too salty breakfast sausage

[kfin]

I am trying another recipe that I have had for a while and have a question. The recipe for 25 lbs is 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup pepper, and 1 tsp of cloves. I have eaten this and helped make it a number of times. Always with their ingredients, tastes awesome.

I went to try and reproduce it and it is a total flop with the salt taste.

I broke it down to a 5 lb batch. Weighed all of the ingredients and divided by 5. Have checked and rechecked my weights and also my calculations. The salt weighed 10.9 oz/5 is 2.17 oz of salt for 5 lbs. Tried a 5 lb batch and you could not taste anything BUT salt. So I just made another batch and fried a test patty. This time I only added 1.36 oz of salt (2 tablespoons) and it is much better, but still salt is the only thing you can taste.

I am using "purified salt" and they used some sort of Mortons. Is there that big of a difference in salt? I have already cut from 3.2 tbsp to 2.0 tbsp and it still is pretty stout. I never remember tasting the salt in the sausage I made with them.

Any ideas?

[watchdog56]

Most sausage recipes I have used and seen use canning or pickling salt. Not sure if they are the same or not but am sure someone will be able to answer that question.

[Keymaster]

Sausage must contain salt for a variety of reasons. Never reduce the amount of salt in a sausage recipe without professional advice. How much salt is needed in sausage? About 2% in fresh type sausage or 2 grams per 100 grams of meat. However, 2% used in fresh sausage, is simply not high enough for safety in a fermented ?dry-cured? sausage requiring up to 3%. Dry-cured sausages without starter cultures (called ?traditional? sausage), require even more? anywhere from 3 to 3.5%. Four to five per cent salt is unpalatable.

I come up with 1.6 oz of salt for five pounds of meat at a 2% salt to meat ratio.

[micman]

One recipe I tried I used a course salt and it was too salty, the next time same recipe I used a kosher salt, same amount and not a very salt taste then. It may be the salt product not the amount that you are using. Hope this helps a little.

Mick

[CoreyMac]

I haven't got my log book in front of me but 1.5oz of salt(I just use regular table salt) for 5 lbs rings a bell. I use this for all recipes that require salt an have never had any diappointments. I have been told that purified sea salt can be saltier tasting because it doesn't disolve as readily into what its mixed into. I have never done any comparisons but this may be your issue. Maybe just use regular salt next time and see. Start a 1oz and do test fries until its where you want it.

Just my 2 cents

[kfin]

I come up with 1.6 oz of salt for five pounds of meat at a 2% salt to meat ratio.

As did I, so the first time I went with my calculation of 1.36.

Is it the "purified salt" that I am using giving it the strong salt taste? I make NEPAS breakfast sausage which calls for 2 tbsp for 5 pounds and it does not have this salty taste. (But it does have sugar added to it) I use this same salt for it and haven't noticed any problem.

On my second batch I tried 2 tbsp and it is better but still not good.

[NePaSmoKer]

For 10 lbs of uncured breakfast sausage you should use 4 Tbs non iodized salt

[Keymaster]

Kfin, My first post sounded like I was some kind of Authoritorian of salt, I am not :-[ I simply copy and pasted the salt formulation from a sausage site and came up with the calculations on my own. I cant answer your question about the purified salt but if it is to salty and unpalatible then yes, keep cutting back on the salt. I did that with english bangers one time and still have 10 pounds in the freezer im waitin to use for crab bait ;D

[kfin]

For 10 lbs of uncured breakfast sausage you should use 4 Tbs non iodized salt

And when making your recipe, I did and it is awesome. But with the other recipe, 3 tbsp for 5 lb, it was unedible (with my salt, theirs was fine) and with 2 tbsp for 5 lbs it was still really salty.

My salt came from sausage maker and is labeled "purified salt" in a white bucket. Is this the stuff I should be using for making sausage?

[kfin]

Kfin, My first post sounded like I was some kind of Authoritorian of salt, I am not :-[ I simply copy and pasted the salt formulation from a sausage site and came up with the calculations on my own. I cant answer your question about the purified salt but if it is to salty and unpalatible then yes, keep cutting back on the salt. I did that with english bangers one time and still have 10 pounds in the freezer im waitin to use for crab bait ;D

I didn't take it that way. I had read the exact same formula though and thought I was well within "range" of normal. What is blowing me away is that I have mixed it with the original recipe and it tastes fine. I guess I need to find out what kind of salt they are using.

This sausage could well become trapping bait!

[NePaSmoKer]

For 10 lbs of uncured breakfast sausage you should use 4 Tbs non iodized salt

And when making your recipe, I did and it is awesome. But with the other recipe, 3 tbsp for 5 lb, it was unedible (with my salt, theirs was fine) and with 2 tbsp for 5 lbs it was still really salty.

My salt came from sausage maker and is labeled "purified salt" in a white bucket. Is this the stuff I should be using for making sausage?

Yes you can use it. I have used the same and had to cut it back by 1 Tbs for a 5 lbs batch. I only use the pure salt when doing smoked sausage.

[kfin]

So apparently this "purified" stuff is much saltier tasting.

NEPAS you said to cut it back by 1 tbsp. If using my purified, should I only use 1 tbsp per 5lb or are you talking about cutting back from 4 to 3 on a 10 lb batch?

So what type of salt do you prefer to use when making non smoked breakfast sausage?

"regular" Morton salt but non iodized......????

Thanks NEPAS and all others who have assisted here.

[kfin]

I have now been to the store and purchased a container of Morton non iodized salt.

Here is a picture of the "purified" I have been using and the new Morton salt that I just purchased.

If a recipe calls for 2 cups of salt for a 5 lb batch......are these interchangeable or would the Morton be 2 tbsp and the purified be 1 tbsp?

I am really not a total moron, :-\ but guess I don't understand which salt I should be using for if a recipe calls for "salt" and does not specify a particular kind. And throwing away sausage does not appeal to me at all.  :'(

[NePaSmoKer]

If your making the breakfast sausage, use the mortons.

[watchdog56]

This is from Mortons web site. Hope this helps;
http://mortonsalt.com/salt_guide/index.html