Tips & Tricks

• 

  White Crystals or Powder on Jerky
  • Jonathon  

  1
  1
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  48
  Views

  

  Meat Fact Friday - White Crystals or Powder on Jerky Join us every Friday when we share an interesting and helpful fact about meat or meat processing and how that can effect your product! What are the White Crystals on Jerky? Most of the time this isn’t really something to worry about as all it is is the salt, sugar or tyrosine which is an amino acid being pushed out of the interior of the meat as the jerky dries. The salt is soluble in the water and oils of the meat so as the water is removed from the meat the salt no longer has anything to be bound up in and it is deposited on the outside of the meat in the form of dry white powder or crystals. How to Prevent it from happening To prevent this from happening you can make sure that you are using the correct amount of seasoning or salt in your jerky as an overabundance of salt is the main cause of this. Another common reason for this to happen is overdried jerky, so if you are seeing this all of the time try adjusting your drying times. Also, you can make sure your jerky is at or below room temperature before packaging it. What else could it be? Now, there is also a small chance that this could be mold. A good way to make sure it is not mold is to vacuum seal your product after it has been dried, mold needs the presence of oxygen to grow so if you see the white crystals or powder on the surface of the meat while it is vacuum packed you can be assured it is not mold. Removing it You can wipe it away with a damp towel if the appearance is something that really bothers you. This might be somewhat difficult depending on the level of dryness and texture of your jerky. Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Stuffers Shop waltonsinc.com for Meat Slicers
• 

  Why Use Pork Fat?
  • Jonathon  

  1
  2
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  110
  Views

  

  Meat Fact Friday - Why Use Pork Fat? Join us every Friday when we share an interesting and helpful fact about meat or meat processing and how that can effect your product! Why Add Fat When making any type of sausage out of leaner cuts we always recommend that you add pork fat. Fat plays a few important roles in sausage making including binding, flavor, and texture, wild game or lean cuts just don’t have enough fat to give you a quality sausage. You can add other types of fats but pork fat does have some characteristics that make it uniquely suited for use in sausage. 1) Best Creaminess First pork has the lowest melting and solidifying temperature of any of the major red meat fat sources. This is part of the reason that it has such a nice creaminess to it, this helps coat the inside of your mouth when you are eating it and allows the flavors from the sausage to linger longer. As you can see here the texture of this pork fat is much different than the beef fat. Now, part of that is the pork is belly fat and the beef is fat I trimmed from the round but the larger portion of it is the general difference between beef and pork fat. 2) Appearance Second Pork Fat is a nice Bright white color making it very appealing in products like Summer Sausage, Pepperoni or Salami where we are really looking for particle definition. Beef fat tends to have a light yellowness to it that just doesn’t pop as well as the pork fat does. The only other red meat fat that I am aware of that is as nice and white is goat and that brings us to another reason, flavor. 3) Flavor Pork fat has a very neutral flavor to it meaning that it won’t interfere with the flavor of your sausage much, if at all. Beef fat tends to have a pretty strong beefy flavor which isn’t necessarily unpleasant but it is strong. Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Stuffers Shop waltonsinc.com for Meat Slicers
• 

  Meat Fact Friday - Using Cold Meat
  • Jonathon  

  1
  1
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  56
  Views

  

  Meat Fact Friday - Using Cold Meat Join us every Friday when we share an interesting and helpful fact about meat or meat processing and how that can effect your product! Using Cold Meat When making homemade meat snacks like Jerky, Summer Sausage or Snack Sticks at home it is important that you keep the meat as cold as possible before and during processing. This isn’t only to keep the meat out of the “danger zone” that zone between 40 and 140° F that bacteria will grow most rapidly, though this is important. The other reason is that it is going to make things easier and give you a better-finished product. Slicing When slicing jerky a cold almost frozen piece of meat will slice much easier, cleaner and more consistent than a warmer piece of meat. It will help prevent the meat from “tailing” where it fails to cut through the back edge of the meat and creates what looks like a tail on the piece of meat that is on the carriage. Grinding When grinding meat for Sausage you will notice that close to frozen meat will grind much quicker than warm meat. This might be surprising but it is giving the auger a more solid surface to push down the throat of the grinder and towards the plate and knife. This is especially effective on the second grind of meat where we are typically using a plate with smaller holes as well as trying to force already broken down meat towards the plate and knife. Since the meat is in a much softer form at this point it has a tendency to spill back over the auger instead of traveling forward as it should. On a second grind, you can often finish 2 to 3 times faster when your product is ice cold vs when it has just been taken out of the refrigerator Stuffing You will notice a significant difference when you are stuffing your sausage into casings. This happens because as you cool the meat especially the fat, it becomes less sticky. This means it will take less energy to turn the crank and push the meat through the tube and into the casing, not only will it be easier to stuff but your meat will be less likely to cause problems inside the casing as well. Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Stuffers Shop waltonsinc.com for Meat Slicers
• 

