Turkey & Chicken Habanero Sausage


 

Jim Minion

TVWBB Emerald Member
2 1/2 pounds boneless turkey thighs with skin, cut into chunks
2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs with skin, cut into chunks
3 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 tablespoon granulated garlic (4 cloves fresh garlic pressed)
1 tablespoon dried basil (2 Tablespoons fresh basil, minced)
1 tablespoon mint leaves, chrushed
2 teaspoons ground ginger (1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced fine)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 habanero , seeded and pureed
1 large egg
1/2 cup cold water or milk (optional)

1. Spread the turkey and chicken meat out on sheet pan and lightly freeze. Grind the meat through a large sausage plate. Grind in small batches.

2. Combine the salt, sugar, garlic, basil, mint, ginger, red pepper and cayenne in a small bowl and blend well. Set aside.

3. Puree the habanero and set aside.
Use care here, wear gloves and don't touch anything that you don't want to burn.

4. Place the ground meat in a large bowl with the pureed habanero. Spread the habanero out as much as possible. Add egg, it's a binder like when you make meatloaf. Mix and blend well. Add 1/3 of the seasoning mix and some of the water or milk if needed. Repeat this process until the spies are completely incororated. The water or milk is for moisture if the meat is dry, the moisture also aids in stuffing if using a sausage stuffer.


5. Cover the sausage and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Stuff, form into paties or logs.


6. Smoke, grill or fry.
Smoke with fruitwoods, it is dark meat so internals temp of 175 is called for.
 
Jim, sausage is way up there on my list of things to try. I'm gonna borrow Mom's old hand-powered-counter-clamp-mount meat grinder to give it a go.

These sound fantastic, I love habanero peppers and I enjoy a local Apple Chicken sausage.

Two questions:

1. What are ot chunks? (can't be one ton)

2. Would it adversely affect the sausage to leave out the turkey skin and/or the chicken skin? If you were to leave out one of the skins which one would you leave out?
 
Shawn
The first was bad typing and proof reading, it was into chunks.

Sausage needs fat or the texture is to dry and grainy, the skin has a layer of fat and helps with the overall texture. I have never left out either the turkey or chicken skin, I'll have to think about that one.
Jim
 
You can do it with less skin, say just the chicken's skin, but not really without. It's a must for fat and texture; the fat is what really carries and blends the flavors.

For those without a meat grinder, a processor can be put to good use here. Separate the skin from the meat and put the skin in the freezer while you cut the meat up to give it a head start on freezing. (It helps to lay the skin out on wax paper on a cookie sheet.) Cut your meat and place separately in the freezer. Remove a few pieces of semi-frozen skin from the freezer, stack them, and using your sharpest knife, chop as finely as you can. Work quickly as the skin becomes more difficult to chop as it thaws. Return the chopped skin to the freezer and repeat with the rest of the skin till all is chopped.

Process a small portion of the meat with all of the skin, scraping down the processor's bowl several times as you go. Make sure the skin is very, very fine. Remove the contents to a large bowl. Process the meat, in batches, pulsing the processor and scraping down the sides of the bowl, till finely chopped but short of turning to mush; add to the bowl with the skin; blend well; continue with the recipe.
 
ot chunks: was racking my brain trying to figure out what 'ot' stood for, one tablespoon was my best guess ... <chuckle> it didn't occur to me it was a typo, thanks for clarifying Jim

Kevin thanks for the info and the process. That helps too. I can try it with my food processor instead of waiting until I get to Mom's house for the food grinder.

I think I should try the recipe as is first. When I think about chicken thighs I have seen in the store they are usually boneless-skinless or bone-in with skin. Ones with skin on usually aren't trimmed so well, perhaps there is more skin in the package than meat, but I can figure that out. As a starting point would you say to use about 1/2 the amount of skin per amount of meat by volume? (For example, 2 C meat 1 C skin.) Or just use all of the skin I get?

The only thing I was wondering about with the turkey skin is those 'feather ends' (don't know the right word), you know, those big bumps under the skin from large feathers that you dig out when prepping a bird. But I can figure that out too.

Last question, do you include any poultry fat you find in your package in the grind or do you discard it because the fat from the skin and dark meat is sufficient?
 
I'd try the recipe as is first as well--offers you a good reference point. I buy bone-in thighs and bone them myself. Your ratio looks right to me, 2:1, though I've used a wider spread before and liked it, probably 3:1.

I use the fat in the package though will cut out some if it seems excessive. Unlike some other sausage recipes that include binders like bread or rice or vegetables or fruits (onion, apple)that will absorb some fat. this recipe does not, so you might cut some fat if desired. However, the fat will render as it cooks; in fact, you run the risk of a drier end-product if overcooked.

I like the look of the recipe very much. Simple, and the taste that I'm getting when I put it all together in my head is delicious. I plan to do it as soon as I can.

Note that if you do the 'grinding' in the processor, it's important to get the skin very fine. The pieces will not break down when cooked, as meat fibers will. Any larger pieces will be just as they are: rubbery, chewy, rather unpleasant.
 
Looks like an excellent recipe Jim. Have you ever tried adding encapsulated citric acid to this recipe to give it that tang summer sauage taste. Going to definetly give this a try!!
 
If I were to smoke this, would it be the same as bacon? Low heat smoke? I don't want to cook all the way.
 

 

Back
Top