Here are a few things you might find useful when making this sausage
- Chef Knife – KOTAI (for 15% off use discount code – 2guys )
- Breville Sous Chef Food Processor
- MK4 Thermapen (Accurate Thermometer)
- Sausage Pricker
- Meat Grinders
- Meat Mixers
- Small accurate Scale for spices
- Large Capacity Scale (33 pounds)
- Custom Cutting Board
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Brain Sausage
Flavorful and Unctuous with a delicate texture
How much do you want to make? 1000 grams
Ingredients
- 250 g beef brains
- 450 g pork shoulder
- 200 g back fat
- 100 g pork skin
- 16 g salt
- 2 g white pepper
- .5 g ginger
- .5 g all spice
- 3 g garlic powder
- 2 g nutmeg
- 30 g chopped onion
- 30 g potato starch this ingredient is added at the end of the process. Don't mix it with the other spices.
- 120 g cold pork stock from cooking the skins this should be gelatinized due to the collagen in the pork skin
- 60 ml ice cold water
Instructions
Prepare the pork skin and stock
- In a small pot add your pork skin and enough water to cover it. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours. I added a little chicken stock for flavor but that's optional. Add water as necessary to keep the water from evaporating out.
- Strain out the pork skin and reserve the stock for later. You will want the stock cold for the emulsification step.
Prepare the Sausage
- Clean the meat from any sinew and arteries. Remove the thin membrane from around the brain. Cut the meat, brain, and fat into cubes that are small enough to fit into your grinder. Place everything into the freezer to chill. You want the meat to be below 32f (0c) before you grind.
- Grind the pork meat, the brain, onions, and skin together on a 6mm plate and then grind the fat separately through a 6 mm plate. Rechill. Keep the meat and fat separate. You want the temp of your meat and fat below 32f (0c) during this next stage.
- In a food processor with sharp blades, mix the chilled meat mixture, the gelatinous pork stock, and the spices. Do not add the binder at this step. Chop for 30-45 seconds. Scrape the sides of the bowl down. Add the ice-cold water and chop another 30 seconds. The temperature needs to remain below 45f (7.2c) during this initial chopping stage.
- After the meat has been chopped and looks like a smooth paste add the partially frozen fat and as well as the binder. Chop for another 30 seconds. Take the temperature. During this final chopping stage, the temperature needs to remain below 55f (13c)
- Scrape your bowl down with a spatula, and chop till the mixture looks homogenous (another 30 seconds or so). KEEP THE TEMPERATURE BELOW 55f (13c). If the temperature rises above 55f you will run the risk of your emulsion splitting.
- Stuff into your casings.
Cook your sausage
- To poach the brain sausage: Place the sausage in 170F (76.6c) – 173F (78.3c) water and cook till the internal temp reaches 155F (68.3c).
- To cook sous vide: Set the water bath to 145f (62.7c) and cook for 2 hours
- After it's cooks, cool it down in an ice water bath and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy
To reheat this sausage
- I like to prepare a water bath with chicken stock and gently heat these sausages in that stock. To serve I will have the sausages in a bowl with the chicken stock they were heated in (to keep them warm)
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Thanks for another series, great as usual, cheers from Canada !!
You are very welcome
I am a great fan of you and your series. I learn a lot. I am a sausage teacher too. Thank you very much.
Thank you