  Top 5 Mistakes Made When Making Homemade Snack Sticks!
  • Jonathon  

  7
  0
  Votes
  7
  Posts
  65232
  Views

  

  That’s a great question but a difficult one to answer! Usually, Worcestershire Sauce will have a pH of 3.6 - 4.1 while Soy Sauce has 4.4 - 5.4. Negative pH (below 7) can cause denaturing in your meat and if you have something like the 3.6 (low range of the Worcestershire Sauce) it can cause issues even when added in smaller amounts. If you look at the ingredients in Mandarin Teriyaki Snack Stick or Sweet Teriyaki Jerky (you can do this by scrolling down and then clicking on “Additional Info” button) you will see Soy Sauce as an ingredient, so it can absolutely be added, it just needs to be in the correct amount. This is a major reason that we recommend prepackaged seasonings, your at home recipe can be wonderful but it also has the potential to destroy your products. So, if you are going to experiment with Sauces with a negative pH then my advice is to start at very low concentrations and work your way up till you find a good amount that provides the taste you are looking for and does not negatively affect your finished product. Anyone else have any suggestions?
• 

  Using Your Grinder To Stuff Sausage
  • Jonathon  

  3
  0
  Votes
  3
  Posts
  1577
  Views

  

  @parksider Agreed, if you are doing test batches it will work, it’s not my favorite thing to do as it takes longer but it absolutely does work. What sized grinder are you stuffing off of?
• 

  Cooking Bacon With Water
  • Jonathon  

  1
  0
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  524
  Views

  

  Meat Hacks: Cooking Bacon With Water? Learn about Cooking Bacon With Water with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below. Meat Hacks Adding Water to the Pan for Bacon? Few things are better than waking up to the delicious smell of frying bacon. However, if you cook it in a pan you get splattering everywhere and if you cook it in the oven you almost have to run the clean oven cycle when you are done. Recently there has been a lot of talk about using an old trick when making burgers on a stove and that is adding water to the pan. It is supposed to reduce splattering and make everything easier to clean up. Sounds like a great excuse to cook up some bacon to me! So the first step is to get your bacon in the pan before it is hot, then since we are cooking it in water the salt is going to leech out a little so I recommend you sprinkle a salty seasoning like the Signature Pork Seasoning or one of Excalibur’s Rump Rubs, I did the St Louis Rub and it was excellent. Next, add enough water so the bottom of the pan is completely covered, you can add more to where the bacon is covered but then you have to wait around for all that water to boil off. I tried both methods and found the greatly reduced cook time from covering just the bottom of the pan was well worth the tiny amount of extra clean up that was necessary. Then you can follow a fairly normal process for cooking the bacon. I started it out on high at around 450° until most of the water had evaporated and then reduced the temp down to about 380 until the bacon was nice and crispy. I was fearful that I was going to end up with something that was either totally floppy or tasted just like ham but it retained its flavor, though a little less salty than it would have been just in the pan and you can cook it as crisp as you want. So, would I do this again? Absolutely! And I have been, I have been cooking bacon all day here playing around with this method and trying different things out. So a couple quick tips, thicker slices will perform a little better, if you want a salty bacon then sprinkle on a seasoning with a good salt content like the signature pork rub and once the water is cooked off reduce the heat a little, it will take slightly longer but it seems to improve the texture. Subscribe to WaltonsTV Make sure you subscribe to WaltonsTV and remember to tap the bell next to the subscribed button to get notified about all new videos, plus like and comment on this video, and visit waltonsinc.com and meatgistics.com to find Everything But The Meat! Subscribe to Meatgistics Easily subscribe to any category or topic on the Meatgistics community site by clicking the green “Subscribe” button to get an email each time a new post is made! Shop waltonsinc.com for Bacon Cures Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Stuffers Subscribe to WaltonsTV on YouTube Broil King XL Pellet Grill Terrapin Ridge Apple Maple Bacon Jam
• 

