Three major ingredients- Fat, Meat and Flavorings Fat is not flavor. It is the carrier of flavor. It aids in the development of a desirable emulsification in sausage making.

Meat Only limited by your own imagination Virtually any meat available can be used to make sausage. Flavoring From traditional to regional, flavorings are used to differentiate and distinguish

 French  French = Saucisse  Any kind of sausage that is not smoked or cooked  made the meat of pig, beef, bear, boar, goat, lamb, venison, buffalo, caribou, etc.

2. Dry  French = Saucisson  A sausage that has been cured or dry cured  Dry inside and outside at the same rate  Low humidity and Constant air circulation  Dry from 3weeks to 6 months depending on type of sausage. Natural additives that assist in the dry curing process Powdered dextrose, fermento and corn syrup soilds used to aid in the fermentation fermentation is the “characteristic tang” a flavor commonly associated with dry cured sausages.

3. Boudin– 3 types A. Boudin Blanc Used to describe a sausage made with poultry, veal, pork, rabbit, haddock, flounder, catfish, scallops, etc. Bound with cream & eggs

B. Boudin Noir Made with blood Also known as blood pudding Sometimes bound with rice Difficult to attain in the USA due to pasteurization once the blood has been pasteurized, it looses its ability to bind and hold emulsification.

C. Southern Boudin Southern America – (French Creole) Primary meat utilized is chicken crawfish, pork, alligator, or veal are not uncommon Rice commonly used as binder Varying degrees of spiciness.

Collagen Made by scraping the flesh side of cowhide and removing the corium Very consistent in size Synthetic Developed due to a market demand for consistency in size and uniformity Plastic Casings Sometimes color-coded (ex. Bologna = red, salami = white and liverwurst = pasty pink Natural Casings Usually the large intestine of hog or sheep

Traditionally the reasoning behind brining, or curing was for means of preservation extend self life add value through the changing of the weight/flavor.

2 primary ingredients Salt– Hydrophobic Denatures proteins by removing moisture and creating an atmosphere that bacteria does not want to live in Changes the flavor Sugar– Hygroscopic - Attracts water and flavorings in water. Fills in a small percentage of the moisture, which was removed by the salt. Counteracts the astringent qualities of salt. A cure is the dry application A brine is the wet application and is sometimes called a pickle.

Additional ingredients Flavorings– Optional – Generally herbs and spices Carried into the product via the salt and sugar Sodium Nitrate- used as an ingredient in explosives and in solid rocket propellants in glass and pottery enamel a food preservative Also known as Chile saltpeter, saltpeter, and soda niter. It is found naturally in leafy green vegetables It has possible health benefits for increasing oxygen to blood known to have health side effects in particular at high doses.

Sodium Nitrate also called nitrous acid, sodium salt used as a color fixative and preservative in meats and fish.color fixativepreservative When pure, it's a white to slight yellowish crystalline powder soluble in water and hygroscopic. slowly oxidized and changes to Sodium Nitrate

Saturation Point– the point at which a brine or cure will no longer absorb moisture from the product Once product is done brining or curing, rinse it off so that the brine/cure will stop drying/preserving the meat Dry under fans before smoking. Because water inhibits smoke from penetrating the product. You will know the product is dry enough to smoke when you have achieved PPF.

Proper Pellicle Formation is water-soluble proteins, which are dissolved through the process of brining, or curing that rise to the surface of the product and through osmosis, settles on the surface of the product. Forming a shiny, varnish-like coating upon drying. PPF is a semi-impermeable coating that allows the exchange of smoke/in, and additional moisture/out of the product. If product isn’t dry enough before smoking it will not absorb smoke. Water creates a barrier.

Brining – Arterial Brining or Artery curing The Injection of brine into the natural network of blood vessels within muscles, that aids in a more consistent distribution of brine within the product. Femoral artery in the leg Brachial artery in the shoulder

The size, shape, & density of product determine the length of time a given item should be brined/cured. Uniformity of size of product Salmon– due to different thickness of a given filet, the application of a cure would be more suited. This allows the cure to be applied at varying thicknesses. Pastrami- meat from short plate on beef = brine, cure, smoke, cook. Fresh Ham- Brined due to uniformity of “basketball”

Similar to a cure removes surface moisture, which allows smoke to adhere to product Makes caramelization of surface sugars easier