Home-Made Smoked Franks

[aris]

Saltpetre and pink salt are not the same thing.

Pink salt is salt mixed with nitrites and or nitrates - usually around 6.25% nitrites and the rest regular salt. Saltpetre is just Potasium nitrate.

[noxskuses]

You will not regret it Gary

We just had the last ones for dinner, and I know I will never be able to serve up skinny bouncy pink things to my lot again without some kind of mutiny.

[aris]

Saltpetre is not safe to use in fresh sausages. It is meant for sausages which cure over much longer periods - like dry cured hams or salamis. Through bacteriological action the nitrates break down into nitrites offering protection from spoilage and nasties such as botulism. Nitrates are actually a carcinogen if used incorrectly.

[noxskuses]

I've removed saltpetre from the recipe

[aris]

Use Prague cure #1. It consists of 6.25% sodium nitrite and the rest table salt. For curing purposes, they recommend a level teaspoon or 2.5g per kilo of meat. This is to fully cure something like bacon though - and you don't necessarily need that amount for something which will be consumed fresh. If you just put a teaspoon per 5kg of meat, you should still get the nice pink cured colour and tangy cured flavour it imparts. Even so, if using in sausage, i'd recommend hanging your sausage for a day or two before consuming if you will be using cure.

I don't recommend anyone uses saltpetre unless they really know what they are doing - it really is a carcinogen if not used properly.

[noxskuses]

I've removed saltpetre from the recipe.

[noxskuses]

Here's another weiner recipe I found online using Prague Cure #1.

Meats
pork shoulder 700 g
back fat 300 g

Ingredients per 1 kg of meat
salt 3 tsp.
Prague Cure #1 ½ tsp.
white pepper 1 tsp.
paprika 1 tsp.
coriander 1 tsp.
mace ⅓ tsp.
onion powder ½ tsp.
cold water 150 ml

Instructions

Grind meats & fat separately using 3/16” plate (5 mm). Grind together. Grind third time together through 1/8” (3 mm) plate.
Mix with all ingredients adding water and mix together well.
Stuff firmly into 24-26 mm sheep casings. Form 4-5” (10-12 cm) long links.
Hang for 30 minutes.
When sausages feel dry apply hot smoke 60-70º C (140-158º F) for about 60 minutes until a brown color develops.
Cook in hot water, at 75º C (167º F) until internal meat temperature reaches 154-158º F(68-70º C). This should take about 15 minutes.
Shower with cold water for 5 minutes. Keep in a refrigerator.

[Catsup and Mustard]

I make my own Bacons,hams etc and strongly advise to be very careful when using nitrite's.

I Like to use pre mixed cures (sometimes I leave a nitrites out all together) but if I do make my own Cures I stay away from saltpetre because potassium nitrate comes in powder, small crystals, and large crystal forms. Without knowing which forms some recipes out there was asking for then using a volume measure could be dangerous.

Ill post a useful Bacon cure calculator below, and please make sure you get yourself some very good measuring scales, a pinch here and there to me sounds a scary cooking practise.

http://localfoodheroes.co.uk/calculator/dry_cure_bacon/

Philip

[noxskuses]

I've removed saltpetre from the recipe in the hope we can get this thread back on topic.

The recipe was from an award-winning butcher with many years experience, so I was assuming he might know what he's talking about, but I take everyone's point.

I just hope it hasn't put anyone off making these home-made Frankfurters as they really are delicious and worth the effort.

With or without the saltpetre

[Toby]

it was a great post and you will always get google trawlers pointing things out. Keep up the good work!