Non-Pork Fat Options for Salami

March 9, 2016 by AOG 1 Comment

Ratings of the Best Non-Pork Fat Options for Salami:

Brisket (cow) Fat: Best option, low melting point, palatable taste
Duck Fat: Second best option, harder to work with due to room temperature melting point, great taste
Lamb/Goat/Cow Fat: Easy to access, may have strong flavor, higher melting point
Fat Replacer: Fine for increasing fat mouth feel, no chunks of fat, doesn’t really cut it
Lamb tail fat: Hard to find, personally have never used, seems promising

Overview:

Most salami that we see in the stores and restaurants today are made out of pork meat and fat. Even salami that are made from different animal meat sources often use pork fat due to its beneficial properties. It has a great flavor and a lower slip melting point (the way that the melting point of a waxy solid, such as a fat, is measured and reported) than most other animal fat, although not so low that it becomes a liquid on the lower end of room temperature. This means it maintains its integrity when in the salami, but will melt in your mouth when you take a bite. Basically, creating perfection.

However, some people choose not to eat pork. Having friends and family who are pork free, I have done a lot of research into finding pork free charcuterie recipes. For the most part, this hasn’t been too hard. There are many pork free whole muscle cure alternatives. When I turned my attention to salami though, I faced a conundrum. Most recipes that use non-pork meat still use pork fat because of its aforementioned qualities. I found historical evidence of halal salami producers using lamb tail fat, but it is notoriously difficult to find in most areas of the United States. Some stores sell “fat replacer” to help with the mouth feel that fat produces, but is not the same as having real chunks of fat in your salami.As a pork eater myself, I cannot deny the pleasure of pork fat, as it melts in your mouth, creating sinful bliss. I was determined to find a way to replicate this so that my non-pork eating friends could enjoy the same luxury as me.

As a side note, I discuss these fat options in terms of salami because that is what I have focused on making. It can also apply to sausage and other charcuterie products.

Background:

As a chemist by training, my initial instinct where to look into the chemical composition of the fat of different animals compared to pork. The slip melting point will vary based on the ratio of different fatty acids in the fat itself, therefore it is important to know what types of fatty acids each fat you are considering uses has, and in what ratios.

There are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids tend to “stack” better together, and are therefore are harder to “pull apart”, and tend to have a higher melting point. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds which introduce a kink into the molecule. This means they cannot stack as well, are easier to “pull apart”, and therefore have a lower melting point.

Stearic Acid is an example of a saturated fatty acid:

Oleic Acid is an example of an unsaturated fatty acid:

As you can probably see from their structure, saturated fats like stearic acid have no problem stacking together. This makes them harder to pull apart, as discussed above. Whereas, from the structure of oleic acid, you can see that there are kinks on the molecular structure that make it less stackable, and therefore make it easier to pull apart. (These terms are not 100% scientifically accurate but are being used to illustrate the concept, feel free to read the source material for a more scientific discussion of the forces that hold these molecules together.)

In general, animal fats have a slip melting point between 22-40 C/71-104 F. It turns out, the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids plays a very important role in creating these slip melting points.

The composition of the fats from different animals varies based on their species, their diet, their genetics, and the area that the fat is taken from. These are all important factors that one must consider when looking at fat sources. For example, some animals are purposely fed a particular feed in order to lower their fat slip melting point. Other animals have been engineered to have increased marbling with lower slip melting points of that fat.

So, what does this have to do with our quest for a non-pork fat source for salami? A lot, actually. In general, pig fat tends to have a slip melting point around 30C, which varies based on feed, genetics, and cut. Cow fat, the most commonly available substitute, has an average slip melting point of 40C. This difference is enough to change that melt in your mouth feel that well cured pork products succeed in producing.

Brisket (cow) Fat:

Interestingly, fat from the brisket cut of a cow has a very unique composition. It is high in unsaturated fats like oleic acid, and low in saturated fats like stearic acid. This means that the fat from the brisket area of a cow has a much lower melting point than cow fat in general; in fact it averages around 25 C. This is a slip melting point as low as most pork fat, making brisket fat an ideal substitute for pork fat.

