Gluten free sausages

[irishmeateater]

What can you use instead of rusk or breadcrumbs to make gluten free sausages?

[amoncada]

Yep, no need for the bread crumbs. I have seen bread fillers used in lower end sausages.

In general, you can use pre-cooked plain white rice as a substitute for breadcrumbs or even dried potato flakes. Good luck!

[Ernie Diamond]

There are recipes (particularly Irish ones, which is why OP's name has me wondering) that call for bread as an important filler. My black puddings benefit from the addition of brown bread. Bangers, which many would consider Ireland's national sausage often has bread in the mix. While a cheap filler, it does add that identifiable taste and texture.

[irishmeateater]

i have made 100% meat sausages before but have found that they can be a bit dry but that may have been because it was a bit too lean. a friend told me that the breadcrumbs help retain the moisture and keep it juicy. i think if i get the balance of fat to lean right there wont be a problem.
thanks all for the advice

[Ernie Diamond]

Ah, okay.

If the concern is dryness, I would sooner suggest that the problem is in the grinding and mixing of the meat rather than the recipe. My suggestion is to make sure your ratio of fat to meat is high enough (say, 20-25%) and then to be certain you are getting a good grind using cold meat (near frozen) and cold equipment (likewise).

Once everything has been ground (into a chilled and iced bowl), add your seasonings and paddle meat mixture with one cup ice water (or other liquid) for every five pounds of meat.

After five or eight minutes of paddling, the mixture should have almost a fuzzy texture. This is good. Stuff it and let it rest overnight to develop and you should be good to go.

Basically, if you follow the basic steps carefully (enough fat, chilled meat, paddle to emulsify), there is no reason you should be ending up with a dry product.

[irishmeateater]

ernie, i made sausages a couple of weeks ago in our garage. the weather was very cold. they were the best i've ever made. was thinking that this must have been due to the coldness as you say. do you mean fuzzy as in so cold it feels fuzzy/numbs your fingers?

[Ernie Diamond]

Haha, well, not exactly although the fact that it was cold enough to numb your fingers is a good thing.

The "fuzzy appearance" is strictly visual. It is not glossy or shiny but almost looks as if the meat was covered in a fine layer of lint and comes as the end result of a proper emulsification, meaning the meat, fat and liquid are in suspension. As you now know, an improper mix can result in sausages that feel like a mouthful of wet newspaper.

I'm glad to hear that the sausages turned out. Good thinking doing it in your garage. My suspicion is that the cold made all the difference.

[Ernie Diamond]

What type of sausage are you making?

[visciole]

You can omit any bread product, no problem. I think often the cracker is used to get the last bit of meat out of the grinder and then incorporated into the sausage.

[jeanmarieok]

Maybe check for different recipes. None of my sausage recipes use any added breadcrumbs, etc. My sausages are usually just meat, added fat where needed, and spices.