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Pork Sausage Question

Mark_B_Good
Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,653
in Pork
Hey guys, I'm making fresh pork sausages tomorrow.

I'm getting mixed information on the fat content we need in the sausage.

Last time we made them, I found they were a little dry after grilling them. We want to make sure they are moist.

What fat content do you guys aim for to get them nice and moist?

Any other suggestions to make them moist? Some guys apparently add some wine.

Thanks.
Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
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Comments

  • hoosier_egger
    hoosier_egger Posts: 6,808
    edited January 2022
    Paging @lkapigian

    ~ John - Formerly known as ColtsFan  - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, Med BGE, BGE Chiminea, Ardore Pizza Oven
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,541
    i like to simmer them in a castiron with about a quarter inch of water til bloated and ill looking, then onto a hotter grill to finish quickly. cover when simmering, then burn them
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 10,222
    When I make sausages with @The Cen-Tex Smoker, @20stone, and @caliking, we usually aim for 28-30% fat.  Some recipes also call for some added moisture - water (best added as chipped ice or an ice slurry), beer, or wine.  These make for great fresh sausages that need to be fully cooked when they are prepared (as opposed to smoked sausages that are already "cooked").  When cooking a fresh sausage, the key is to cook it to about 150 degrees and no more.  After that they tend to start popping holes in the casing and losing all the juice.  

    What recipe are you using?

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    edited January 2022
    Mark_B_Good said:
    Hey guys, I'm making fresh pork sausages tomorrow.

    I'm getting mixed information on the fat content we need in the sausage.

    Last time we made them, I found they were a little dry after grilling them. We want to make sure they are moist.

    What fat content do you guys aim for to get them nice and moist?

    Any other suggestions to make them moist? Some guys apparently add some wine.

    Thanks.
    I shoot for 30 % myself ( most Boston butt is spot on, and just eyeball it ), but the moist aspect will come from your bind and cooking ( to many cook a fresh sausage hot and fast )…also add 5% moisture in the form of beer wine etc, ….non fat dry powdered milk will help bind and keep the sausage “ moist”  ( about 1-2%) try and get high heat treated non fat dry powdered milk, much of the shelf stuff is cold treated, it will work but not as well 

    all of what @foghorn said
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,541
    theres also cheating, when i make a sausage pepper sub i saute down the onion, green peppers, red peppers, long italian peppers, then dowse it with italian dressing and soak it. then at the end add things like pepperoncini, banana pepper, pepperdew etc to give it some crunch and bring back some flavor to make it pop. the italian dressing is the key, i use kens steakhouse but any well herbed italian will do, its adding flavor and fat afterwards

    this is the difference between a ballpark sausage stand and a great italian deli shop. good sausage and peppers



    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,653
    edited January 2022
    Foghorn said:
    When I make sausages with @The Cen-Tex Smoker, @20stone, and @caliking, we usually aim for 28-30% fat.  Some recipes also call for some added moisture - water (best added as chipped ice or an ice slurry), beer, or wine.  These make for great fresh sausages that need to be fully cooked when they are prepared (as opposed to smoked sausages that are already "cooked").  When cooking a fresh sausage, the key is to cook it to about 150 degrees and no more.  After that they tend to start popping holes in the casing and losing all the juice.  

    What recipe are you using?
    I'm using a traditional Italian recipe ... nothing complicated. My dad lost his recipe, looked something online and seems to think what he found sounds right:

    1.5 teaspoon of salt per lb of meat
    0.5 teaspoon of black pepper per lb of meat

    For half the meat, I'll add red chili pepper flake ... we like it hot, so I'll eye ball that, but probably 0.5 teaspoon of chili per lb of meat.

