Online Workshop: Project B2 (October 2013)

Carpster · Post by **Carpster** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 02:51

Ready to bring to temperature. No smoke.....inclement weather!!!

Carpster · Post by **Carpster** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 03:02

A couple Kabanosy pictures after 5 days of hanging!!!

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 03:29

Grasshopper... I have to agree wholeheartedly with Cabonaia.

But I have never refrigerated kabanosy at all. It tastes better after sitting out a couple days, though by then half the sticks have disappeared. It loses weight quite fast because the links are so slim, and the quick weight loss probably adds to its keeping qualities. Just leave em out and see what happens.

With the Cure AND the loss of moisture below Aw 0.85, they are safe to eat a couple of days after they bloom.
Is the snow over yer' ol' head yet... up there in collllld country?

And hey, hey, Carpster! Lookin' good guy. Great photos and your product looks fine. All the work pays off after a few days drying & blooming eh? If.... you can wait that long!

Good job pal!

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Cabonaia · Post by **Cabonaia** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 03:49

grasshopper wrote:Thank's Cabonaia! Most of the time there is only the two of us to eat kabanosy sticks. I do let them bloom for about three days then vacuum pack and freeze. But I do like your method. I miss read the recipe for cooked pepperoni (picture above) and put double the amount of soy protein concentrate. They came out supper dry and into the trash. Live and learn as they say.

Don't you just hate that! Happens to us all without exception. I have made the stupidest mistakes. I made 5 lbs. of fuet a while back. Boy it looked great. Got a beautiful mold as it cured, took on a wonderful color, smelled marvelous. But somehow, some way, I had used soft fat instead of back fat. I don't know why - never had done that before. The sausage came out so greasy I couldn't eat it. Last week I made some Ukranian sausage for some Ukranian friends. I even told them ahead of time I was making it. Well, I didn't put enough fat in it. It is edible, but so disappointing and I can't give it to them. Getting the right level of juiciness sometimes is like falling off a log - it just comes out right and you are a hero. Other times, well, live and learn.

Still have that fuet in the freezer. Seems there ought to be some way to cook with it....

Carpster · Post by **Carpster** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 04:31

And hey, hey, Carpster! Lookin' good guy. Great photos and your product looks fine. All the work pays off after a few days drying & blooming eh? If.... you can wait that long! Good job pal!

Carp-al-tunnel says thank you very much!

two_MN_kids · Post by **two_MN_kids** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 20:51

Not sure where to place this; maybe here in Project B2 is a good spot.

On page 16, Chuckwagon writes at length about several of the nasty bugs we need to be aware of in this hobby. Most of those names I can't even pronounce, and I'm still struggling with the different categories they fall under.

But, as (I believe) was his intentions, it got me to thinking about control/containment methods, and contamination.

After this past season, we found ourselves in possession of just over 80# of trim from four separate deer. The deer had all been processed by a butcher, and I requested the trim packaged into 10# bags. Two weeks ago I made sausages from the first two bags. I noticed as I was removing some excess tallow, that there were pieces of deer hair sticking to some of the meat! I think maybe I picked off 8-10 hairs. Certainly I missed that many, too.

We have been warned about the bacterial content on human hair, but surely, deer hair also contains it. Even after picking it off, the damage must have been done; the bacteria remained.

Just what types of bacteria might be on deer hair? Are these type of contaminates destroyed by cooking? Will the addition of cultures to semi-dry sausages control the growth of these harmful bacteria?

I've been making venison sausages for over twenty years. Never have I become ill (that I am aware of) attributable to the sausages. But knowing about all those nasty's now makes me wonder what I'm up against.

Jim

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 21:53

Hi Jim, That is an excellent question. I can`t tell you how many times I`ve seen this. Every deer hunter has experienced a few hairs on the meat at one point or another during processing. It seems unavoidable - but it is! During processing, if a little extra caution is taken to keep the meat clean and sterile, some very real complications may be avoided. If the meat is exposed to hair, don`t throw the meat out. Clean it and be sure to cook it thoroughly later.

Back at deer camp you will invariably hear, "Oh, a few hairs in the meat won`t hurt a thing". Well, I beg to differ. Hairs left on the meat when thawed and resting overnight, can cause problems. Certainly, a hair in the raw meat inside an air-dried sausage may totally wreck your day! Spend a week in a hospital following consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of animal feces, and you`ll be a believer too. I`ve been there - done that! And it was not from eating a meal at our ranch... it was from some bad meat at a large restaurant chain in downtown USA!

Untreated, this type of contamination can cause illness with severe and bloody diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps, yet without much fever. Further, in 3% to 5% of cases, a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) can occur several weeks after the initial symptoms. This severe complication includes temporary anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.

Sure, many bacterial microbes need to multiply before enough are present in food to cause disease. But the way food is handled after it is contaminated can also make a difference in whether or not an outbreak of illness occurs. Given warm moist conditions and an ample supply of nutrients, merely one reproducing bacterium, from one single hair, dividing itself every half hour can produce 17 million progeny in only 12 hours! As a result, lightly contaminated food left out overnight can be highly infectious by the next day.

