Chef I agree that would be really great for people trying to cut back on salt.

spicemama Yup like Tex_77 says, just cut them. You can twist them first but it isn’t going to hold them closed on the end, they are going to open back up.

Surg I may get a sous vide when my roaster burns up. But it been going strong so far.

Chef said in Jerky 102 - Equipment Needed To Make Jerky:

bocephus FOMO - fear of missing out. People just can’t resist seeing just who is calling or who is texting. They need a life. Frankly, I believe that the quality of life and of family has diminished over the years. H ell, Families don’t even sit down to a meal together anymore.

SO much for progress

FOMO is definitely one thing. Fear of disappointing is another. People now believe that they are entitled to instant results and gratification. They call (no answer), leave a voicemail, send a text (2 seconds after leaving the voicemail) and then track you down. I’ve had people in my life call/text/email repeatedly. When I finally reach back and question the behavior their reply was “out of concern for me”. What a bunch of crock!!! It is because they grew irritated at being “IGNORED”. Again people feel entitled to Instant Gratification.

glen
Interesting, something to think about trying next time.
Thanks!

Attend this Intermediate-level class from Meatgistics University by watching the video, reading the article and post any questions you have!

In Deli Meats 103 we went over some common additives that are used in commercially processed Deli Meats, most of them are harmless and are aimed at increasing the freshness of the meat, the shelf life, taste and appearance. However, most of these items are not things you are going to have in your home, or have easy access to. However, there are a few additives that are easily available and will give you a nice reformed deli meat that can be sliced almost as thin as a true deli.

It doesn’t matter if you are making homemade deli meats or buying it from the store, some sort of phosphates will almost certainly be present. The phosphates raise the pH of the meat and allow it to hold more water. Commercial processors do this because a) water is much cheaper than meat and b) consumers want cuts of meat that are juicier. We recommend you use Cold Phosphate as this will dissolve easier in cold water than some other types. An important note on phosphates is that if you are injecting it you need to mix this in first so it can suspend in the water. I’d recommend you add phosphates to any deli meat you are making but it is especially important when making low fat deli cuts.

Binders, especially in low fat cuts, are going to be very key here when making a reformed cut of deli meat. Without it you will have a hard time getting everything to stick together tight enough to let you slice it deli thin without it crumbling. Carrot Fiber isn’t a traditional binder but it holds 26 times it’s weight in water so it can help with a juiciness, if you are going to use carrot fiber, like I do in future videos, is to use it in conjunction with cold phosphate. Super Bind is going to give you carrot fiber and potato starch, so you get the best of the carrot fiber plus the potato starch forms a gel at the same temp as the meat really starts to expel water. The only problem with this is that in a homemade deli you are going to have some voids in your meat. Having no voids with a hand crank stuffer is extremely difficult and those voids will be filled with this gel. It can be very unappealing. Sure Gel or Soy protein blend can also be good choices.

Sodium Lactate is used by commercial processors to extend the shelf-life of meat products. It is sometimes used as a powder but is most often used in its liquid form. It increases the shelf life of meat products by regulating the pH of food and reduces the effects of bacteria spoilage. In its liquid form you would use it at a rate of 1.5% of your meat block, so for a 25 lb batch you would use .375 of a lb. As we sell it in gallons you can see that it would last you a long time.

Another option for deli meat can be using sodium nitrite or sure cure. We’ve talked about it exhaustively in the past but using nitrite helps fight botulism spores. Its important to use when smoking meat as you are often creating the perfect environment for the growth of botulism and other bad microorganisms. It can also assist in increasing the shelf life of the meat and preserving the color and flavor.

What Are The Safe Internal Temperatures?
For Beef, Pork, Veal and Lamb you want to cook entire pieces like steaks, chops or roasts up to 145° and cook any ground product like hamburger or ground beef up to 160°. The reasoning for this is that the center of something like a steak has been protected from being introduced to harmful bacteria by the meat on the outside, as soon as you grind that up you are potentially exposing all of it to the bacteria.

For Poultry, like chicken and turkey, you want to cook your meat until the internal temperature is 165°. This includes all cuts of poultry including the breast, legs, wings, and ground meat. This is going to kill off a large number of harmful bacteria including E. Coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus amongst other.

For Fish, including shellfish, the safe internal temperature is also 145°. There are obviously some exceptions to this like sushi and sashimi but those are made safe in other ways, mostly freezing it to a temperature that will kill any parasites that are living within the fish.

How Can You Monitor This?
The best way to ensure you are cooking your meat to the correct internal temperature is to use a digital probe thermometer. The Grilleye Pro Plus Thermometer makes monitoring your foods internal temperature easy, with this system you leave the probe in the meat through the cooking process. It communicates the temperature back to the base of the unit that sits outside the smoker or grill and this one will communicate that information back to your smartphone so you don’t even have to be able to see the base unit to monitor the temperature.

Jonathon Thanks, getting ready to process 4 hams for the first time. I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s Easter!

jeb37355 That is a personal preference honestly, I am way happier with sausages of any kind that are made of at least 50% pork, but honestly 100% is more what we do. Pork fat has qualities such as creaminess, appearance, and low taste that beef fat can’t match.

Do you know the box dimensions? Wondering if it will fit in my HHR. It gets better milage than the Suburban.