....replacing hog fat with cooked Quinoa in dry cured sausage...

[Joe Wood]

I'm in Naples FL for the winter and cannot readily find fatback or hog fat for making dry cured salami... 20% is what I use in my batches or 5lb.,  10lb., and 15lb... A good friend who's also into charcuterie  told me of people using QUINOA as part or all of the fatback... Here is just one article of several articles on it... My question is does anyone have any experience doing this? Thanks in advance

 

Different approaches have been previously studied in order to reduce the fat content of dry-cured sausages. Among them, the use of polysaccharides, such as fiber, gums, or starch, have been proposed for fat replacing. Although scarcely studied, it is likely that starchy grains and vegetables might also be used as potential fat replacers in those sausages. Quinoa is a starchy seed with high nutritive value, which contains substances of technological interest in dry-cured manufacturing. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of replacing fat by quinoa on the quality characteristics of a small diameter dry-cured sausage. Three types of sausages were prepared: a control (C; no fat replacement; 30% of pork back-fat), a quinoa half-fat (50% of fat replacement; 15% of pork back-fat), and a quinoa low-fat (LF; 85% of fat replacement; 4.5% of pork back-fat) sausage. Sausages were analyzed for proximate and microbial composition, volatile compounds, and instrumental texture and color. Descriptive and hedonic sensory analyses were also performed. Fat reduction resulted in higher aw , protein content, hardness, chewiness and redness values and spice-derived volatile levels, and in lower cohesiveness values (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the descriptive sensory analysis showed a higher pungent flavor and lower juiciness in LF sausages than in C sausages (P < 0.05). In spite of those differences, fat reduction did not result in a decreased overall acceptance of the sausages by consumers.

 

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[Margaret Pilgrim]

Sidestepping your question, I see that Wynn's Market in Naples has a meat department that sells cuts of fresh pork.    I would think one could easily request backfat .   

[Anna N]

I don’t want to live in a world where quinoa replaces pork fat. 

[Kerry Beal]

7 hours ago, Anna N said:

I don’t want to live in a world where quinoa replaces pork fat. 

What she said!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I think it's important to reiterate that even if you have only a national chain supermarket, you can go to the head of its meat department and politely REQUEST/DEMAND product not usually on display.   They have carcasses or even quarters on hand from which they can carve bits and pieces of specialty cuts.   

[Martin Fisher]

Find a restaurant/institutional supplier that sells products "Cash & Carry". 

My local one has just a $50 minimum order.

[chromedome]

10 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I think it's important to reiterate that even if you have only a national chain supermarket, you can go to the head of its meat department and politely REQUEST/DEMAND product not usually on display.   They have carcasses or even quarters on hand from which they can carve bits and pieces of specialty cuts.   

That's not at all the case up here. The largest cuts Canadian supermarkets get are subprimals, like whole loins or a shoulder, and even those are less common. I know a few retail meatcutters, and they tell me that they do very little actual meat cutting any more. Grinding, yes, and cutting loins into chops sometimes, but it's increasingly common for even individual cuts to come in portioned and packaged from a central processing plant.

 

My GF's cousin married an old-school, old-country Dutch butcher who runs the meat department at my local Costco, and he's rather despondent over the decline in his trade here.

[heidih]

3 hours ago, chromedome said:

That's not at all the case up here. The largest cuts Canadian supermarkets get are subprimals, like whole loins or a shoulder, and even those are less common. I know a few retail meatcutters, and they tell me that they do very little actual meat cutting any more. Grinding, yes, and cutting loins into chops sometimes, but it's increasingly common for even individual cuts to come in portioned and packaged from a central processing plant.

 

My GF's cousin married an old-school, old-country Dutch butcher who runs the meat department at my local Costco, and he's rather despondent over the decline in his trade here.

My experience as well unless I go upscale like Whole Foods or Bristol Farms and I have to call ahead. Hit or miss depending on their suppliers. I doubt most of the guys are even in the Meatcutter's Union. 

[AAQuesada]

Can you try a small test batch -say 5lb batch?  For quinoa (maybe use red?) I boil in salted water 15 minutes then steep another 15. Strain and its ready to go. Pretty easy. I have nothing against pork fat, but they wouldn't be studying it in manufacturing if it didn't yield an acceptable product.

 

i don't know but it sounds pretty interesting.

[Joe Wood]

On 11/13/2020 at 7:46 PM, AAQuesada said:

Can you try a small test batch -say 5lb batch?  For quinoa (maybe use red?) I boil in salted water 15 minutes then steep another 15. Strain and its ready to go. Pretty easy. I have nothing against pork fat, but they wouldn't be studying it in manufacturing if it didn't yield an acceptable product.

 

i don't know but it sounds pretty interesting.

I will do a 5lb. batch... I as well have nothing against pork fat... I just recently heard about the quinoa... just trying to learn all I can about making hard salami... Would you have an idea what the replacement measurements would be? Would it be equal weight? Or perhaps something else?... I ccannot find the answer on line...

While I have your attention may I ask if you've heard of using plain YOGURT to ferment the meat? Again how much yogurt to a 5 lb. batch?

[SLB]

On 11/12/2020 at 11:20 AM, Anna N said:

I don’t want to live in a world where quinoa replaces pork fat. 

Anna, sister.  Sing it.

 

Edited to add:

 

I think I might actually pass out just thinking about it.

Edited November 15, 2020 by SLB (log)

[AAQuesada]

13 hours ago, Joe Wood said:

I will do a 5lb. batch... I as well have nothing against pork fat... I just recently heard about the quinoa... just trying to learn all I can about making hard salami... Would you have an idea what the replacement measurements would be? Would it be equal weight? Or perhaps something else?... I ccannot find the answer on line...

While I have your attention may I ask if you've heard of using plain YOGURT to ferment the meat? Again how much yogurt to a 5 lb. batch?

I would use equal parts by weight of Quinoa. As a matter of fact I recently used Yogurt as part of a starter for sourdough and it worked out well. Just make sure your yogurt says 'Active Cultures' I used Bellweather farms sheeps milk yogurt. Use 4 oz, but make sure to keep checking the ph of your sausages & don't be afraid to throw it out if something doesn't look right

[Joe Wood]

10 hours ago, AAQuesada said:

I would use equal parts by weight of Quinoa. As a matter of fact I recently used Yogurt as part of a starter for sourdough and it worked out well. Just make sure your yogurt says 'Active Cultures' I used Bellweather farms sheeps milk yogurt. Use 4 oz, but make sure to keep checking the ph of your sausages & don't be afraid to throw it out if something doesn't look right

many thanks to you AAQuesada... You are the only person who has responded to the YOGURT query I posted... I'm absolutely a "newbee" in making hard salami... I've made about 5 batches and learned something from every batch... I have not, however, checked the PH in any of  them... This may be a big mistake but I've had no failures yet {fingers crossed}... I follow very strict sanitation rules & procedures... I use the pink salt and Bactoferm T-SPX ...  Your words "active cultures" is very helpful... I would not have thought of it... joe Wood

[AAQuesada]

Good luck! let us know if it works out (ferments properly) & if it does how the flavor/texture compare to what you've done in the past.