Sausages

[RayandCarole]

Well we have always been staunch supporters of the local butcheries for our meat and meat products however recently we have noticed that the sausages supplied by all our local butchers have always turned out to be hard and dry after cooking. 

we are not cooking them any different to what we have always done, but regret to say the supermarket premium offerings cooked the same way always come out moist and juicy  

What has changed with the butchers ?

Ray & Carole

[Hockham Admiral]

They must be using much lower fat pork, Ray.

[RayandCarole]

Could be right John, government nanny state trying to keep us healthy and ruining  our lifestyle,the black pudding was OK though 

Ray & Carole 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I heard years ago that htey put a "rusk" in them to bind them together, whatever that means, but i think it`s more about cutting costs.  Talking of Sausages, Karen and i went into a farm shop near Christchurch, and bought some of their sausages. If you by supermarkets "butchers choice etc etc", they were more expensive per lb than those from the farm shop, and the farm shop variety were much more tasty.

[VetChugger]

Absolutely right about butchers sausage usually being the best. Best store bought ones I've had are from the Sainsburys taste the difference range. The cumberland sausages. Not a ngenuine cumberland because they are link sausages rather than a continuous snorker!

[BroadScot]

My father was a butcher/ hamcurer,  so From a very early age was spoiled in the eating of quality meats, both beef and pork.

Sadly today, I think the recipes have changed, and not for the better IMHO. Even our "square sliced" beef sausage it nothing like as tasty as it use to be.

I believe certain E numbers have something to do with it, but not100% sure. We use to buy the pork snorkers from the butcher in Horning many years ago they were delicious.

Iain

[TheQ]

Rusk is roughly an equivalent to Breadcrumbs / dry biscuit, and is used as a cheap filler, it soaks up water and fats so supermarket suppliers love it they can sell you more water!

[RayandCarole]

Its a shame really, we have three proper butchers in town all selling a variety of different sausages and yet we find they all cook very hard and dry from all three butchers.

Maybe I need to fry them in beef dripping 

Ray & Carole

[TheQ]

3 hours ago, Tangara said:

Its a shame really, we have three proper butchers in town all selling a variety of different sausages and yet we find they all cook very hard and dry from all three butchers.

Maybe I need to fry them in beef dripping 

Ray & Carole

Like the chieftain of the pudding race you need some water.

Frying pan, pricked sauages just covered in water bring to boil, when the are done, pour off remaining water, add a little butter / fat to quickly fry the surfaces.

[Hockham Admiral]

Good afternoon TheQ,

A modern take on your method is to split your links into singles and put them whole into a hot-air fryer without any oil. 

10 minutes and they are perfect,  but, of course, you do need the quality sausage to start with!

[RayandCarole]

Q thats an interesting thing to try, will give it a go

John, Carole has been on about getting on of these for ages, might have to bite the bullet 

Ray

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

4 hours ago, Dajen said:

You should never prick sausages, if you do all the fat will run out and the sausage will be dry, 

 

Dave

We always prick Snorkers (what they called sausages in the film "The Cruel Sea"), as it stops them bursting when we grill them. We never fry them, and we prefer them to be only just cooked, like we like our bacon. That way, they don`t dry out..

 I have to say though, bangers have ALWAYS been a favourite of mine, ever since i was a toddler.

[SteveO]

If your sausages burst when you grill them it is usually down to either very poor quality casings, or too much water being added into the mix, In either case, I would change my supplier. We had some very nice chipolatas from Roys the other day, made from free range Blythborough pork. They were juicy and tasty and not a sign of a split or burst anywhere,

Steve

[MauriceMynah]

On 2/17/2016 at 6:32 PM, Tangara said:

What has changed with the butchers

Ask the butcher!