BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Smoking Techniques => Curing => Topic started by: mjdeez on December 17, 2010, 08:56:38 PM

Title: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on December 17, 2010, 08:56:38 PM

Ok so apparently this is a Jersey / Philly thing, but have any of you made any pork roll that has come out good?

I found this recipe, and it seems like a good starting point. http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/NewJerseyPorkRoll.pdf   

Also, since i don't have a dry cure chamber (yet) I'm hoping I can do this in the DBS and just figure out a way to keep it humid (bowl of hot water?) since it is only for 12-24 hours.

If you've never had pork roll (also called Taylor Ham or Taylor Pork Roll) I would suggest you try it next time you're in the Jersey area (or make it!). Its great with breakfast instead of bacon / sausage or on a burger.   My favorite breakfast sandwich is a Belly Buster: Bacon, sausage, pork roll, egg and American cheese on a hard roll, with butter. :-) 
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on December 18, 2010, 02:27:43 AM
Since this is a fully cooked sausage, you should be able to do this in your DBS with your regular set up. I would set the vent at 1/4 opening, and fill the bowl with hot, not boiling water. Periodically check, and if the casings seem to be getting a little dry, I would use a spray bottle and spritz them with water. If you are going to apply smoke, I would do that after the fermentation period.

For this recipe the most important steps are the temperature and time; if you have LHP then follow his temperature and times, if you have a different starter culture then use the temperature and times that come with that culture.

The sausage looks interesting. I've seen it before and have been meaning to make it. I use Bactoferm F-RM-52. It a little sharper and more tangy then LPH, but the fermentation time is much shorter and the bacteria can tolerate a higher temperature.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on December 18, 2010, 06:01:04 AM

Thanks for the tips on the humidity and when to apply the smoke.  I was thinking of using my modified cold smoke rig and seeing if I could regulate at around 85, but I'll look into the F-RM-52.  I bought a 1/2 hog a while back which came with already made pork roll. It was the best I'd ever had, tangier than usual so that may be a good choice.

When I was thinking about posting this, I wasn't sure if I should post this in the curing or sausage forum. For some reason I was thinking fermentation = cure, and it is weird to think of pork roll as a sausage. I only ever see it in slices, so I guess its time to change my view point on that.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on December 18, 2010, 01:15:54 PM
Each time I look at that recipe, it makes me hungry. It looks like he adjusted the amount of cure #1 to compensate for any residual nitrites that may be left in the bacon. I may make this after Christmas when things settle down.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: classicrockgriller on December 20, 2010, 10:13:47 PM
I hope somebody makes some. That is just nice!

Habs please post if you do this.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on December 21, 2010, 01:08:22 AM
I going to make a batch, but I know it won't be before the New Year. I'm hoping mjdeez is doing a batch before then and will post his results.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: jimmyb on December 21, 2010, 05:11:56 AM
I'm from Jersey and this is a Jersey thing for sure. I do a lot of traveling and ask around in the different places I visit and no one has ever heard of Taylor Ham/pork roll. If you can master this then you have something. You will also make many new friends who will not be able to get this anywhere else. This is the perfect hangover sandwich. Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll. Throw a little ketchup on that and it's heaven! 
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on December 23, 2010, 01:23:50 PM


QuoteI'm hoping mjdeez is doing a batch before then and will post his results.
I won't get around to this one until around mid January or so. I need to buy some supplies. Also lots of family stuff over the next few days and I'll be away for a few days. 

QuoteTaylor Ham, egg, and cheese on a hard roll. Throw a little ketchup on that and it's heaven! 
I completely agree with that.  That was my old standby for hangovers. Occasionally I'll make bacon-wrapped hot dogs with eggs, cheese wiz and ketchup. There was a hot dog place up in North Jersey that used to make this delicacy and my friends and I were able to duplicate it. Not that it's difficult.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: deb415611 on December 23, 2010, 02:00:10 PM
I might try to make a batch of this some day for my dad.  When I was a kid we used to visit relatives in NJ every year (my dad grew up there) - the three food things that I remember are pork roll, a red sauce for steak sandwiches and birch beer.  We used to come home with some of each.  The pork roll was an entire roll from the deli dept at the grocery store. 

