Keeping the meat moist

[Luebke1219]

I was wondering what do you do or use to keep the meat moist. I made sticks and the meat came out dry. Does the cure help to retain water in the meat? How much water do you add per pound?

[craigrice]

what type of binder did you use , how much water did you add during mixing? meatgistics university has a video on seasonings and additives

[Jonathon]

Luebke1219 You’ll want to add a binder like sure gel for cured sausage like snack sticks or summer sausage. That will help for sure. Other important tips are a minimum of 20% fat content, mix till you get protein extraction to prevent fat rendering and add about 1-1.5 qt of water per 25 lb batch of meat.

[Luebke1219]

I only make 5 lb batches. How much water do you recommend per pound? I never tried a binder. I only used the cure and ECA. If I use the sure gel do you add it right away in mixing or last minute? Does it still have to sit to cure or cook right away? Do I add water to my cooking process and if so when?

[Jonathon]

Luebke1219 If you are using a binder then I recommend about 1/4 of a cup of water per lb of meat. Make it just above 1/2 that if you do not use a binder. Binders go in at the same time as the seasoning, good question though, shows you understand ECA. Since you are using ECA you can go right to cooking. I add water and all ingredients aside from ECA and Cheese right at the beginning of the mixing process. For water… are you talking about finishing your product in water or are you talking about adding it to the meat. If you mean finishing in water or if you mean adding humidity both are covered here pretty well https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1099/cured-sausage-205-advanced-thermal-processing

[Luebke1219]

What is the best binder to use to help keep it moist? I see there is Alot of options on the walton website.

[Luebke1219]

I am going to go with the carrot fiber binder but it doesn’t say how much to use in a 5 lb batch. Can you let me know how much to use?

[dbarbour]

4oz per 25 Lbs = 0.8 oz per 5lbs.

[Luebke1219]

I am trying to figure out the amount of water I need to add to my batch of 5 lbs. Above Johnathan explains it but I don’t have any binder in it. This batch I am doing eca and cure. He said 1/4 cup per pound using binder but with no binder how much should I use?

[caryfr5]

Luebke1219 I have been making jerkey for 10 years. summer sausage for about a year. and my latest, snacksticks. I follow Waltons instructions to a T, and never ruined a batch! M first attemp at sticks is a bit moist for me, but all taste testers say best they ever had! 12 oz. water to 5 lbs. Also, my Pit Boss vertical has a HUGE water pan!..Keep on it!

[caryfr5]

Luebke1219 sure gel binder, for sure!

[caryfr5]

Luebke1219 sure gel!

[rich]

1oz.per lb works good for me

[Jonathon]

Luebke1219 Carrot fiber for fresh product (brat/breakfast) Sure Gel for cured like Summer Sausage or Snack Sticks

[Leland]

What to do if the sausage mixture is too stiff? 10 LBs italian mixture with sun dried tomatoes and cheese, basil. 1 1/2 cups of wine and 137 grams of super bind. i’m ready to stuff but i think it will never come out of the stuffer. can i just keep adding water till i get a wet consistency?

[YooperDog]

Leland fresh or cured sausage? Your cook schedule might take more time from my experience. I have done it in the past and that is my experience with cured. With fresh they will be a bit more juicy but be careful with adding to much water.

[Leland]

its a fresh sausage ,then i was going to smoke some just to see what its like. what happens if it has too much water ?thanks yooperdog

[smokinbubba]

Leland said in Keeping the meat moist:

What to do if the sausage mixture is too stiff? 10 LBs italian mixture with sun dried tomatoes and cheese, basil. 1 1/2 cups of wine and 137 grams of super bind. i’m ready to stuff but i think it will never come out of the stuffer. can i just keep adding water till i get a wet consistency?

I don’t measure my water when making sausage. I add water till it looks right. Meaning I have proper protein extraction if required and thin enough to get thru the stuffer. Try adding water till the meat is shined and glistening. The longer you mix, the drier it gets to a point.

[Leland]

thanks ,smokinbubba i’ll do that and do a trial run on the smoker .

[YooperDog]

Leland it is how the finished cooked product turns out in fresh. For me it is like a soggy brat/sausage. You need water/liquid to bind but not so much to make a slurry. Sometimes I need to add more water because I know from experience it is needed or if I let some fresh mix sit overnight I know it will need some water to get through the stuffing process.