Homemade Pork roll? (Taylor Ham)

[DougSmokes]

Hi Guys,
So I am getting ready to do my first pork roll. I have been looking for LPH (Starter Culture) and just read that I can use ECA instead. Any comments on that?
Second, the recipe calls for dextrose, can I substitute carrot fiber? If so any changes it only calls for 3 TBLS, But sometimes that small amount (of ?) on a 10 pound loaf can ruin a recipe.
Lastly, Can I substitute sure cure for Cure # 1? From what I’ve read I can. I also have some white cure from Mountain meat mixes, They always give you tripe what you really need…
TIA, appreciate the help.

[Steve Risse]

Hey Doug, I haven’t used ECA in pork roll. I just recently used it with some snack sticks and I think it would work fine instead of the culture. Might be easier if you don’t have a fermentation /curing chamber set up so you can control humidity and temperature during the fermentation time it takes to acidify the meat. plus you can go right to heating.

The dextrose is a simple sugar that feeds the culture. The culture digests the dextrose and acidifies the meat. If you use ECA, skip the dextrose too. Nothing to eat the dextrose.

Carrot fiber is a binder, I haven’t used any binders when I have made pork roll.

If you use smoked bacon, don’t bother smoking the pork roll log, the bacon smoke will carry through. First time I made it, I used smoked bacon and then smoked the Pork roll…dried out a little But tasted great. Next time I omitted the smoking and was much juicer and still had a great smoky flavor.

If you have a Sous Vide cooker, vac seal the log and cook in a water bath for 3-4 hours. You need to get the meat to 135 for 37 minutes or 140 for 12 minutes to reach lethality (same idea as hitting 160 but less fat loss, juicer still!). Get the table “ Appendix A Compliance for Meeting Lethality Performance Standards for Certain Meats ands Poultry Products”. Google it. USDA. It’s a good reference to have in your box of supplies!

Although now that I just wrote that, I realized that I had fermented my pork roll using a culture. If you use ECA instead, you would need to Sous Vide at a temperature above 150 degrees where the ECA gets released. That’s 72 seconds on the chart at 150.

I think sure cure and cure #1 are the same. 1 tsp/ 5 Lbs meat. Not sure what the white cure is. If it’s for fast fermented sausages, bacon, etc… it’s probably OK.

Good luck.

BTW, I was in the supermarket the other day and the mail order website is pretty reasonable. A 3 LB Taylor Ham is about $23 locally. I think they charged $28. ($5 for the middleman)

[Steve Risse]

And mix well for protein extraction! Very key step

[DougSmokes]

Steve, thanks for the info. I’m more skilled in the pork butt, Brisket, jerky type of smoking. I’m really interested in getting good at sausages of all types.
I just bought a vac sealer and other ingredients and casings last night on Waltons. Had to buy my Sous Vide heater on Amazon as they were OOS. I appreciate the mentoring, especially regarding the ECA. I found another recipe that called for that instead, but didn’t understand the correlation.

[Steve Risse]

DougSmokes DougSmokes Go Bro! Dont hesitate with any Q’s

I am still learning, but happy to pass on what I have learned so far…

Steve

[Jonathon]

Steve Risse Great responses, thank you!

[CandiceK]

DougSmokes Hey now…lol…I resemble that remark… I’m the hangry Italian wife.

[JeffreyH]

Jonathon It’s a Jersey thang. Here’s a the deal, in northern Jersey you order a breakfast sandwich as Taylor Ham and get white cheese. In Southern Jersey you order pork roll and get yellow cheese.

[Jonathon]

JeffreyH Which is better? I remember ordering my first philly in philly and they asked me “with or without” and I knew that meant Cheese whiz and i was hemming and hawing and he looked at me and said, it’s not nasty cheese whiz, do you think we’d sell millions of the f’ing things if it was nasty?!

[JeffreyH]

They are the same. White or yellow American cheese is the same only the coloring. Taylor Ham is a brand of pork roll. Different brands have their own subtle difference. CORRECTION: In North Jersey it’s yellow and South Jersey it’s white. My mistake.

[BobbyMac]

Well Jonathon I went to ups today to ship you some logs of pork roll and was quoted $226 to ship it to you because it needed to be shipped overnight from Jersey. I love you but not $226 love you haha. If anybody has any other ideas to ship it cheaper let me know I’m all ears

[Steve Risse]

BobbyMac try that link that DougSmokes provided to CKliest. They ship for about $20 Witchita.

[craigrice]

BobbyMac go to Walmart and buy a small lunchbox cooler and freezable inserts and package frozen product inside then overnight mail

[BobbyMac]

Steve Risse well that’s good to know thank you

[BobbyMac]

craigrice the $200 was just for overnight shipping lol that didn’t include and of the packaging. I might just ship a cooler regular ground instead I think it would last in a cooler with a ice pack

[craigrice]

a box shipped overnight with frozen product and ice packs in a cooler should be fine as I have done this at xmass for people

[s.a.m]

BobbyMac was at the docs, for a check-up Thursday, nurse was unpacking a thick foam package, I asked what they did with them she said “throw them in the dumpster” , she gave it to me with the ice packs! That would make it by not overnighting

[Jonathon]

BobbyMac LOL yeah, Don’t worry about it man! I am from the northeast, the next time I go home I am sure I can travel a little and get some and still spend less than $226!

[gmarsalek]

That is exactly the recipe I used however I added encapsulated citric acid. That is what gives it the tangy taste as everybody talk about. Use As directed. I’m from Maryland so I know Taylor’s pork roll and Trenton pork roll. I make it on a regular basis but for my taste I have a Spam recipe that I have been working on and actually I like this better than T Ham.

[gmarsalek]

I have used this recipe in the . I do add encapsulated citric acid to give it the tangy taste.