I now live in CT and have seen a 4 pk of Taylors pork roll in the grocery store.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: pensrock on December 23, 2010, 02:03:53 PM
Deb, what is a pork roll. I never heard of it before.  ???
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: deb415611 on December 23, 2010, 02:46:02 PM
Quote from: pensrock on December 23, 2010, 02:03:53 PM
Deb, what is a pork roll. I never heard of it before.  ???

here is some pics of someone cooking some  http://www.grilling24x7.com/porkroll.shtml

here is info

http://www.jerseyporkroll.com/what.htm

Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 19, 2011, 02:10:07 AM
Well! I started this on Monday, and finished it on Tuesday. I haven't tasted it yet, but I'm not too confident of the out come. One of those situations of what could go wrong did. I'll try to post the results tomorrow. I'm going to fry up some for this morning's breakfast.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: jiggerjams on January 19, 2011, 05:45:32 AM
Sorry to hear things didn't seem to pan out. Looking forward to hearing the story. I hope breakfast is a good "roll in the pork"
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on January 19, 2011, 02:23:09 PM
Hey Habs I meant to follow up on this one. I bought a side of pork on New Year's Eve and I bought a got a bunch of pork roll in the deal. So it will last me awhile, but actually it is not as good as I remember, or maybe I am getting pickier and pickier the more stuff I make myself.  I found the same with this guy's bacon. I used to think it was the best I'd ever eaten, but I go and try it again and I'd rather eat my (overly salty) bacon instead.

In any case i can't wait to actually make this myself. but it will be awhile.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: DADAKOTA on January 19, 2011, 03:45:01 PM
Looks like fried bologna
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on January 19, 2011, 04:12:58 PM

Hard to explain taste but it's got a saltier and tangier flavor than bologna.

I took this a week or two ago and meant to post it here. Here's 1 small slice frying up in some bacon grease. I like mine a little on the crispy side.

(http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z344/mjdeez1/misc_meat/IMG_5431.jpg)
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 20, 2011, 01:36:16 AM
You might have to wait another day; Tuesday/Wednesday storm has set me back.

Long story short; because of the weather, I could not fully cook them in the Bradley, and had to poach them. Though the water was at 158°F and I only cooked them to 148°F - 152°F, a lot of fat and juices rendered out, and the meat shrunk in diameter. So the texture was somewhat dry, and the meat barely held together.

Mine still had enough fat that no added grease was needed when frying. If I had to describe the flavor, it would be a cross between bologna and Canadian bacon with a tang. The flavor is worth another shot, but I will plan to ferment it and fully cook it in the Bradley.

Len Poli's recipe is not salty. He uses very little added salt. I broke his recipe into two 5 pound batches, and made one batch with added cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 23, 2011, 01:42:36 PM
MJ;

I finally got around to writing this up. I rechecked some notes and I only brought the sausage up to 142° - 145°F.

As mentioned earlier, what could go wrong did, but I still ended with a fairly good product. The first problem was trying to find pork butt. For some reason most of the stores were out of it, so I ended up paying $2.50/lb.

I wasn't able to get the sausage made when I wanted to, but three days later I had to do it then or freeze the butts. So even with the bad snow storm coming in on Tuesday of that week, I ground the meat on Sunday, and seasoned/stuffed it on Monday morning. I made two different batches, one five pound batch following the recipe, and the second batch I added 2 tablespoons of crushed hot red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.  The storm was now about 16 hours from hitting; so I knew it couldn't be finished in the OBS. Oh! I forgot to mention that my grinder attachment broke, while I was grinding the left over butt for ground pork.

With the weather forecast, I would have to ferment them in the OBS, and finish by poaching. Knowing that I didn't have a stock pot deep enough to poach them full length, I made them half lengths. Even with the half lengths I have to put them in horizontally to make sure they would be fully submerged.

Click on photos to enlarge:It was cold that day so I didn't want to mess around hanging them vertically. I found that I could fit 3 half loafs on each tray with plenty of air space. The picture below was taken around mid-night, after 12 hours of fermenting. All the sausage is shown on one tray, but I used two trays, and didn't apply any smoke.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_01.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_01.jpg)

The following picture is not the sausage prepared for storage, but made ready to poach. Len Poli states if your fibrous casings are not water proof, this step is necessary. He recommended poaching at 160°F – 170°F, until an internal temperature of 152°F. I did two halves at a time, and they were crowded in the pot. Rethinking this I should have only poached one at a time.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_02.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_02.jpg)

Using my DigiQ II, I set up the poaching station like I would use it for Sous Vide. I haven't used my Sous Vide set up for some time, so I could not find my second food probe. The clip that is holding the food probe in the water was taken form my Maverick CT-03; a Oil/Candy thermometer. The hot plate is a Proctor Silex 1,000 watt, and it was more then enough to heat the water to 158°F and maintain that temperature. That is an eight quart stock pot.

