CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MEAT PRODUCT AND MEAT PREPARATION MANUFACTURE -
A CONTINUING AND ONGOING DEVELOPMENT
(Including Some Sample Recipes)
Recipes do vary from country to country and even from region to region within a country and no list of recipes can be taken to be exhaustive. Included here are just a few suggested basic recipes gathered over a longish period of time and which may be of interest to those involved with meat processing. In view of the ever changing nature of legislation relating to the description (and indeed in some cases the content) of meat products and preparations, the reader is advised to make the necessary checks that for the sale of any products which are going to be made, the demands of legislation which may be current at that time is being met for those products which are being made.
Recipes in themselves are constant. The quantities of each item remain quite constant in ratio to each other for each ingredient but the total quantities of each ingredient in the recipe can vary depending upon the total finished quantity of product aimed at. In the sample recipes included here, the quantities used are quite small (generally too small for large production purposes, the base usually being a single weight unit, in the main, metric weights to conform with more modern weighing) but these may be expanded as needed for the production involved.
Before discussing the recipes themselves though it is necessary to briefly consider some of the ingredients (other than meat) that may be used in the products. Herbs, seasonings, spices and fillers are often taken for granted but they can, in themselves, be quite an interesting subject to study.
Herbs, Spices & Seasonings
In the recipes that follow later, the seasonings have been given in quantities for the various individual products. However, quite often some recipes (NOT those shown here) will require a given quantity of ‘stock seasoning’. Stock seasonings are seasonings that are used quite regularly and, to aid the operator, a larger quantity of seasoning is prepared in advance following the basic recipe requirements. Once prepared, it may only be necessary to say (using as an example, in the Beef Sausage No.2 recipe) that a mix of 6kg of meat requires a total of 500g of seasoning. This ‘bulk mixing’ eliminates an element of time for weighing out each individual seasoning for the product. In using this example it would be possible to mix say, 2.8 kg of salt, 2.1 kg of Ground White Pepper, 700g of Ground Nutmeg and 350g each of Ground Ginger, Ground Mace, Ground Sage and Ground Cayenne. This would give a stock of 7 kg of stock seasoning, enough for about 14 mixes of sausages. It can save time but it can also lead to errors. In the example given, the quantities of Ginger, Mace and Cayenne are comparatively quite small and if the mixing isn’t quite as good as it needs to be or if one of the seasonings tends to ’settle’ during storage it may lead to any individual sample of the mix receiving quantities which don’t quite match the quantities in the recipe. Will this today’s batch be the same as tomorrow’s batch? It may indeed be quite similar, or it may be significantly different. Is the risk worth it? Some people do believe in stock seasonings and some people say that it does work. It is up to the individual to decide if they feel confident with such a system, or is it perhaps better to just take a little more time and trouble to get the recipe right every time.
This section will give some brief information on the various herbs, spices and seasonings but they are not separated out into sections of herbs – spices and seasonings. Salt (sodium chloride), while being a very definite seasoning is quite separate as a mineral in its own rights and is again not included in the list. In general it can be taken that ‘herbs’ are generally the fresh leaves, flowers or seeds of various plants. ‘Spices’ (and to a large extent, ‘seasonings’) are the dried, and perhaps ground down versions of some of the herbs. Any of the dried spices and seasonings may be very much subject to ‘ageing’ and it is best not to stock large quantities of any of these items, preferably obtaining fresh supplies on a regular basis since the effect of ageing may often be a noticeable loss in flavour.
Bay Leaves
These are the leaves of a small evergreen bush that grows throughout Great Britain and they contain a volatile oil that has quite a pleasant odour. They are best used fresh although quite often they are obtained in the dried form that unfortunately has lost a certain amount of flavour. Mainly they are used in brines but they may also be used where meat is being cooked but care should be taken to ensure their removal from the cooking prior to any further process.
Black Pepper (& White Pepper) [Whole, Ground or Crushed]
These are a product usually from more tropical areas of the world notably Malay, Singapore, Penang and the West Indies. The Black pepper is the fruit of a climbing plant piper nigrum and is then dried before being sold either whole or as a crushed or ground product (Crushed pepper and ground pepper are similar but the breaking is carried out to provide a seasoning being required for slightly different purposes). White Pepper These are produced from the same plant but are a more mature version, again being dried prior to use.
Cayenne
Sometimes referred to as Cayenne Pepper it is prepared mainly from Capsicum minimum and capsicum annuum that are dried and ground.
Cardamon
This is prepared from the seeds of the plant Elettaria cardamomum that is found around the Indian sub-continent. The seeds are ground and are used sparingly in some Continental type sausages
Celery Seeds
These are the dried fruits of the celery plant Apium graveolens. That is usually imported from Southern Europe and India. Their main use is in items such as liver sausage although it is a useful spice to try with some other products. Care must be taken to ensure that it is ‘celery seeds’ that are used and NOT celery salt. The latter is merely some ground celery seed mixed with salt and has a much less pronounced flavour but does increase the saltiness of the product.
Cinnamon
This is obtained from the dried inner bark of the stems of Cinnamomum zeylancium that is again found in the Indian sub-Continent. It is used occasionally in some cooked pork products.
Cloves
These are the dried flower buds from the plant Eugenia caryophyllata that comes from Zanzibar, Madagascar and Penang. These are quite often used ‘studded’ into the outside when baking hams while the ground cloves are useful for including in brawn, black puddings and occasionally in liver sausage.
