Texas Style Smoked Sausage - Page 2

dward51 · 11-14-2018, 05:30 PM

Another thing about weight in grams. It makes it easy to run a smaller test batch when tinkering with seasonings. I typically run as small as a 1 pound batch when tweaking a recipe.

You need a good grams scale that has 1/100th of a gram resolution (0.01g) when running small batches. These can be had for around $20-25 on Amazon. This is mine. I pair it with a larger scale for meat, but use the gram scale for all my spice measurements. Oh, and don't forget calibration weights to verify your scales are accurate and to re-calibrate when necessary. I check accuracy before weighing spices and then after. If it's right both times, I know my spice weights and cure are spot on between them.

sleebus.jones · 11-14-2018, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dward51

Another thing about weight in grams. It makes it easy to run a smaller test batch when tinkering with seasonings. I typically run as small as a 1 pound batch when tweaking a recipe.

You need a good grams scale that has 1/100th of a gram resolution (0.01g) when running small batches. These can be had for around $20-25 on Amazon. This is mine. I pair it with a larger scale for meat, but use the gram scale for all my spice measurements. Oh, and don't forget calibration weights to verify your scales are accurate and to re-calibrate when necessary. I check accuracy before weighing spices and then after. If it's right both times, I know my spice weights and cure are spot on between them.

Absolutely. I do the same exact thing. Makes life easy, and the scales are cheap.

Also, dward51, if you add a letter like "s" "m" "l" "h" to your imgur filename at the end, it will keep you from getting gihugic photos on here.

So, ezVg11t.jpg becomes ezVg11ts.jpg if you want a small pic. I added it to your filename, that's why it's small in my post.

DanB · 11-14-2018, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleebus.jones

The reason it's done in percentages is because when you're trying to make a certain amount (like 5 lbs) you'll end up with 11/64ths of a teaspoon, which is impossible measure out with any accuracy. It's all done by weight, even the water.

So yes, to do this you're going to need a digital kitchen scale, preferably one that measures in grams.

First step, convert weight into grams: 2268g
Next step, multiply 2268 times all of those percentages and you will get the weights you need in grams.

You'll end up with this. All the weights to the right of the percentage value are in grams:

Code:

Pork		75.00%	1701
Beef		25.00%	567
salt		1.52%	34.47
pepper		0.38%	8.51
Crushed garlic	1.00%	22.68
water		3.13%	70.98
Cure #1		0.25%	5.65
Mustard seeds	0.10%	2.27

You could do it with ounces, but the numbers get really small and not all scales work that well with such small weights. The quantity of cure #1 is critical, so that's why I work with a scale that goes down to 0.01g. Probably overkill, but makes my OCD feel better.

Ounces, but I don't recommend it. Hard to weigh out 0.2 oz of cure #1

Code:

Pork		75.00%	60
Beef		25.00%	20
salt		1.52%	1.22
pepper		0.38%	0.30
Crushed garlic	1.00%	0.80
water		3.13%	2.50
Cure #1		0.25%	0.20
Mustard seeds	0.10%	0.08

The real handy thing about percentages is that you can scale it to any quantity of meat you have on hand. Got 2.31 lbs of meat? No problem. Got 95.2 lbs of meat? Also, no problem.

Hi OK I got it now. 5lbs = 3.75 beef and 1.25 Pork.
Now I have to work on the spices.
THanks DanB

sleebus.jones · 11-15-2018, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanB

Hi OK I got it now. 5lbs = 3.75 beef and 1.25 Pork.
Now I have to work on the spices.
THanks DanB

No, that's backwards. It's 60 oz (3.75 lbs) pork and 20 oz (1.25 lbs) beef.

Dustin Dorsey · 11-15-2018, 08:04 AM

Here's my take on it.

66% chuck roast
22% pork shoulder
11% brisket fat

Then everything else is calculated as a percentage of that combined meat and fat weight.. Other ingredients were
10% Water
1.5% Kosher salt
1.5% Tallicherry Pepper
0.25% cure #1 (neccessary for slow smoking but I think it adds to the flavor)
0.05% cayenne pepper
0.05% marjoram (completely optional)
0.025% sage (completely optional)

I added the herbs just to give it something extra. More traditional would be to leave those out. This recipe is designed to be hot smoked. It holds up from 225 to 275, but I'm sure 350 would be ok. I season the meat and let it sit overnight to cure. Then I use a coarse grind. Then I add the water and mix by hand until tacky and stuff in natural hog casings.

DanB · 11-15-2018, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleebus.jones

No, that's backwards. It's 60 oz (3.75 lbs) pork and 20 oz (1.25 lbs) beef.

Hi My bad. I had it backwards.
Thanks DanB

DanB · 11-15-2018, 08:27 AM

You could do it with ounces, but the numbers get really small and not all scales work that well with such small weights. The quantity of cure #1 is critical, so that's why I work with a scale that goes down to 0.01g. Probably overkill, but makes my OCD feel better.