Most people believe if the food were refrigerated promptly, the bacteria would not multiply at all. Well, this is mostly true, however... two foodborne bacteria, listeria monocytogenes and yersinia enterocolitica can actually grow at refrigerator temperatures! And what about freezing? In general, freezing prevents nearly all bacteria from growing. In actuality, it merely preserves them in a state of "suspended animation".

Jim, to answer your question directly, yes that little hair can cause big problems. Heck, you don`t know where that deer hair has been. I`ve washed them off and cooked the deer steak hundreds of times. Proper cooking and exposure to heat will normally destroy pathogenic bacteria. However, when raw venison is used in an air-dried sausage, it MUST be absolutely clean and free from outside contamination. How is this accomplished? High salt, high sugar, or high acid levels keep bacteria from growing, which is why salted meats, sweetened jam, and pickled vegetables are traditionally preserved foods.

So, Jim... Don`t toss the meat. Wash it and cook it instead! Make sure the IMT reaches at least 155°F at least.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

Carpster · Post by **Carpster** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 23:43

Well....Going to try Kabanosy for the third time in as many weeks tomorrow. I have used the same receipe in the 21mm size, the 2 1/2" size and the 1 1/2 inch size. I have made silly errors each time. The last time in the 1 1/2" size fiboris casings....I forgot to soak the casings (I was excited to try out my new stuffer). They were hard to remove and seemed to cause a rind to form around the sausage. So this time Redzed, I have the Caraway spice to put in. It has been missing from all the rest.

Chuckwagon · Post by **Chuckwagon** » Sun Jan 19, 2014 23:51

Carpster,
If you use collagen casings, remember not to soak them. They will turn into a gluey mess.

They weren't meant to be soaked or even dipped. Slip them dry onto a non-tapered horn and fill them. Note that collagen will not hold twisted links. I just let them set up thirty minutes then snip them to length with a pair of scissors.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon

ericrice · Post by **ericrice** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 00:16

if I may....remember not to soak edible collagen casings - the ones you keep in the fridge and usually tubed up and used for sausage should not be soaked. The flat collagen which can be used for cured meat and stored in the cabinet should be soaked before use. At the size carpster says I tend to think they are edible and shouldn't be soak though.

Post by **redzed** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 00:26

Carpster wrote:So this time Redzed, I have the Caraway spice to put in. It has been missing from all the rest.

Oh good! Because without the caraway they are not Kabanosy! And if you are using the correct collagen casings, 19 or 22mm, edible and smokeable (not the ones specifically made for fresh sausage) these are not meant to be removed. You eat them, as you do Kabanosy made with sheep casings.

ericrice · Post by **ericrice** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 01:25

a bit more time now to write (little one in bed). For casings as I have been through the confusion on them. I know a bit off topic but hope it helps. Natural I think everyone is clear on - then we have "flat" collagen - they will shrink for long term curing (are usually 60 mm or 2 1/4") Haven't seen them smaller - soak them for 30 minutes or more in salt water. They are not edible and great for salami. They make larger and I have tried for coppa - never worked for me as they are not pliable enough that large and with an irregular size. Then the edible collagen - round and seem brittle -do not soak - they are great for fresh sausage (but no snap) or curing smaller diameter salami - haven't seen them larger than 38mm. Lastly synthetic which will hold up better to heat for fast fermented and cooked (or poached) products. Not for cured meats as the casings wont shrink, unless labeled protein lined. Think I covered them all. Anyone please feel free to add or correct me.

Carpster · Post by **Carpster** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 02:01

I really do have flat fibrosis 1 1/2" mahogany non edible casings. They had natural or mahogany...the mahogany was about $3 cheaper for 12(I think). I bought them at Buchheits, it's a farm store here in my town. They also have sheep casings. They were a little higher so I didn't want to try to learn on them.

Redzid....that picture kills me!!

Post by **redzed** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 04:51

Carpster wrote:I really do have flat fibrosis 1 1/2" mahogany non edible casings.

Carpster, those are twice the diameter that you make sausage sticks with, and they should be edible.

ericrice · Post by **ericrice** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 13:47

Carpster wrote:I really do have flat fibrosis 1 1/2" mahogany non edible casings. They had natural or mahogany...the mahogany was about $3 cheaper for 12(I think). I bought them at Buchheits, it's a farm store here in my town. They also have sheep casings. They were a little higher so I didn't want to try to learn on them.

Fiborous = synthetic and they do come in lost of sizes and shapes. Great for summer sausages, ring bologna, etc. These are the ones that are very strong but shouldn't be used for dry cured products as they won't shrink with the meat. They are not edible. Different from the flat collagen which are not edible either but can be used for dry cured products as they will shrink with the meat. Description from sausagemaker below..

Fibrous Casings
Sometimes the best and only way to make a truly uniform, consistent and unique sausage is to use a fibrous casing. While not edible, they produce the same consistent diameter and are made from a fibrous material which can be stuffed tightly and with minimal air pockets. A resilient casing is sometimes necessary for dry-curing, or fermenting sausages, for this we have a vareity of protein-lined casings that stick to and shrink with the sausage as it dries out (such as salami, sopresatta, pepperoni).