The data shows that the fat from areas that have lower concentrations of saturated fats have a lower slip melting points. Brisket fat has fewer saturated fatty acids, and therefore a lower slip melting point, as illustrated in the following figure:

Since the way that animals are raised, their genetics, and their feed play such an important role in the overall taste of the fat, I would love to see more research looking at these factors as well. One example of ongoing research is the genetic engineering of Japanese black cattle (think Waygu or Kobe beef) which have been engineered to have higher ratios of unsaturated fatty acids, better marbling, and a lower slip melting point. In addition, the distinctive taste of jamón iberico de bellota fat is created by a combination of genetics, European acorn feed, and the way the pigs are raised. Farmers in the United States (and abroad I am sure as well) are doing a lot to understand how important these factors are for their pigs, and are doing really good work ensuring that they raise pigs that not only have higher ratios of unsaturated fatty acids but great marbling and taste. All of these factors are important in creating delicious cured meat products.

Overall, there is some really interesting research being done on this topic, and for those who are scientifically minded I suggest taking a look into the literature. In the references below (where the figures have come from), I have referenced two pamphlets that have been written for the general public consumption, which I have found very fascinating. They have their own references page, where more information on individual studies can be found.

Duck Fat:

Duck fat is my second recommendation for fat to use in salami. It is a particularly palatable fat, but does have a slip melting point that is around room temperature, some sources saying that it is around 77F/25 C. This can make working with it tricky. However, as long as you keep your temperatures low and work fast, there is no reason it can’t be used. In addition, if you are working with an old world culture, many suggest a lower fermentation temperature anyway. I found that using a fermentation temperature of 75F/23-24C worked perfectly for duck fat salami.

I should mention here, that by duck fat, I mean actual fat that has been taken off of a duck, not rendered duck fat like you can buy at the supermarket. Rendered duck fat does not have the collagenous matrix that raw duck fat from the animal has, and won’t hold up nearly as well in salami making. I will be posting the recipe of an all duck salami that I have made with duck fat, in order to give more insight into how this process can go smoothly and create a delicious final product.

Lamb/Goat/Cow Fat:

I assume that if you are making non-pork salami, you probably have a piece of meat that has both non-pork meat and fat. Using this fat is my third favorite option. The benefits are that the fat is on hand already. With this method, you make sure that nothing goes to waste.

One aspect of using this fat, which may be a benefit or a drawback (depending on your opinion) is that fat tends to store a lot of the flavor of the animal. Adding lamb or goat fat may add a stronger flavor to the salami than desired. Then again, that may be the exact desired outcome.

The big downside is the texture. The slip melting point of most commercially available animals, in most cuts, will be higher. This means the salami will not “melt in your mouth” in the same way as a pork salami will. However, talk to farmers, see how they treat and feed their animals. You may be able to find animals that have fat that is more amenable to your uses. Just because something commercially available may not be perfect, doesn’t mean the right option isn’t out there if you do your research and talk to the right people.

Fat Replacer:

Fat replacer is a commercially available product that is added to salami to create the mouth feel of fat without actual fat. It is made of cellulose, xanthum, and konjac. All of these are used to “mimic” the texture of fat. There are claims that it is good for “healthy” salami. I personally doubt any health claims the company may make, but if you are trying to make a pork free (or even vegetarian) salami and want to use this as a substitute, it’s not awful. That being said, I would use it in conjunction with actual fat as mentioned above.

Lamb Tail Fat:

The elusive lamb tail fat. As discussed above, many factors play a role in the slip melting point of fat. Of particular importance are the genetics of the animal, its feed, and the area you are taking the fat from. This is especially true for lamb tail fat. While most lamb have thin tails these days, certain breeds have fat tails. The fat in these tails, due to physiological reasons, has a lower slip melting point. As discussed above in the case of brisket cow fat, this creates that “melt in the mouth” taste that is so appealing.

I cannot say too much more about this, since I have never used it myself. I would love to try it in the future however. It seems to be used in many traditional halal products, so if you can get your hands on it and try it, I would imagine that it would be worth it.

