Bratwurst Seasoning Profile Matching Trader Joe's German Brats
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I recently got a third digital scale, a precision scale that I use for reloading and now measuring spices. It easily switches units from grams, grains, troy ounces, standard ounces and pennyweight.
It’s max capacity is less than 16 ounces, so pretty good resolution on light weights like seasonings and smokeless powder.
Yes, volume measurement are fine for liquids, but not dry ingredients.processhead Paul we think toooo much alike. I’ve used my reloading scale for years to measure grains and gms. I also do liquid weight, 30 ml~= 1oz (water) = ~ 30gms. Then ill use a wider range scale for a ltrs . 2-3lbs of a mistake i could live with… I normally batch 20-30lbs (9-13.5 kilos)… That’s a lot of mistake.
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JoeB Yep, Weights are the only way to go and as you say, metric is so much easier. As I make my sausages, and in fact all my recipes in general, converting everything to metric.
Last count, I hade converted 297 recipes. A few more hundred to go.
Chef WoW that’s a lot of converting. I have some passed down recipes. When i batch, an old recipe i will weigh the amounts for metric… I base and break everything down to 1kg. if i am doing 9kg i just x the kg amount by 9 for all ingredients. So if the recipe is for 50lbs i change it to kgs and divide it down everything down to 1kg after conversion. Thought i sent you an excel template that does that automatically? zbigjeff tuned it up for me. Cheers
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Chef WoW that’s a lot of converting. I have some passed down recipes. When i batch, an old recipe i will weigh the amounts for metric… I base and break everything down to 1kg. if i am doing 9kg i just x the kg amount by 9 for all ingredients. So if the recipe is for 50lbs i change it to kgs and divide it down everything down to 1kg after conversion. Thought i sent you an excel template that does that automatically? zbigjeff tuned it up for me. Cheers
JoeB I got your template, but couldn’t get it to work. I loved the format you had. Think I’ll work with it some more, likely operator error.
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If any of you have an android smart phone, the calculator app has a measurements converter that works really well, and is simple to use.
My guess is apple phone probably has something similar.
The app will convert any units of weight, length, temp, back and forth in any direction. I find myself using it more and more and leaving the printed charts alone.
Paul
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If any of you have an android smart phone, the calculator app has a measurements converter that works really well, and is simple to use.
My guess is apple phone probably has something similar.
The app will convert any units of weight, length, temp, back and forth in any direction. I find myself using it more and more and leaving the printed charts alone.processhead I did an excel spread sheet that does conversions, but I like to also have the book. Always been a book guy, rather read a real one than one on line (old school I guess). Nieces and nephews have a different saying.
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Yeah books are nice to have. Even if you use spreadsheets, just having something printed out, put in a plastic sleeve and store in 3 ring binder for use in the shop is better. The screensaver never comes on when using a printout.
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Yeah books are nice to have. Even if you use spreadsheets, just having something printed out, put in a plastic sleeve and store in 3 ring binder for use in the shop is better. The screensaver never comes on when using a printout.
Ridley Acres Recently bought a laminator, works great for recipes. Print them out, laminate and put in three ring binder. I can then just pull the recipe out of binder and wipe it down if I spill on it.
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So earlier I had mentioned tweaking the seasonings to up the amounts of some of the aromatic spices in the white brat seasoning. The test batch was good but I thought the seasonings were a little understated.
After reviewing the recipe again I noticed that the meat block called for 920 grams of pork and not 1 kg. I put a full 1000 grams of pork in the batch so I am thinking that may account for the discrepancy. Apparently in the recipe they include the egg as part of the meat block.
Meats Metric US
Semi-fat pork* 920 g 2.0 lb
Whole egg 70 g 1 egg
Milk 10 ml 1 Tbsp -
JoeB I got your template, but couldn’t get it to work. I loved the format you had. Think I’ll work with it some more, likely operator error.
Chef Have fun with it. It will work for sure. Joe B knows the “how to indicate the correct numbers in the top of the form”. Once you figure it out, it’s pretty much vert versatile. Good luck.
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If any of you have an android smart phone, the calculator app has a measurements converter that works really well, and is simple to use.
My guess is apple phone probably has something similar.
The app will convert any units of weight, length, temp, back and forth in any direction. I find myself using it more and more and leaving the printed charts alone.processhead I use this one alot for first time recipes. Keep a notebook worth each batch recorded so only convert one time.
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I use Excel to catalog a lot of my recipes. I keep the base recipe for a small 1 kg batch in the left hand column. The yellow box is the batch multiplier (x4 at the moment). I can easily rescale the batch size in the right hand column by just changing the multiplier.
Paul
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great idea, thanks for the tips
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I use Excel to catalog a lot of my recipes. I keep the base recipe for a small 1 kg batch in the left hand column. The yellow box is the batch multiplier (x4 at the moment). I can easily rescale the batch size in the right hand column by just changing the multiplier.
processhead Never used the “egg” in a bratwurst recipe. Sounds like it’s time. Thanks
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I use Excel to catalog a lot of my recipes. I keep the base recipe for a small 1 kg batch in the left hand column. The yellow box is the batch multiplier (x4 at the moment). I can easily rescale the batch size in the right hand column by just changing the multiplier.
processhead have a chefs program that will break down any quantities and generate a cook card for the kitchen help. Pretty neat. It will scale up or down metric or imperial volumes or weight. zbigjeff tuned it up with drop down boxes. My understanding is the egg white is the is the catalyst for protein bonding. The yolk cancels that chemical reaction. Most German sausage recipes call for egg whites. Just interested in your thoughts ??
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with putting the meat thru the meat cutter isn’t the texture more like the store purchased braunswieger most that I do is used the fine grind on the 2nd grind with the the seasoning mixed in
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processhead Never used the “egg” in a bratwurst recipe. Sounds like it’s time. Thanks
zbigjeff most German sausages use egg whites as a binder. Lots of chickens in Germany. Deutschland, Kill a chicken by accident and you will pay for all the eggs it could have laid for 10yrs.
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with putting the meat thru the meat cutter isn’t the texture more like the store purchased braunswieger most that I do is used the fine grind on the 2nd grind with the the seasoning mixed in
fisherman43 it’s all about the way you like it. I do a 2nd 1/8 grind and I’m happy. Bowl cutters are great but tooo expensive for me. Just my thoughts. A good sausage taste the way you remember it to be.
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Along the lines of recipes and measuring: At our house we do a lot of off the cuff cooking with no real measurements. Sometimes we wished we would have been able to replicate a particular dinner and would have benefitted from recording it. One way to get things on record is to measure all the meats and seasonings before and after you have seasoned to what looks appropriate. Then you can record how much of each you used per oz/lb of whatever.
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I agree Joe a recipe is only a guide any good cook or sausage maker knows that you just have to modify it to your taste I totally agree on the price of the bowl cutters when I get rich IMIGHT BUY ONE OF THE $500 ones
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Along the lines of recipes and measuring: At our house we do a lot of off the cuff cooking with no real measurements. Sometimes we wished we would have been able to replicate a particular dinner and would have benefitted from recording it. One way to get things on record is to measure all the meats and seasonings before and after you have seasoned to what looks appropriate. Then you can record how much of each you used per oz/lb of whatever.
Ridley Acres you are spot on. When I do a batch I record all. The success of a good cook or sausage maker is to replicate that cook if I liked the results. Time cooking temps, volume, meat mix, and seasoning records are the best way to do it again (or not if it was bad). Cheers
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