  5 quick tips for making great Homemade Jerky
  • Jonathon  

  1
  0
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  1799
  Views

  

  5 quick tips for making great Homemade Jerky Hey guys it’s Jon from Meatgistics. Jerky, whether it’s made from beef, venison or any other type of wild game, is a great way to make sure you always have a healthy snack around. Read this article to see 5 easy tips to make sure your homemade Jerky comes out amazing! #1 Make sure your equipment is clean This is an obvious one but it is one that many people overlook and is especially true if you are using wild game. If you have dirty equipment or a processing area bacteria will grow on it. Bacteria then gets into your meat and starts spoiling it, you can kill the bacteria but you can not fix spoiled meat by cooking it. Some of the bacteria associated with spoiled meat can reproduce incredibly quickly, doubling their numbers in under an hour. # 2 Cut Cold and Against the Grain If you have ever tried to slice warm, uncooked meat thin then you will appreciate the necessity of slicing your jerky meat when it is still a little frozen, if it has some ice crystals in it that is still better than trying to cut it when it is warm. Also cut against the grain, this will make for a much easier to chew finished jerky which will in turn feel more tender. Aim for pieces around 1/4" thick, if you have a good deli slicer this is the perfect time to use it. # 3 Air flow is very important If you don’t have a dehydrator then you can dehydrate your jerky in the oven but you need to make sure it has the correct amount of air flow. The easiest way to do this is just to crack the door. We recommend using a combination of an over and a dehydrator, start it off in the oven and then move to the dehydrator once the meat has reached 160°F. Most dehydrators will not get your meat to 160°. # 4 Use a pre-packaged seasoning I know a lot of people want to use the family recipe but companies like Excalibur are around for a reason. They spend years perfecting their seasoning and spice blends to ensure that it has the correct amount of salt, spices and cures to give you the best possible product. They have a large variety of jerky seasonings with everything from the classics like Colorado Jerky seasoning to Habanero Lime! # 5 Marinate overnight or vacuum tumble for 30 minutes Once you have sliced your jerky and used the correct amount of seasoning you need to make sure that you let it marinate for the appropriate amount of time. Usually 12 hours or overnight will allow the cure to penetrate and keep the meat safe through the dehydrating process. If you have a access to a vacuum tumbler then you only need to let it vacuum tumble for about 30 minutes, this is because the combination of being under a vacuum and the impact energy from the tumbler will pull the muscle fibers apart and let the cure penetrate much faster. So there are 5 good tips to keep in mind when making Jerky. If you have questions on what might be causing a specific problem for you leave us a comment and we will get back to you, or you can always follow me on here and send me a private chat if you’d prefer to not post your question so everyone can see it! Shop waltonsinc.com for Dehydrators Shop waltonsinc.com for Jerky Seasonings Shop waltonsinc.com for Sausage Seasonings Shop waltonsinc.com for Meat Additives Shop waltonsinc.com for Grinders Steak and Roast Rub Jaccard Tenderizer
• 

  10 tips for grilling the perfect steak!
  • Jonathon  

  3
  0
  Votes
  3
  Posts
  1485
  Views

  D

  Sous Vide is the only way we cook steaks. There is no more perfect way to get the proper internal temperatures in a fine ribeye. Put meat in a zipper bag full of seasonings, and squeeze out the air. Even a tough ribeye is tenderized by leaving it in the controlled water temperature a little longer. 1 hour for a USDA prime, 2 for choice and 3 for grass fed at 129 degrees. We finish the steaks in a hot cast iron skillet with some bacon and sausage drippings left over from breakfast. Zero grey meat under the surface of the steak.
• 