    I'm still trying to figure out if I need to add some wine ... so 5%??  That's about 25 mL (just shy of an ounce) per lb. If I use wine, red or white? Or is it more about what I want to drink from what is left over?? LOL
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    Mark_B_Good said:
    Foghorn said:
    When I make sausages with @The Cen-Tex Smoker, @20stone, and @caliking, we usually aim for 28-30% fat.  Some recipes also call for some added moisture - water (best added as chipped ice or an ice slurry), beer, or wine.  These make for great fresh sausages that need to be fully cooked when they are prepared (as opposed to smoked sausages that are already "cooked").  When cooking a fresh sausage, the key is to cook it to about 150 degrees and no more.  After that they tend to start popping holes in the casing and losing all the juice.  

    What recipe are you using?
    I'm using a traditional Italian recipe ... nothing complicated. My dad lost his recipe, looked something online and seems to think what he found sounds right:

    1.5 teaspoon of salt per lb of meat
    0.5 teaspoon of black pepper per lb of meat

    For half the meat, I'll add red chili pepper flake ... we like it hot, so I'll eye ball that, but probably 0.5 teaspoon of chili per lb of meat.

    I'm still trying to figure out if I need to add some wine ... so 5%??  That's about 25 mL (just shy of an ounce) per lb. If I use wine, red or white? Or is it more about what I want to drink from what is left over?? LOL
    wine you would drink , red or white, the red will color it more ( i use a dry wine)  --pro tip, put garlic cloves in your wine overnight, you will add a nice flavor to the sausage ( toss the garlic cloves ) 

    your imperial measurements are pretty close, but metric is much easier down the road, salt should be 1.5-2% , that is the only must for sausage making, everything else is just seasoning ....up to .6 for your dominate spice .1-.3 for others 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • BUFFALOMOOSE
    BUFFALOMOOSE Posts: 383
    @Mark_B_Good here is a sausage thread link.  Lots of good stuff there.

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1210397/sausage-recipe-thread-post-em-here#latest
    South Buffalo, New York
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  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,653
    BUFFALOMOOSE said:
    @Mark_B_Good here is a sausage thread link.  Lots of good stuff there.

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1210397/sausage-recipe-thread-post-em-here#latest
    Whoa, lots of good info here! Thanks.
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
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  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,653
    So what should the dome temp be to cook sausages? 375F?
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,179
    edited January 2022
    Mark_B_Good said:
    So what should the dome temp be to cook sausages? 375F?
    Low and slow. Like 250 max. I cook them at 175-200 until they hit internal temp of 155. You don’t  want to burst the casings and you don't want all the fat to render out before they are ready. I actually prefer to cook them
    sous vide for an hour at 155 then chill and quick
    sear 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    Bombdiggity and what @The Cen-Tex Smoker said for cooking 
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    Mark_B_Good said:
    So what should the dome temp be to cook sausages? 375F?
    Low and slow. Like 250 max. I cook them at 175-200 until they hit internal temp of 155. You don’t  want to burst the casings and you don't want all the fat to render out before they are ready. I actually prefer to cook them
    sous vide for an hour at 155 then chill and quick
    sear 
    I made some bratwurst this weekend and tried this method of Sous Vide at 155 (I let mine go longer as I wasn't sure what time we were eating, but read anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours was good.) They came out really good. This will be my sausage cooking method from here on out. It's a no brainer. 

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 10,222
    The Cen-Tex Smoker said:
    Mark_B_Good said:
    So what should the dome temp be to cook sausages? 375F?
    Low and slow. Like 250 max. I cook them at 175-200 until they hit internal temp of 155. You don’t  want to burst the casings and you don't want all the fat to render out before they are ready. I actually prefer to cook them
    sous vide for an hour at 155 then chill and quick
    sear 
    Obviously he's right.  With that said, I like to brown the outside a little so when they get to about 130 internal I expose them to some direct heat (on the edge of the grate between the legs of the platesetter) and open the vents some to get them browned.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 34,646
    You’re asking how to make your sausage moist, do I have that right?
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
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  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,354
    Nice @Mark_B_Good
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    Excellent!!
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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