People who know way more about lamb tail fat than me have written blog posts on it that are worth reading:

http://www.jennifermclagan.com/fat-tailed-lamb

http://www.anissas.com/those-fat-tails/

Summary:

All in all, these are some good non-pork alternatives to fat for salami or sausage making. I did some research, stumbled upon some things, and tried them out. This is by no means an extensive list, nor will it work for everyone. I suggest everyone to do as much research as they can and come to their own conclusions. I welcome any feedback from people who make non pork salami and any methods they have found to be useful.

References:

http://www.beefissuesquarterly.com/CMDocs/BeefResearch/PE_White_%20Papers/Marbling%20-%20Management%20of%20cattle%20to%20maximize%20the%20deposition%20of%20intramuscular%20adipose%20tissue.pdf

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2012/04/Handout-3-Melting-Points-of-Animal-Fats1.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stearic_acid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleic_acid

The Use of Nitrates and Nitrites in Meat Curing

February 6, 2016 by AOG 6 Comments

Cure #1 and #2:

You will see the item “Cure #2” in a lot of my curing ratio tables. Cure #2 is a slow acting cure; composed of salt, sodium nitrite (6.25%) and sodium nitrate (1%). It may be colored pink in order to distinguish it from normal table salt. It is used in meats that will be curing over a longer period of time.

Cure #1 is a fast acting cure, used for meats that will be slow cooked and will not undergo a long term curing and drying process. It also may be colored pink in order to distinguish it from normal table salt. This involved meat such as bacon, corned beef, and ham. It is composed of salt and sodium nitrite (6.25%).

In cured meats, nitrates are slowly reduced over time into the sodium nitrite form, which helps to keep the cure #2 active for long term curing. Sodium nitrite is further converted to nitric oxide. (https://examine.com/supplements/nitrate/)

Research has shown that NO can then bind to the Fe (iron) molecule which is in the center of the myoglobin protein, a protein that is found in muscle cells.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curing_%28food_preservation%29)

This is responsible for the red color of cured meats, which will turn pink if heat is applied in a cooking process. (http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/48/2/668.abstract)

In addition to the important role that nitrates and nitrites play in creating the characteristic color and flavor of cured meats, nitrates and nitrites are used in order to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium botulinum whose toxin can have devastating effects when ingested. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6751698) This role of nitrates and nitrites make them essential in meat curing.

Some people are opposed to the addition of nitrates in their meat, which is a personal preference, but I believe that they make the process safer and at these levels do not pose an unusual threat level. To quote from MeatSafety.org (http://www.meatsafety.org/ht/d/sp/i/45243/pid/45243),

“The amount of nitrate in some vegetables can be very high. Spinach, for example, may contain 500 to 1900 parts per million of sodium nitrate. Less than five percent of daily sodium nitrite intake comes from cured meats. Nearly 93 percent of sodium nitrite comes from leafy vegetables & tubers and our own saliva. Vegetables contain sodium nitrate, which is converted to sodium nitrite when it comes into contact with saliva in the mouth.”

For example, celery is a food that is high in nitrates. Some people use celery juice to cure meat. Make no mistake; the use of celery juice IS the addition of nitrates. Additionally, there is no quantification involved when using celery juice, so levels of nitrates varies. This means, in some cases the meat will not be safe from threats such as botulism toxin, while in others, the levels of nitrates will far exceed those that are recommended. I find that it is better to know the levels you are adding and be smart about knowing what goes into your food.

The problem does not lie with nitrates or nitrites, but rather with a product that they can form: nitrosamines.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosamine)

This occurs when nitrites interact with amines, commonly found in protein such as meat. In acidic conditions (such as the stomach) or at high temperatures (such as the frying pan), pathways that lead to the formation of nitrosamines can be favored. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrosation)

This reaction only occurs when nitrites and amines are present, and the environment favors this reaction. This is why, even though leafy greens have high levels of nitrates, they don’t have high levels of nitrosamines. You can check out the levels of nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines in different food and drink items in this free research article table: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669451/table/T2/

