Weigh and label at least one sausage with date and weight Hang for aging (7-18C/45-65F; 60-80% humidity) Check regularly for bad mold growth or case hardening (wipe sausages with brine solution and decrease humidity for the former; increase humidity for the latter) No later than 5 days for sheep, 10 for hog, 15 for beef middles, 90 for beef bungs), check weight (loss of 30-35%) and firmness as needed until done Smoking Hang to dry/develop a pellicle for a couple hours Set up smoking rig and get it going if it needs a pre-heat (If cold-smoking) Set up method for keeping smoker cool (ice in bowl, etc.) Insert meat thermometer in one of the sausages at the center of your rig Smoke until sausages reach desired smoke level or internal temperature (e.g., for pork, 150F)

A bit above that, actually. Virtually everything I've seen talks about protein changes when the meat is cooked. For example, McGee (147-154) talks about the "doneness" range between 100F and 200F, and in that chart he shows fiber proteins (myosin) starting to unfold, denature, and coagulate in the 100-130F range. What happens below 100F -- ok, 98.6F -- I can't find out. (Insert shrinkage joke here.)

In an attempt to sort out this bind/emulsion business, I just reread McGee on the subject (pp 169-171 for those who have a copy handy at their desk ). Under the subsection "Fresh and Cooked Sausages" he uses the term "mixture" to refer to the bind, and in the next subsection on "Emulsified Sausages" he stresses that they are a special category because of the emulsion. Strike one against bind = emulsion. In the introductory section on sausages, he writes, So there's the bind created by myosin, just as dougal suggested, and not emulsion. Strike two. I'm willing to take a swing and risk strike three here. If the bind is indeed just a gluey mixture and not an emulsion, can someone explain the science behind broken sausages? Why is a cold temperature so crucial to that glue, and why does warmth in preparation cause it to break? All the information I can find on myosin and meat chemistry in general refers to temperatures way above the crucial 30-50F range. Thoughts?

Good points. (No phosphates here either.) I'm starting to think that saying "emulsion" isn't very useful unless you're talking about the category of emulsified sausages above, and that, as dougal says, "the bind" is a better term.

What Chris H wrote is true also for me. Given that temperature control and careful grinding and mixing are pretty easy to do, I've found that I can make remarkable sausages that are better than anything I've had from a store or at a restaurant. As he also mentions, tools really help, and a dedicated grinder and stuffer are worth it if you're going to keep going down this path. Mixing and stuffing my sausages tonight.

It depends on what you mean by "emulsified." That term means two things in re sausages. "Emulsified sausages" comprise finely ground sausages that have a smooth texture (mortadella, say). However, any sausage that has been mixed or beaten creates the emulsion McGee mentions above. So, your statement, ain't necessarily so. Some people, for example, make their hamburger patties by mixing extensively with seasonings and create an emulsion. One could probably argue that grinding seasoned meat starts the emulsion process itself.

That's what Wondrich said in the topic Erik mentioned.

I don't think you missed the point. I was eager to hear why you think it's a good candidate. et clarify -- ca

Rereading that emulsion topic I found this useful explanation from McGee: ←

No. Only sausages that were beaten while the ingredients were insufficiently cold (below 30F is what most folks suggest). It's different than, say, hollandaise sauce, which breaks if you heat it too high. The emulsion for hollandaise is created with the egg yolk, which contains the emulsifiers (lecithins and proteins) activated by heat. The emulsion for sausage meat does not need heat to create an emulsion of meat, water, and fat; rather, heat breaks those ingredients down, forcing liquid fat and juice out of the meat instead of retaining it. Once the emulsion is formed and the sausages are stuffed, you can't make the sausage break by overcooking it. You can dry it out, of course, but you will get a solid, burnt mass of emulsified meat, and not a crumbly, mealy mess. ETA: While heating won't make an emulsified sausage break, only by heating can you really tell if you've got a broken bind. To read more about emulsions, click here.

Sadly, yes, it is irreversible. Sausages are an emulsion of meat, fat, and liquid. Like all emulsions, this one can break if you heat it too much -- or, more specifically, if you have let the ingredients get too warm during the beating to form the bind. A sausage that doesn't break has a snap, the interior is juicy as you chew it, and the texture is meaty and appealing. A sausage that breaks is crumbly to bite, leaks out its juice and fat in the cooking, and has a mealy texture. These sausages look like they've broken: You can see the release of the liquid inside the casing, which is a telltale sign. Sorry, Peter! But now you can see why we get obsessive about supercold meat, ice baths for equipment and bowls, and frequent trips to the freezer. We've all been there....

What's your case for the Benton's Old Fashioned, avant-garde?

Over here, Kent Wang raised a provocative issue: What do you think? What cocktail (or cocktails) would best represent this exciting decade of mixology? What would the criteria be?

Today was part one for me too: hunter sausage from Aidell's book, plus restocking kielbasa and hot italian, the house standbys. Peter, that sausage directly above on the left looks like it broke. Or did liquid get into the casing?

What sort of restaurant are you operating? If you have something with a high price point and a major wine program, that's different than, well, something without those things.

And where in the Boston area can one find these things, pray?

Inspired by Toby Maloney's pineapple-infused gin that's the base of The Riveria, I've started fiddling around with gin infusions. The first that seems successful is Tanqueray infused with roasted red pepper for a few days, which makes a good base for a Fitty Fitty with NP and orange bitters, using an olive garnish. (I think kalamata olives make a good garnish for this one.) Anyone else screwing around with gin infusions?

Given all that ruminating, I think that you want a braise for sure.

I don't know what the prices are like at the Butcher Shop these days, but we've had a great time there and haven't felt overcharged. The cured products there are fantastic, if you're into that sort of thing.

Do you have the ability to do a test run of sorts?

Great pix as always, Chris. Most of the guanciale I've seen and had is firmer than bacon but not as firm as prosciutto, so I think you're in the right range. As for the saline OD, you could certainly make some fantastic bucatini all'Amatriciana and adjust the salt levels.