Poultry sausage tips?

[Rich G]

Hey, sausage gurus! If I'm going to have any chance at regularly making up kielbasa, knockwurst, bratwurst and the like, I need to work some chicken and turkey sausage into the rotation to satisfy the missus!

Any tips from the masters of sausage to share in regard to success with poultry sausage? I'm planning to make a run at one of the Rytek Kutas recipes in the next couple of weeks. Preferred meat (thighs?), technique, prep, seasoning, etc? I'm guessing I'll probably do these as an emulsified sausage, which will be good practice for making some dogs for the current throw down!

Thanks in advance for any tips from those of you who have made turkey or chicken sausages.....if you want to throw a recipe my way, I'll take it!

Rich

 

[Mark Barton]

Rich, I've made several different chicken sausages. Here are some of my observations.

1. Keep everything very COLD. The chicken, any liquid, the grinder, bowls, etc. This probably goes without saying, but chicken is much more apt to have nasties so I'd thought I would mention it.

2. Thighs are defintely my meat of choice. Many recipes say to include the skin in the grind but I don't. Sometimes I'll use a mix of 50/50 thighs and breast, but I add some extra pork fat when I do this.

3. Since chicken has a mild flavor, I personally like to use bold seasoning. Chorizo spices work well. So do Italian herbs. Probably my favorite recipe is garlic, ginger, lemon, basil and crushed red pepper.

4. Many people like to include dried apples, bell peppers or some kind of grated hard cheese. Not my cup of tea, but you might give it a shot.

5. I always include some extra fat (10% - 15% by weight) because the sausage tends to come out grainy if I use just chicken meat. I use pork fat, butter, or olive oil... depending on the situation. Since you want to emulsify the mix, olive oil would probably work well for you. Olive oil or butter will leak out a little.

6. Chicken sausage smokes pretty well. I only tried this once, but it came out great. I kept the WSM at ~190 degrees until the sausage got up to 155. I used applewood for the smoke. (Make sure you use Instacure #1 if you are going to let it dry at room temperature before smoking.)

7. I have not had good luck with freezing fresh chicken sausage. It comes out all crumbly for me. However, I discovered that if I cook it first, then freeze it, everything turns out fine.

8. My biggest suggestion: DON'T overcook the sausage! Whether you choose to smoke it, poach it, bake it or put it in a frying pan, make sure to take it off the heat as soon as it reaches 155 degrees. Other people might have better luck, but for me the chicken sausage gets dry and grainy if I let it get over 160.

Good luck!

 

[Rich G]

Mark-

Exactly what I was looking for, and thank you!! Much of what you wrote tracks with all I have read, but it's great to get these tips/insights from someone who has done it! I always aim to keep everything very cold, including putting the grinder parts in the freezer for at least an hour, so I've got that down. I may do a test grind that includes skin just to see what it's like, as I can't quite wrap my head around it.

I wonder what the science is behind the issue with freezing fresh chicken sausage, but that's a very good tip for sure.

When I get around to this I'll definitely post back!

Thanks again, Mark!

Rich