  Top 5 Health Benefits of Processing your Meat at Home
  • Jonathon  

  1
  0
  Votes
  1
  Posts
  1480
  Views

  

  Health Benefits of Processing your Meat at home It is well-known that eating meat products can provide many health benefits and nutrients in our diets. However, many times we are shopping at the grocery store we do not stop and look at what is in a meat product, what the fat ratio is, or what the proportions are. We simply grab an item off the shelf and go on our way. Making homemade sausage, jerky, snack sticks, summer sausage, hams, bacon, and so many other meat products can be done easily at home in a healthier process without sacrificing taste or flavor, and many times you can improve or customize the flavor to fit your distinct palate. Here are our top five reasons why you should begin taking control of what goes into your meat products and making your own homemade sausage, jerky, and other meat snacks from home.” #1. You control what goes into your product. You have probably heard the saying that if you enjoy sausage you don’t want to see how it’s made. This saying is referring to the questionable portions of the cow or pig that processors used to put into sausages (cheeks, lips, etc.), this is not as much of an issue now but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still learn something from this saying. One of my main issues with purchasing a snack stick, summer sausage or other type of processed meat product at the grocery store are the ingredients. When I make my bratwursts or snack sticks at home I control exactly what is going into them, for example I know my chicken brats have 100% chicken breast along with carrot fiber, no other fillers and no preservatives, so if I am tracking my calories its super simple to do. I know the nutritional value of each and every brat, same goes for anything I make out of pork butt or shoulder. I control how much fat, cheese and salt goes into each one and I know that all premium ingredients were used, no old or questionable meat was processed into my food. #2. Conscientiously Consuming Calories. Something interesting happened when I started making more and more of my own food, I started to become much more conscious of exactly how many calories were in everything I was eating, whether I bought it at the grocery store, ordered it at a restaurant our made it myself. When I started doing this I had three basic goals for everything I made, I wanted options that had a good balance of taste to calories, a healthy fat content and I wanted everything to be easy to make. Now I weigh the health versus taste benefits of almost everything I put into my body. Even meat snacks I make myself I’ll find myself asking do I really need to add 20% pork fat to this venison sausage or can I get away using a binder, is the pork fat going to make it that much better? Or, if I’m already making a pork brat, do I really need to add cheese and therefore more fat to this? Asking yourself these questions is important, they can be a great way to balance the calories with the taste of the product. #3. Paying attention to portion sizes. Another thing I hate about buying meat products from the store are the portions. For example, if I bought two store store brand bratwursts, each one is 4 ounces but I only really need to eat 6 oz to fill my nutritional and hunger needs…well if I make two Brats then two Brats are what I am going to eat! Those other 2 ounces that I did not need or even particularly want but still ate are the reason most of us are carrying around 5, 10 or more pounds than we should be. It is also the main reason why I make my homemade brats into smaller portions. I use 28 mm casings, which is smaller diameter than the 32 mm you normally use, and I make them shorter than what you see in the store. You wont even notice it being thinner than the store bought kind and with them shorter and thinner you can probably have 3 of those instead of 2 store bought ones. Your brain will see that third one and be convinced you are getting more even if the total weight you consume is the same or even less. #4. You’ll have more fun! Processing your own food can make healthy eating fun! I know that sounds like an oxymoron but we have an incredibly wide variety of seasonings available at Waltonsinc.com, have you ever seen a Habanero Mango, Supreme Pizza or Reuben Flavored bratwurst in your supermarket? Processing at home allows you try out all sorts of flavors that you would otherwise never have access to. It took us a long time to find out which seasonings worked best with chicken for brats or to marinate extremely lean beef in but we made sure we kept notes on what worked and what did not and ended up having a great time. There is also a great feeling of pride that comes from people saying that your sausages taste better than what they buy at the store! #5. It will keep you active. Instead of just plopping down money at the store for something someone else went through the effort to make you will be the one cutting, grinding and stuffing. This might not burn a ton of calories in an of itself but staying active is almost always healthier than laying around on the couch right? Homemade Burger Camping Snacks