Fat Back Question


 

Don Cash

TVWBB Gold Member
I'm making my first sausages today from Charcuterie, the Mild Italians. The recipe calls for fatback but says don't get it packed in salt. I found fatback at he store and right next to it was "salt pork", which looked identical except salt was evident in the packaging. I assumed that fatback was what I needed and that the salt pork was the fatback packed in salt. When I opened the fatback at home it had a layer of salt over it (which wasn't evident in the packaging). Is this what I'm supposed to use and if not, how much salt should I leave out of the seasonings to compensate?

Thanks in advance!!

Edit: I washed the salt off before cubing the fatback.
 
No, that isn't what you are supposed to use. You're supposed to get plain ol' fatback - no salt, no cures.

No way to know how much salt to leave out as there is no way to know how much is in the fatback. If it is salt-cured fatback (and it sounds like it might be) it will be fairly salty. Not sure I'd bother with it, frankly - not really sure if it will render nicely in the sausage, but if you want to give it a shot I'd cook a little piece of it and taste it for. If salty, leave out at least half of the salt in your recipe, or more, make the mix as instructed, then fry up a bit of the mix and check its seasoning. Add more salt if needed, remix well, re-chill well, then add your liquids.
 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
No, that isn't what you are supposed to use. You're supposed to get plain ol' fatback - no salt, no cures.
I was afraid of that...Oh well, too late now. It's cubed and in the seasoning (which I halved the salt). I'll fry/taste before stuffing but this cook is going forward. Live and learn!

Thanks, Kevin!
 
For sausage fat I ask for pork fat at the meat counter of the loacal grocery store. If I need more than 5 pounds the guy usually says come back tomorrow and I'll save you some. He prices it as "suet" and I pay .99/pound for it.
This arrangement works well for me as I chunk it up and keep it in the freezer.

Ron
 
I did the exact same thing for my first batch. I didn't use it though. Instead I found a great butcher that gave me all the fat I wanted for next to nothing.

I get the concept that back fat is supposed to be firmer and less likely to smear, but I stopped bothering with it and don't have any problems.

I find a pork butt with a good cap has sufficient fat for a good sausage mix. I'm actually going leaner these days and using a 1/2 of pork loin per 2 butts for my mix.

For those that like to have a set ratio of fat to lean, I've read that they use belly and loin.
 
I get the concept that back fat is supposed to be firmer and less likely to smear,
I've never really found that to be true. The thing with fatback, it seems to me, is that it is a way to get a whole lot of fat (without the lean) in one swoop. It is - or at least was - ubiquitous at butchers, especially in the South, and so easy to walk up to the counter and buy a bunch for, say, making sausage. Shoulders, hams, etc., are (or were) usually cooked untrimmed, so a source of fat - were one not to raise one's own pigs - has always been necessary for sausage or lard making. Fatback fits the bill, and the skin is a bonus to many.
 
Originally posted by j biesinger:
I did the exact same thing for my first batch.
Thanks, Jeff. Now I don't feel so stupid...

They ended up turning out pretty darn good. Like I said in the post in the "photos forum", the texture was off a little. I'm thinking the salt cured fatback didn't "render nicely" as Kevin predicted. Also, they were kind of under salted. I cut the salt back in the recipe to compensate for the salty fatback. The test piece seemed pretty right on. A whole sausage needed more salt.

I learned a lot with this cook and the "mistake" was excellent. The Kitchen Aid grinder worked well...the stuffer, not so much (as Jeff and others have said in many posts). Time to save up for a 5 lb. stuffer...
 
The stuffer rocks. I think back to the stuff I made before it and shudder. With it (and a few technique adjustments) my texture is as good as anything I can buy.

I guess the other advantage to having separate sources for fat and lean (as opposed to marbled butt) is that you can vary the grind.
 

 

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