Chapter 6 Cooked Sausages

Topics Covered Basic Components of Cooked Sausages Additional Meats Used in Cooked Sausages Metric Conversions and U.S. Equivalents

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages Pork or beef blood: –Used in production of boudin noir (blood sausage), black pudding, and red aspic sausage –Can be purchased preprepared and homogenized from mail-order houses or meat markets

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pork skin: –The “clue” –Cut off with as little fat as possible –Skin of fatback, pork belly, and pig’s feet create a strong (gelatinous) bind in headcheeses, aspics, and liver sausages

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pig’s head: –Ordered in advance Allows slow defrosting –After defrosting, simmer in large pot until tender –Used in headcheese, parslied ham, and red or white pressack (aspic sausage) Left to right: Pork jowl, pig’s head, fat belly strip

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pig’s jowls: –Fatty cheeks of pig –Used in production of cooked, poached sausages and pâtés –If unavailable, substitute fatback or belly strip

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Belly strip: –Fatty strip of pork belly –Skin removed; used as pig jowl –Main ingredient in boudin noir, black pudding, liverwurst, and rillettes The Belly Strip

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pork tongue: –When fresh, a garnish for red or white pressack –Pickled for tongue sausages or headcheeses –Gray skin is peeled after raw tongue is blanched in 180º F water Peel while warm Pork Tongue

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Heart: –Fully cooked –Used mostly as garnish –Cleaned and rinsed and after blood is removed –Cooked until tender –After cooking, trim all parts of aorta and cube as needed Pig’s Heart

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pork liver: –Can be substituted for calf’s liver or turkey liver Gall bladder removed –Used raw, sometimes blanched –Never cooked Destroys binding power Pork Liver

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pork kidneys: –Used mostly as garnish for blood sausage Pork Kidneys

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Fatback: –Major ingredient –Used in wide variety of sausages The Fatback

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Fatback preparation: –Poaching: Cut fatback into small cubes Drop in boiling water Simmer for up to 20 minutes, stirring often Drain and add while still hot to blood sausage or black pudding mixture

Basic Components of Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Fatback preparation: (cont’d.) –Rendering cracklings: Cut fatback into large cubes and place in large skillet Add a little water and slowly simmer until water has evaporated and cubes are crisp and evenly golden Drain liquid fat and set aside for other uses Shock cracklings in ice water (stops cooking) Drain well

Additional Meat Used in Cooked Sausages Beef chuck or shoulder clod in sausages: –All fat and sinews are removed Beef liver: not recommended –Too dark –Texture too coarse –Pronounced beefy liver flavor

Additional Meat Used in Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Veal shoulder: –Not used often –Expensive –Mostly poor quality –Turkey is a great substitute Veal Chuck/Outside Shoulder

Additional Meat Used in Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Young sheep and goat liver: –Fresh sweet flavor –Liver of older animals: not recommended –Too bitter –Strong offensive aromas

Additional Meat Used in Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Turkey, geese, duck, or rabbit: –Excellent texture and flavor for sausages –If livers are not fresh: Rinse with cold water and soak overnight in buttermilk or milk Rinse with cold water, and dry on paper towels before using

Additional Meat Used in Cooked Sausages (cont’d.) Pork skin brei: –Simmer in water for 2 to 4 hours until tender –Skin is removed from liquid, broth is set aside –Cut into strips while warm and grind through a large grinding plate –Combine 1 part cooked ground pork skin with 1 part of the pork broth –Puree in food processor

Metric Conversions and U.S. Equivalents Convert measurements for all ingredients –Maintain same proportions as original Sausage making is a science Weights need to be exact

Summary This chapter reviewed: –Meats, fats, blood, and offal meats needed to preprepare cooked sausages –Pork brei prepared from pork skins used as binder –Importance of measurement in either metric or U.S. equivalents