The formation of nitrosamines can be inhibited by the addition of compounds that interfere with this reaction. Certain anti-oxidants are able to do this. To quote a research article that has been published on this topic (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8304939/):

” Such inhibitors include vitamins C and E, certain phenolic compounds, and complex mixtures such as fruit and vegetable juices or other plant extracts. Nitrosation inhibitors normally destroy the nitrosating agents and, thus, act as competitors for the amino compound that serves as substrate for the nitrosating species. “

This effect has been noticed by producers of cured meats, and some people add in components to limit the formation of nitrosamines in their cured meats. The most common addition is sodium ascorbate (at 0.15% of total meat weight), which is a salt of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and is used due to its slower rate of reaction compared to ascorbic acid itself. The hope is that the addition of sodium ascorbate will bind to any excess nitrites, preventing them from binding to amines and going on to form nitrosamines. I have not used sodium ascorbate in any of my products yet, but it is something that I have been considering.

So, what is the takeaway? Unfortunately, the ingestion of nitrosamines has been weakly linked with certain forms of cancer.(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26633477) Research is ongoing, but it does make sense to know the risks and be smart about what you ingest. Creating your own products, just like cooking your own food, is the best way to be certain about what you are putting into your body.

Disclaimer: Meat curing is a hobby that comes with inherent risks. We can all do things to limit this risk by educating ourselves about the process and the utilizing the safest known methods to create our products. This website is for educational purposes only, and all experimentation should be done at each individuals own risk.

Maillard Reactions

January 7, 2013 by AOG Leave a Comment

Maillard reactions are responsible for creating some of the most delicious flavors in cooking. Maillard reactions are referred to as “browning reactions”, as they are responsible for the taste of items such as toasted bread or seared steak. A Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction that occurs between what is referred to as a reducing sugar and an amino acid. An example of a reducing sugar is glucose. An amino acid can be found at the end of a peptide chain, in say meat. (Maillard Wikipedia)

This is illustrated well by many of the projects done by Breadventures_NJ (http://www.breadventuresnj.com/), such as the following pretzel puffs:

The actual reaction occurs between the carbonyl of the reducing sugar and the amino group in the amino acid. It usually requires heat, but can be found to occur without heat in either high pressure or alkaline situations. However, in most cases, such as in cooking a steak, the reaction will occur at 154 C or 310 F. For this reason, it is important when cooking a steak to keep moisture as low as possible, since having water in the reaction will keep the temperature at 100 C, and retard the rate of Maillard reactions. (Cooking for Geeks)

The amino group is nucleophilic, meaning that it is “nuclei-liking.” All this really means is that it is negatively charged, and will donate electrons to a more positively charged nucleus. Because of the way electrons are distributed in the carbonyl group in the sugar, the oxygen has more of a negative charge, leaving the carbon with more of a positive charge. This means that the nucleophilic amino group will want to “attack” the more positive carbon atom in the carbonyl, which is the first step of a Maillard reaction. This reaction is more likely to occur in alkaline conditions because the amino group is more likely to be de-protonated, and therefore more negatively charged to begin with.

The amino-alcohol will undergo dehydration, and the result will be an N-substituted glycosylamine and water.

In the next step, the unstable glycosylamine will undergo what is known as an Amadori rearrangement. The result of this will be a ketosamine. (Wikipedia Amadori)

From this point, the ketose amine can react further to create a number of different endpoint products.

A schematic of the chemistry that goes on during all these steps is drawn out in the following figure. The reaction mechanism shown is for the reaction of alanine and glucose, and is simplified and condensed in places, but should give a good idea of what is actually going on during a Maillard reaction.

The reason that Maillard reactions impart such rich flavor to food is because there are a variety of sugars and amino acids that can combine to form different products. The result is an array of wonderfully rich flavors.

Resources:

Maillard Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

Amadori Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadori_rearrangement

Kitchen as Laboratory: The Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking, Edited by Cesar Vega, Job Ubbink, and Erik van der Linden

Cooking for Geeks: http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/

On Food And Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Google eBook) by Harold McGee

Breadventures_NJ: http://www.breadventuresnj.com/