The science of sausage…

Lady Wife and I enjoyed yesterday’s sausage making class. The recipes were almost secondary. It was the technique and understanding the science behind a good sausage that was most valuable. A properly made sausage is basically an emulsion, where you form chains to bind fat and protein molecules. It’s very similar to bread making, where you knead to form gluten strands. We came away with hints and tips that will make following any recipe easier.

This class dealt with making fresh sausage. We made a sage breakfast sausage, a chorizo and a hot Italian sausage. I’ve ordered this book to learn more about making the charcuterie we so enjoy. I suspect the wine cellar has the perfect temperature and humidity to dry cure some interesting salumi. Our instructor was a Culinary Institute of America graduate chef who also trained in Europe as a butcher. His carving of a Boston Butt was pure artistry. He would make a skilled surgeon.

So this morning Lady Wife and I enjoyed a true Slow Food brunch. We had her homemade sourdough bread, eggs from our chickens, and the breakfast sausage we made yesterday. The pork in the latter was raised free-range on a farm about 50 miles from us, and the sage came from a greenhouse in the next county. A truly locavore meal.

Telynor

January 15, 2012

Anything being taught by a CIA chef is worth it. So is eating their food. A big hands up on that book — it’s terrific, and Ruhlman is a pretty decent author.

Woolgatherer

For years we have made our own venison sausage. Every year I change the recipe just a little bit to see what happens. Most times nobody notices the difference though.

the_mysticalmuse

It’s a very interesting and delightful meal I would say. We make lots of sausage in the winter and even make salamis, but we prefer the venison and lamb mixtures rather than too much porky sausages. It is a delightful craft to do explore. We’ve been doing it for 33 years now(me at least) and each year is exciting.

Very satisfying to enjoy a meal made entirely from scratch full of fine ingredients. My childhood neighborhood was filled with Italian immigrants and grammas who didn’t speak English. They made sausages and a wide variety of specialized cured meats as a part of daily life. What I could have gleaned from them had I realized at that young age such exposure and experience was uncommon in the US!

January 17, 2012

I subscribe to Michael Ruhlman’s blog. I enjoy his insights and instruction.

MageB

🙂 And too, it’s almost restaurant week time again.