Burgers and Boerewors
To obtain a good minced or ground meat product, the use of high-quality raw materials and hygienic equipment in conjunction with the correct processing procedures are imperative.
During the process of grinding meat, many factors affect quality and must be controlled. These factors include the quality of raw materials, temperature during processing and equipment maintenance.
Hygiene and sanitation are extremely important during the production of ground products, and should always be executed and monitored. The most significant ingredient of all for making top-quality boerewors and hamburger patties is the meat itself. Meat with a pH under 5.5 and a pale or discoloured appearance should be avoided.
It is preferable to use fresh meat rather than trimmings which have been frozen and then thawed out. Freezing causes the free moisture in meat to form ice crystals, which in turn break the protein chains with the muscle. When the meat is then thawed, these crystals melt ant the water seeps from the meat.
Before mincing the meat, it is essential to ensure that there are no excessive bone chips, cartilage and surplus connective tissue, which may result in consumer rejection.
The source of fat must also be considered. Since it is softer than muscle, fat content in the meat can influence the effectiveness of bone-removal systems in grinders.
Pork fat is softer than beef fat at the same temperature because they have different degrees of unsaturation. Consequently, when pressure is developed during grinding, pork products are more susceptible to smearing. To avoid this, pork grinding should be handled at slightly lower temperatures than beef grinding.
Temperature control is always key in meat processing, both from a quality and microbiological perspective. There will always be a temperature gain during the mincing process, and therefore the meat must be cold (0 – 3°C) when being minced. The colder the mincing process is from start to finish, the longer the product’s shelf life.
In addition, meat temperature affects equipment performance during grinding. Cold grinding temperatures result in a higher percentage of bone chips removed by the bone-removal system compared to higher grinding temperatures.
Dirty equipment is one of the major reasons for reduced shelf life in fresh products, so all equipment used must be clean and sterile.
Since grinding meat results in more exposed surface, those meat components prone to oxidation –such as fat and myoglobin, for example – are then more susceptible to changes, because they are exposed to oxygen and catalysts.
As grinder parts wear with use, the equipment cuts less and smears more, increasing the exposed surface area of the meat even further. Increased friction raises the processing temperature of fat and myoglobin, encouraging an even bigger level of oxidation.
Worn grinder hardware cause greater myoglobin oxidation in the sausages after frozen storage than sharp hardware. Worn parts also cause greater grinding temperature increases than sharp equipment.
Mincer knives and plates should therefore always be sharp to allow proper contact between knife and plate across the cutting surface and ensure that a clean cut is made on meat with minimal temperature increase.
New or newly sharpened parts should never be put with another part that is worn, as mismatched sets will result in untimely failure of both parts. In the making of boerewors, vinegar is an important ingredient. There are varied strengths of vinegar available and you should make use of a 5% strength vinegar where possible.
When separating casing bundles, it is useful to add a teaspoon of phosphate to the water in which the casings are placed. This will make them a little bit slippery and will facilitate easier sorting of the bundle. Casings should be thoroughly washed off in clean, lukewarm water to remove all traces of salt and be stored in lukewarm water while filling.
The boerewors manufacturing process for using batch packs is as follows:
* Pre-cool meat to 2°C.
* Mince meat once through 13 mm plate.
* Add the dry ingredients of the complete pack to the liquid portion of the recipe and mix well until the spices are properly dissolved.
* Add the liquid portion to the minced meat and blend through to ensure proper distribution.
* Mince the meat mixture through 4.5 mm plate.
* Place the product in the filler in such a way so as to ensure that little or no air exists in the mix.
* Fill into 24/26 sheep casings for thin sausage or into 28/32 hog casings or 28 calibre collagen casings.
* Place filled three to four hours and pack into foam trays with an absorbency pad.
In making burgers, almost any type of minced meat can be used, including pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, ostrich and venison. Some variations of hamburgers are achieved by mixing different types of meat, for example ground beef and ground pork.
Herbs and spices are essential ingredients in burgers, although, because toppings are usually added to burger patties, the usage of herbs and spices should be kept simple and the flavour they impart should be subtle.
Spices which go well in hamburger patties include salt types (sea salt, garlic, onion) black pepper, chilli (either fresh or powder), Worcestershire Sauce and soy sauce. Strong spices in vegan patties make excellent meat substitutes. For an Indian twist, ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala and dried coriander work well.
Almost any herb compliments burger patties, including basil, oregano, parsley and thyme.
Brown onion soup mixed with mince meat takes care of all the salt needs of a great-tasting beef patty, and for an extraordinary variation, crumbed feta or yellow grated cheese can be added to the mince blend.
Lamb patties benefit from basil, coriander or parsley, fennel seeds and paprika; chicken patties from spring onions, finely chopped roasted red pepper, chopped coriander and finely chopped
green chilli. Ostrich burger patties are complemented by chopped garlic, grated ginger, chopped chilli and chopped fresh parsley.