Coriander
This is the herb Coriandrum sativum and the seeds of the plant are dried and may be used whole or ground. It is a useful spice and can be used in a number of sausages, namely good quality pork sausages and frankfurters. The leaves of the plant are best used fresh when possible and can be included in products such as brawns and some potted meats
Garlic
This is the bulb of the plant Allium sativum and is obtained from many of the countries bordering the Mediterranean areas as well as South America and the Indian Sub-Continent. It is well know as a powerful seasoning agent and is essential in many Continental type products and can, if used sparingly; also provide piquancy to some English products.
Ginger
This is a part of the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officianale Roscoe that is found in the West Indies, India and parts of Africa. Although the ground version is useful in adding a ‘little extra’ to many pork products and sausages, some shredded ginger may also be occasionally tried in brawns and potted meats.
Juniper Berries
These are the dried fruits of the coniferous shrub Juniperus communis that can be found in the British Isles. Once again, their general use is in the makeup of brines.
Mace & Nutmeg
Both of these are obtained from the fruit of the tree Myristica fragrans. This tree can be found in Penang, Sumatra Java and the West Indies. The fruit once ripe, splits into two parts, the redder outer part called the ‘arillus’ and in the centre there is a brown seed. The arillus is stripped away and dried to form mace while the seeds after drying are cracked open to reveal inside the nutmeg. Although from the same plant the two seasonings are different and each one deserves the respect due for the flavours that they can impart.
Marjoram
This is obtained from the leaves of the plant Marjorana hortensis that is found in the British Isles. The leaves again may be used in many pork products either fresh or in sausages when dried and ground.
Mint
Mint is a genus of about 25 species (and many hundreds of sub species or varieties) of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae (Mint Family). Many of the species have a distribution across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. The leaf, fresh or dried, is the usual source of mint for cooking. Fresh mint is usually preferred to dried mint where possible but is usually found to be quite acceptable. Mint is not widely used in manufactured products but its distinctive taste does lend itself on some occasions. In British cookery though, mint sauce is quite popular with lamb.
Mustard.
Mustard flour is a product of the ground seeds of the mustard plants Brassica sinapioides (Black Mustard) and Brassica Alba Boissier (white mustard). These plants are grown in many countries around the world. The products of this substance are sometimes used in some sausages but can be quite volatile and should be used with some care.
Onion
This is the bulb of the plant of the lily family Allium cepa. Often described as being a ‘vegetable’ rather than a herb it is a fact that without the distinctive flavour that the onion can give, many foods would become less interesting. Its use is invaluable in many products both as fresh, diced onion, dried kibbled onion and as onion powder.
Pimento
Pimento is also known as allspice, which is in itself quite a misnomer since that name implies that it is a mixture of many spices while in fact it is actually the berry of the tree, Pimenta officinalis that is grown mainly in the West Indies. This is a different spice to the American Pimento (also sometimes mistakenly called allspice) that is a form of Paprika. The ground Pimento spice is used in many Continental type sausages.
Pistachio
This is a product of the tree Pistacia vera that grows around the Mediterranean area and when dried and ground can be very useful in products such as galantines. The production of galantines can be quite complex, almost ‘works of art’ in some cases and while they may be of some interest to some meat producers of fine cooked meats, the modern demand is very limited and recipes for this kind of product has not been included in the appendix. They can however provide a definite impact when prepared and displayed properly.
Rosemary
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the many parts of Europe. It is also a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs. The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in many meat products and other cookery as a herb; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which complements a wide variety of foods. Again, like mint, Rosemary is a popular accompaniment to Roast lamb.
Sage
The plant Salvia officinalis is grown in the British Isles and the leaves may be used in the production of sausages and stuffing mixes, usually in the dried form but provided that they are ‘well chopped’ before use they can provide a very useful product.
Thyme
Another plant grown in the British Isles, Thymus vulgaris is, like sage a product that can be used either in the fresh or the dried form but once again it is the leaf that is being used and if used fresh, it must be chopped well before use.
Truffles
These are an edible fungus but the English type is Tuber aestivum and is usually found near the roots of trees where they are hidden under leaf mould. These are quite an expensive product and while they may be useful in some game products their use in general meat production is limited by their cost.
Binders
Cereal binders used in English sausages are added to the meat mix along with water and seasonings in order to ‘bind’ together the meat in the sausage and, to some extent, to absorb some of the residual fats & juices coming from the meat content of the sausage. A further factor that is associated with the binder is that of helping to reduce the overall manufacturing costs of the sausage. This latter point though should ideally be of only a marginal consideration since, all binders do, to some extent, carry some of the cereal flavour into the sausage and it is pointless to produce a sausage that no one wishes to buy or eat at a very low cost merely by using an excess of binder. The quantity of binder permitted (or more accurately the meat content) of the sausage is quite strictly controlled by legislation and even when used at permissible levels some ‘taste’ carried from some of the cereals may be noticeably detectable. Binders do have their uses but to use theme simply to produce a ’cheap’ product is simply a means of reducing demand and their sales growth. In a similar way, during many cooking processes, ‘cornflour’ is often used as a thickening agent to sauces and soups but while definitely achieving the target of thickening, cornflour can be quite easily detected in the taste of the finished product where it has been used excessively. In saying all of this though, binders in themselves have a taste which can be quite pleasing to the palate and, when mixed with appropriate seasonings and meat they can enhance the overall flavour of the sausages. The binders do have another characteristic that can be a critical point in sausage manufacture. They do absorb water (and meat juices) and this factor must be evaluated along with the individual taste factors of the various binders as the moisture and meat juices can help to develop some of the succulence of the sausage in its entirety.