In the first picture note the steaming basket on the bottom to ensure water circulation underneath the sausage. The second picture you can't read the display, but it is set to 158°F, and it held that temperature to ±1°F. That temperature was confirmed by my Thermapen.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_03.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_03.jpg)    (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_04.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_04.jpg)

Though the recipe indicated it would take about 90 minutes, it took close to 2 hours for the sausage to reach 142° - 145°F (that is the temperature I decided to pulled them out). During that period of poaching, a lot of liquid and fat escaped from the sausage, and the diameter of the sausage shrunk about 1 inch; which was not noticeable during poaching because you could not tell want was going on by looking through the FoodSaver bag and casing. After shocking and refrigerating overnight it had firmed up, and I was able to slice it. I found that a bread knife worked better then a slicer knife. There was still plenty of fat in the sausage, which was evident when I fried it. The texture seemed a little firmer than hamburger, but not dry nor crumbly.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_05.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_05.jpg)   (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_06.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_06.jpg)

Overall, I liked the flavor and it is worth another attempt; and I hope the texture will improve. Next time I will fully cook it in the Bradley. I still may go with the half loaves, so I can put them on trays and rotate them for more even cooking.

I'll have to figure out what cause the sausage to fat out, when the water temperature never got over 160°F. Maybe because the sausage was crowded in the pot, the water did not circulate well enough.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on January 23, 2011, 01:58:50 PM
Looks really tasty.

What size casing did you use? I typically see around 4-5" casing. Maybe it was a combination of a smaller diameter casing with a longer time in the water causing the fat to render.

Thanks for the write up. Can't wait to make some... but i need to make some  room in the freezer first.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: classicrockgriller on January 23, 2011, 02:21:38 PM
That was very interesting Habs.

thanks for the pics and write-up.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 24, 2011, 01:50:34 AM
You could be right, but I don't believe the diameter or length of time poaching would be a factor in this case. I used 3.5" synthetic casings as suggested by the recipe (3.5" - 4"). I used a poaching temperature below 160°F. His recipe called for 160°F - 170°F. I also took them out at 142° - 145°F, while the recipe called for 152°F. I feel there was definitely some type of heat buildup that neither the DigiQ II or Thermapen were able to detect.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: jiggerjams on January 24, 2011, 08:00:37 AM
Great write up. Sounds like a project worth putting on the bucket list.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: OU812 on January 24, 2011, 08:32:03 AM
This Taylor Ham looks and sounds good.

Would you compair the flavor to Thuringer?

I was also wondering if you could replace the starter culture with encapsulated citric acid?

Most starter cultures mess with my gut in a bad way.  ::)
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 24, 2011, 01:08:02 PM
I would say you can definitely use encapsulated citric acid. That would cut down on the fermentation time. I was thinking of using Fermento in a small batch.

It's been awhile since I've tasted Thuringer. As you can see form the recipe there is very little seasoning to Taylor Ham, but the bacon gives it a nice flavor boost. If there are any similarities, it would be the tang. The only way I can describe it is that is taste like a cross between bologna and Canadian bacon with a tang.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: OU812 on January 24, 2011, 01:16:38 PM
Thanks Habs

Now I have a use for the bacon end pieces.  ;D
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 24, 2011, 01:21:34 PM
You're lucky. I didn't have any homemade ends left. That was the first time I went to a store looking for bacon that had the most fat. If you make some, I hope you post your results.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: OU812 on January 24, 2011, 01:23:36 PM
Will do.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: La Quinta on January 25, 2011, 01:59:39 AM
Holy Moly...Taylor Ham....haven't heard that since I was a little kid in New Jersey...this is a great thread...gonna have my Mom read it...she has a Bradley too...noone in California knows what Taylor ham is (at least nobody I know)...Sweet  :)

Thanks!
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: mjdeez on January 25, 2011, 06:09:51 AM
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on January 24, 2011, 01:50:34 AM
You could be right, but I don't believe the diameter or length of time poaching would be a factor in this case. I used 3.5" synthetic casings as suggested by the recipe (3.5" - 4"). I used a poaching temperature below 160°F. His recipe called for 160°F - 170°F. I also took them out at 142° - 145°F, while the recipe called for 152°F. I feel there was definitely some type of heat buildup that neither the DigiQ II or Thermapen were able to detect.

Oh... I had mis-read your post. You said the diameter was 1" smaller but for some reason I mis-read it as the final diameter was 1".
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Ketch22 on January 25, 2011, 06:29:50 AM
HI all
I live in  NJ  and the pork roll is as good as we say. I think NJ sell more pork roll and egg on hard rolls then they sell hamburger's .Here is a sit that will ship pork roll so you can try it http://www.jerseyporkroll.com/


ketch
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: NePaSmoKer on January 26, 2011, 06:59:33 PM
pork roll

(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/IMAG0179.jpg)
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: OU812 on January 26, 2011, 07:07:03 PM
You suck.  ;D

Just kiddin.  :D

Any chance of gettin a sample so I know how is saposeto taste when I make it?  ::)
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: deb415611 on January 27, 2011, 03:52:29 AM
Habs, thanks for writing it up.  I may try it soon with fermento.  I have bacon to smoke this weekend so I will have bacon ends.

Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on January 27, 2011, 01:03:29 PM
If you smoke/cook it fully in the Bradley, let us know how it turns out.
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Smokin Soon on June 14, 2011, 02:26:43 PM
I know this is an old topic, but while picking up some pooper pellets today I stumbled on this. Nice thin slices.

(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk250/smokinsoon/IMG_0827.jpg)
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: pz on July 15, 2013, 08:31:21 PM
Quote from: Habanero Smoker on January 23, 2011, 01:42:36 PM
MJ;

I finally got around to writing this up. I rechecked some notes and I only brought the sausage up to 142° - 145°F.

As mentioned earlier, what could go wrong did, but I still ended with a fairly good product. The first problem was trying to find pork butt. For some reason most of the stores were out of it, so I ended up paying $2.50/lb.

I wasn't able to get the sausage made when I wanted to, but three days later I had to do it then or freeze the butts. So even with the bad snow storm coming in on Tuesday of that week, I ground the meat on Sunday, and seasoned/stuffed it on Monday morning. I made two different batches, one five pound batch following the recipe, and the second batch I added 2 tablespoons of crushed hot red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne.  The storm was now about 16 hours from hitting; so I knew it couldn't be finished in the OBS. Oh! I forgot to mention that my grinder attachment broke, while I was grinding the left over butt for ground pork.

With the weather forecast, I would have to ferment them in the OBS, and finish by poaching. Knowing that I didn't have a stock pot deep enough to poach them full length, I made them half lengths. Even with the half lengths I have to put them in horizontally to make sure they would be fully submerged.

Click on photos to enlarge:It was cold that day so I didn't want to mess around hanging them vertically. I found that I could fit 3 half loafs on each tray with plenty of air space. The picture below was taken around mid-night, after 12 hours of fermenting. All the sausage is shown on one tray, but I used two trays, and didn't apply any smoke.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_01.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_01.jpg)

The following picture is not the sausage prepared for storage, but made ready to poach. Len Poli states if your fibrous casings are not water proof, this step is necessary. He recommended poaching at 160°F – 170°F, until an internal temperature of 152°F. I did two halves at a time, and they were crowded in the pot. Rethinking this I should have only poached one at a time.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_02.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_02.jpg)

Using my DigiQ II, I set up the poaching station like I would use it for Sous Vide. I haven't used my Sous Vide set up for some time, so I could not find my second food probe. The clip that is holding the food probe in the water was taken form my Maverick CT-03; a Oil/Candy thermometer. The hot plate is a Proctor Silex 1,000 watt, and it was more then enough to heat the water to 158°F and maintain that temperature. That is an eight quart stock pot.

In the first picture note the steaming basket on the bottom to ensure water circulation underneath the sausage. The second picture you can't read the display, but it is set to 158°F, and it held that temperature to ±1°F. That temperature was confirmed by my Thermapen.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_03.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_03.jpg)    (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_04.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_04.jpg)

Though the recipe indicated it would take about 90 minutes, it took close to 2 hours for the sausage to reach 142° - 145°F (that is the temperature I decided to pulled them out). During that period of poaching, a lot of liquid and fat escaped from the sausage, and the diameter of the sausage shrunk about 1 inch; which was not noticeable during poaching because you could not tell want was going on by looking through the FoodSaver bag and casing. After shocking and refrigerating overnight it had firmed up, and I was able to slice it. I found that a bread knife worked better then a slicer knife. There was still plenty of fat in the sausage, which was evident when I fried it. The texture seemed a little firmer than hamburger, but not dry nor crumbly.

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_05.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_05.jpg)   (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/th_Taylor_Ham_06.jpg) (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/Formatted/Sausage%20Making/Taylor_Ham_06.jpg)

Overall, I liked the flavor and it is worth another attempt; and I hope the texture will improve. Next time I will fully cook it in the Bradley. I still may go with the half loaves, so I can put them on trays and rotate them for more even cooking.

I'll have to figure out what cause the sausage to fat out, when the water temperature never got over 160°F. Maybe because the sausage was crowded in the pot, the water did not circulate well enough.

Sorry to have to revive this topic, but the words "sous vide" immediately caught my attention.  Habanero Smoker, do you have a post where you detail how to use the Auber cooking controller to do sous vide?  I think I get the gist of it from this post, but if you have any other tips, it would be muchly appreciated
Title: Re: Taylor Ham a.k.a Pork Roll
Post by: Habanero Smoker on July 17, 2013, 02:16:20 AM
There are a couple of threads on sous vide, I'll try to find them, and give you a more lengthy reply later; this morning I'm a little short on time.