Ounces, but I don't recommend it. Hard to weigh out 0.2 oz of cure #1

Hi If I'm going to do 5 lbs then a teaspoon of cure should be on the money?
Thanks DanB

sleebus.jones · 11-15-2018, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanB

Hi If I'm going to do 5 lbs then a teaspoon of cure should be on the money?
Thanks DanB

No, that's why I do it by weight. Volume is a very poor an inaccurate way to do sausage. You will end up with a recipe that is not mine.

Dustin Dorsey · 11-15-2018, 12:52 PM

This is an article I read that got me pointed in the right direction:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/sau...eedmens-style/

DanB · 11-15-2018, 01:06 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by DanB View Post
Hi If I'm going to do 5 lbs then a teaspoon of cure should be on the money?
Thanks DanB
No, that's why I do it by weight. Volume is a very poor an inaccurate way to do sausage. You will end up with a recipe that is not mine.

Hi I thought i read somewhere that for 5 lbs of meat a teaspoon of cure is the right amount..What am I missing?
Thanks DanB

Dustin Dorsey · 11-15-2018, 01:19 PM

Dan, 1 tsp of cure for 5 lbs of meat is a great rule of thumb. It's good to keep in mind because you can catch yourself if you make a dumb calculation. A much better way to go about it, as sleebus.jones says is to calculate the cure in terms of weight not volume.

Different types of salt, for instance, will have differing weights for the same volume because of the different grain sizes. 1 tsp of kosher salt does not equal 1 tsp of table. salt. A tsp of table salt will be WAY saltier. However 1 gram of kosher salt does equal 1 gram of table salt. Using measuring spoons usually forces you to make weird approximations. If you go by weight you aren't approximating. I use a super cheap but accurate scale I got off amazon. Most typical kitchen scales can't measure things like 1 gram very well.

sleebus.jones · 11-15-2018, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanB

What am I missing?
Thanks DanB

What you are missing is, quite simply, following directions.

I know you came here for help, and I (we) are trying to help you. The techniques displayed here are proven, reliable and work every time. If your choice is to not use them, then it makes it very hard for me (and everyone else) to want continue to provide help.

The recipe is not designed for volume measurements. You need a scale.

Norm · 11-15-2018, 07:00 PM

You can lead a horse to water but...

dward51 · 11-16-2018, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleebus.jones

Absolutely. I do the same exact thing. Makes life easy, and the scales are cheap.

Also, dward51, if you add a letter like "s" "m" "l" "h" to your imgur filename at the end, it will keep you from getting gihugic photos on here.

So, ezVg11t.jpg becomes ezVg11ts.jpg if you want a small pic. I added it to your filename, that's why it's small in my post.

Thanks. I went back and just re-sampled it to a smaller size and changed the imgur bbs code link, but I will try the SMLH option

That huge image was a surprise for sure.

dward51 · 11-16-2018, 01:15 PM

Here is my 2 cents on scales and the need for both a bulk scale and a fine measurement scale (along with calibration weights for verification).

My bulk measurement sale is a "UltraShip Ultra-55" from Amazon. Weighs up to 55 pounds in various ranges (grams, pounds & ounces, kg, pounds, or just ounces). Accuracy is rated as 0.1oz from 0 to 2 pounds and .05 ounces from 2 to 55 pounds. My fine measurement scale is the gram scale I posted earlier in this thread. Weighs up to 500 grams and has a 0.01 (1/100th) gram resolution. I use a known 100g calibration weight to verify accuracy.

Cure is probably the most critical thing to get right and often measured in very small quantities. Cure #1 in a ground meat is 1.13 grams per pound or or 5.65 grams per 5 pounds (based on the 1 ounce per 25 pounds, which is 28.35 grams = 1 ounce).

So if I only had a bulk measurement scale and my accuracy was +/- 0.1 ounce that is a 0.2 ounce spread. 0.2 ounces is 5.6699 grams. So using that information how do you accurately measure a 5.65 gram portion of cure #1 for 5 pounds of meat when you margin of error in your scale is 5.699 grams? Even if the spread is the 0.1 ounce total that is still a 50% margin of error using my bulk scale. You could have double the cure and still be reading as good to go on my bulk scale. I doubt it's that far off, but I'm using a gram scale with 1/100th gram resolution for all my spices and cures for this reason.

Decent scales are inexpensive, and a good practice. Also accurate measurements make repeating the recipe later and getting the same results easier.

11-14-2018, 05:30 PM	#16
dward51 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 12-14-12 Location: McDonough, GA	Another thing about weight in grams. It makes it easy to run a smaller test batch when tinkering with seasonings. I typically run as small as a 1 pound batch when tweaking a recipe. You need a good grams scale that has 1/100th of a gram resolution (0.01g) when running small batches. These can be had for around $20-25 on Amazon. This is mine. I pair it with a larger scale for meat, but use the gram scale for all my spice measurements. Oh, and don't forget calibration weights to verify your scales are accurate and to re-calibrate when necessary. I check accuracy before weighing spices and then after. If it's right both times, I know my spice weights and cure are spot on between them. Last edited by dward51; 11-14-2018 at 05:38 PM..

