Excalibur Seasonings

[Chef]

Okay, this is chef mode. Now, after using Excalibur seasonings for a few recipes, I think they are very sound recipes and overall a good product. First thing in culinary training is that you never use products with salt; one always wants to maintain the level of salt and blends do not allow you to do that. Has there ever been any discussion about Excalibur producing a basic line of seasonings that do not contain salt and allows for the user to use the level he/she determines. This would allow for a lower or higher base seasonings without throwing off the salt level. Inquiring minds want to know…

[Mean Dean]

I agree Chef. To my tastes, and many have commented, that the standard seasonings are too salty for their likes. Personally, I try to buy the low salt versions. The adage “you can always add more, but you can’t take it away” applies. Maybe it’s just me, and I understand salt is needed for proper protein extraction, but I don’t care for salt as the predominant flavor in the protein. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[Jonathon]

Chef Mean Dean comment on the functionality of salt in sausage seasonings hit the nail on the head. Excalibur does do custom blends but the required minimums for ordering those are pretty high, usually a few cases at least. As for if it has been done before I don’t think it has but I will ask Austin if anyone has ever done this and we will find out!

[TexLaw]

I’m glad you mentioned that, Chef. I echo your comments.

I know some salt is needed to make sausage, but it isn’t much, especially when it comes to cured sausage (since you’re already adding pink salt on top of it). I don’t put much salt in my sausage recipes–pretty much what’s needed, and that’s about it. That much is plenty to properly accentuate the other flavors without getting salty.

The Excalibur seasonings I’ve tried are good, but they are a good deal more salty than I would like. The ones I’ve tried strike me right off the bat as too salty, even though the other flavors in there are quite good… I know that many consumers expect salty food, so I’m not surprised. I suppose I could cut back on the amount of Excalibur blend I use and then supplement the other flavors with my own salt-free blend, but that essentially defeats the idea of using a prepared blend. As much as I enjoy the convenience and variety of prepared blends, and as much as I agree that Excalibur puts out a solid product, I’m not particularly inclined to try other Excalibur blends.

However, I probably would jump all over salt-free blends.

[Chef]

TexLaw I understand. If I need to cut back on a blend and then add specific seasonings, they it would be just as convenient to just use my own recipe from the get go. As many companies and food establishments in the food industry, salt, citric acid, and MSG is used as a cheaper component as compared to herbs and spices. I would rather pay more for a non salt version so I don’t have to stock so many ingredients. I really believe the backbone recipes of these blends are sound, just want to have the final control over salt.

[TexLaw]

Chef Once again, I agree completely. I also would pay more.

[Chef]

TexLaw Hope this discussion doesn’t get us in trouble with Austin

[Austin]

Chef TexLaw
Not going to get in trouble with me. I’d prefer people speak their mind here and let us know their honest feedback. What we can or cannot do may vary at times depending on the requests, but it is always worth it to throw ideas out there and ask questions.
Everything from Excalibur is blended to use the “appropriate” level of salt in a product. Jerky, fresh sausage, cured sausage, ham/bacon cure and anything in-between has a different percentage of salt that is needed to make the seasoning perform and taste properly, plus make the meat perform and be a certain consistency. For example, fresh sausage usually has a lower salt content than cured sausage. Cured sausage needs more salt to help in protein extraction during mixing to achieve a proper binding of the protein, fat, water, and seasoning. The quickest and easiest way to change the salt content is to just use more or less of the seasoning, and if you need more flavor from spices, add your own extra specific spices. Like Jonathon said, if we did custom blends on it to remove the salt entirely, it would require a large quantity for a minimum, and the price would be quite a bit higher. The hard thing for us is that with as many different blends that we have, we cannot make a salt-free version of everything. It could be possible to do, but we’d have to pick and choose just a couple to start with and see what the demand was like. I would be worried that the demand would justify it for everyone. All of our blends at least don’t use MSG unless specifically stated. We made that change a long time ago. I really don’t know if creating a line of salt-free sausage seasonings would be feasible, unless there was a lot of users asking for it, or someone specifically wanting multiple cases of 1 seasoning at a time (not just 1 or 2 bags of it). We could potentially entertain doing something here, but I wouldn’t get hopes up too high for it.

[Chef]

Austin Thanks for the support of the subject. The term “appropriate” is somewhat subjective. The solution you propose to use less of the seasoning and add our own specific spices is just what I know I want to avoid. I have WAY too many containers of spices and would love to reduce that inventory, but If I have to stock them, frankly, my recipes work and I wouldn’t need a prepared blend. I like the Excalibur products, just don’t want them controlling what they feel is “appropriate” levels of salt. I very much appreciate all their formulas having a non-MSG version. It really wouldn’t require reformulation, just the reduction of salt. It might cost more because it may require more expensive base ingredients per a given amount of meat, but there are those who would pay more. In fact, the same product could be sold to both markets with the statement of just add a given amount of salt per number of pounds to be the equivalent of the original version. Look at the “organic” market, typically as much as twice as much. “All natural”, whatever that means, usually increases the price. For my customers, people pay twice as much as other products to insure no additives or MSG. If Excalibur would just reduce present formulation salt by 50%, that would allow for the end user to season as they desire and add the level of salt they want with really no change in formulation or packaging. I do realize that the addition of salt hampers others from recreating recipes, but there are many labs that breaks formulas regardless of what is added.

Okay, I know I’m weird, I speak from being both a chemist and chef, but their just might be a market. Glad I’m not is trouble. I enjoy this forum too much to risk that! LOL

[TexLaw]

I appreciate you chiming in, Austin. Once again, Chef pretty much said everything I would say on the matter. What many blends (Excalibur and otherwise) find “appropriate,” I find far too salty, so I just make almost all my own blends, rubs, etc.

It might be worth putting a bug in Excalibur’s ear about making reduced or salt-free versions, but I understand if it just isn’t feasible. I certainly understand if it’s not feasible for Walton’s to stock custom orders.

[Tex_77]

Austin I can’t believe these guys are dogging on salt, don’t they know you have one of these on the corner of your desk…

[Chef]

Tex_77 Way TOO funny!

[TexLaw]

Tex_77 I know some guys who might go through one of those in under a week!

[Jonathon]

Chef Tex_77 knows that Austin seasons his meat with salt to a truly obscene level! Buttery Garlic Rub is one seasoning that can oversalt your meat in my mind but Austin puts it on like its…something that isn’t salty! Sorry I couldn’t come up with an analogy there

[Chef]

Jonathon Austin will grow up. Let high blood pressure hit (along with all the joys of getting old). On a serious note, salt is more of an acquired taste. Part of the process food industry is to hook people on all the salt and other additives. The body will begin to crave those things.