11-15-2018, 08:04 AM	#20
Dustin Dorsey Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 08-25-14 Location: Burkburnett, Texas	Here's my take on it. 66% chuck roast 22% pork shoulder 11% brisket fat Then everything else is calculated as a percentage of that combined meat and fat weight.. Other ingredients were 10% Water 1.5% Kosher salt 1.5% Tallicherry Pepper 0.25% cure #1 (neccessary for slow smoking but I think it adds to the flavor) 0.05% cayenne pepper 0.05% marjoram (completely optional) 0.025% sage (completely optional) I added the herbs just to give it something extra. More traditional would be to leave those out. This recipe is designed to be hot smoked. It holds up from 225 to 275, but I'm sure 350 would be ok. I season the meat and let it sit overnight to cure. Then I use a coarse grind. Then I add the water and mix by hand until tacky and stuff in natural hog casings. Last edited by Dustin Dorsey; 11-15-2018 at 08:12 AM..

11-15-2018, 08:27 AM	#22
DanB is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 02-28-12 Location: Paramus New Jersey	Cure You could do it with ounces, but the numbers get really small and not all scales work that well with such small weights. The quantity of cure #1 is critical, so that's why I work with a scale that goes down to 0.01g. Probably overkill, but makes my OCD feel better. Ounces, but I don't recommend it. Hard to weigh out 0.2 oz of cure #1 Hi If I'm going to do 5 lbs then a teaspoon of cure should be on the money? Thanks DanB __________________ Rec Tec 590/WSM/CB Roti/Weber Hanging Rack\2 Mavericks/Therapan/Rib-O-Lator/Fireboard 2/KCBS.

11-15-2018, 01:06 PM	#25
DanB is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 02-28-12 Location: Paramus New Jersey	Quote: Originally Posted by DanB View Post Hi If I'm going to do 5 lbs then a teaspoon of cure should be on the money? Thanks DanB No, that's why I do it by weight. Volume is a very poor an inaccurate way to do sausage. You will end up with a recipe that is not mine. Hi I thought i read somewhere that for 5 lbs of meat a teaspoon of cure is the right amount..What am I missing? Thanks DanB __________________ Rec Tec 590/WSM/CB Roti/Weber Hanging Rack\2 Mavericks/Therapan/Rib-O-Lator/Fireboard 2/KCBS.

11-15-2018, 12:52 PM	#24
Dustin Dorsey Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 08-25-14 Location: Burkburnett, Texas	This is an article I read that got me pointed in the right direction: https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/sau...eedmens-style/

11-15-2018, 01:19 PM	#26
Dustin Dorsey Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 08-25-14 Location: Burkburnett, Texas	Dan, 1 tsp of cure for 5 lbs of meat is a great rule of thumb. It's good to keep in mind because you can catch yourself if you make a dumb calculation. A much better way to go about it, as sleebus.jones says is to calculate the cure in terms of weight not volume. Different types of salt, for instance, will have differing weights for the same volume because of the different grain sizes. 1 tsp of kosher salt does not equal 1 tsp of table. salt. A tsp of table salt will be WAY saltier. However 1 gram of kosher salt does equal 1 gram of table salt. Using measuring spoons usually forces you to make weird approximations. If you go by weight you aren't approximating. I use a super cheap but accurate scale I got off amazon. Most typical kitchen scales can't measure things like 1 gram very well.

11-15-2018, 07:00 PM	#28
Norm Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 02-22-10 Location: USA Name/Nickname : Private	You can lead a horse to water but...

11-16-2018, 01:15 PM	#30
dward51 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 12-14-12 Location: McDonough, GA	Here is my 2 cents on scales and the need for both a bulk scale and a fine measurement scale (along with calibration weights for verification). My bulk measurement sale is a "UltraShip Ultra-55" from Amazon. Weighs up to 55 pounds in various ranges (grams, pounds & ounces, kg, pounds, or just ounces). Accuracy is rated as 0.1oz from 0 to 2 pounds and .05 ounces from 2 to 55 pounds. My fine measurement scale is the gram scale I posted earlier in this thread. Weighs up to 500 grams and has a 0.01 (1/100th) gram resolution. I use a known 100g calibration weight to verify accuracy. Cure is probably the most critical thing to get right and often measured in very small quantities. Cure #1 in a ground meat is 1.13 grams per pound or or 5.65 grams per 5 pounds (based on the 1 ounce per 25 pounds, which is 28.35 grams = 1 ounce). So if I only had a bulk measurement scale and my accuracy was +/- 0.1 ounce that is a 0.2 ounce spread. 0.2 ounces is 5.6699 grams. So using that information how do you accurately measure a 5.65 gram portion of cure #1 for 5 pounds of meat when you margin of error in your scale is 5.699 grams? Even if the spread is the 0.1 ounce total that is still a 50% margin of error using my bulk scale. You could have double the cure and still be reading as good to go on my bulk scale. I doubt it's that far off, but I'm using a gram scale with 1/100th gram resolution for all my spices and cures for this reason. Decent scales are inexpensive, and a good practice. Also accurate measurements make repeating the recipe later and getting the same results easier.