The Meat Experiment | Custom Deli Meats at Home
Rachel saw a bunch of reels on Instagram of people making their own deli meat using a stainless steel meat press. We immediately had to try it for ourselves. For our first round, we're going to us 2 pounds of ground turkey meat from the birds we raised a couple of years ago. The resulting flavor is really amazing, but we need to work more on the texture part. If you've used one of these before and you have recipe suggestions or ideas do please let us know - we'd really like to improve this process.
Deli Meat Maker we purchased: amzn.to/4bZO36u
Other Deli Meat Makers: amzn.to/3wFhOtm amzn.to/4cbcP3Y
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00:00 Seasoning the meat
05:28 Packing and Cooking the meat
08:55 Results \ Taste Testing
Homemade lunch meat
Sustainable farming
DIY deli meats
Ground turkey recipe
Farm-to-table cooking
Homestead kitchen experiments
Cooking with homegrown ingredients
Deli meat alternatives
Sustainable living recipes
Homemade lunch meat tips
I've been making deli meat for quite a while. You don't particularly need that canister. I have used loaf pans with a brick (in tin foil) over it when cooked. And you will have better luck with texture if you mix the meat more (stir in one direction only - this will align the meat proteins better) by hand or in a mixer if you have one big enough. Also, adding some nonfat milk powder will help create a bond. Letting the mixture develop in fridge also helps. You can leave it up to 3 days without a meat cure. And Bless you for trying the mandolin, but get out your meat slicer. It is worth the trouble. I love Spam, and I never make less than 6 lbs. I make formed ham at least 2 lbs. My husband loves porchetta, and make a lot of that. I also roast cheap beef (sirloin, top & bottom round) to medium rare, cool it and slice that. What a money saver that is (use the ends that don't slice for beef barley soup). I haven't tried turkey yet, but I am waiting for Easter and (hopefully) a sale on turkeys.
The thick cut slices you prepared into sandwiches looked delicious! Thank you... will be watching as you explore more ideas with this for sure! Blessings on your day Kiddos!🌻🐛Carolyn in Ohio 🌿
This is great advice! Thank you
Same!
I left out bacon. What's summer without a BLT. I make it quite often (you don't need the nitrite, but salt, sugar and pepper are pretty much mandatory). I can't slice the whole thing on my home meat slicer, so I do have to cut it in half. But it fits the bread better. As you can see, the meat slicer will pay for itself very quickly. Especially if you take the trouble to find one with interchangeable serrated blade for slicing bread. Cuz let's face it, if you are making your own deli meat, you are probably making your own bread, and an even slice is pretty darn nice.
Spam question for you. I've made spam twice now and it's amazing but.......both times when I took the 2nd pc (made using 2 loaf pans) out of the freezer, the taste just wasn't there at all, really not very good, my son was able to taste both times I've made it, the fresh and frozen and he totally agrees about the frozen. Any idea of what my problem would be??
Hello, I seen your video on making lunch meat and the yellow bowl you had in it, brought me back to 35 years ago the same bowl was given to me from the school community when my kids and I were homeless and they gave us a place to stay and furnished a apartment plus food. It brought tears to my eyes to see that yellow bowl how the Lord has brought us here today. God Bless. Love your channel.
I have same bowl too
Me3😊😋
Gelatin is your best friend when making lunch meats. Also, the mandolin is manual, too slow when slicing. Use the electric slicer and you will get better results.
What i love most about your channel us that you arent afraid to try experiments and try new things and retry them until they work. Also that you guys do a lot together. These homesteading projects arent all one sided or geared specifically just todds interest or just rachels interest. You highlight each other's skills for sure, but you are both invested in all the skills and homesteading life. I envy it slightly but im more intrigued and in admiration. Keep doing what you do. And i value a lot of the "not recommended" methods. . . Rebel canning has made such a difference in the approachability.
Just think how much better yours will be without all the additives! I am intently watching this to see how it works!
I made deli meat forming it in a zip lock bag and cooking it in a water bath in a small roaster while keeping the zip lock seal above the water line. Vacuum seal bags would work very well. You have a sous vide which would also be a great way to cook it also. I got my inspiration from Meg Hollar at The Hollar Homestead.
I've made my own salami before, ground beef, tender quick meat cure, spices, liquid smoke, maybe chopped hot peppers...mix and sit overnight in the fridge and next day form into logs and either smoke or bake low heat in the oven with the oven door cracked an inch. Slice it up! Really tasty stuff!
If you add a little broth while you’re blending, and add a little bit of gelatin, it will end up being more like deli meat. While you are blending it soose needs to be a liquid-based pate. We also use a little bit of meat curing salt, as it acts as a little bit of a preservative, make sure meat last longer.
It looks yummy 😋, as my husband said too thick slices fry them and put cheese on with slice off bread, he said it the same time as Todd did lol 😂 how funny
I loved this style of video. Very engaging and I love the way you guys passed the tasks back and forth. One of my fave videos of you two so far ♥️
My favorite cold sandwich is sliced meatloaf between 2 pieces of bread with BBQ sauce. Can't beat it.
Umm, now I'm craving that!😅
I'm so excited to see this video. I jumped in to curing meat a couple of years ago. Canadian bacon is made using pork loins. Very easy to make and so delicious. America's Test Kitchen has an great video showing how to make corned beef. My husband loves that version. You can make corned beef from any beef roast you have in your freezer. You don't necessarily need a brisket. All those eye of round roasts that sat in my freezer forever now get turned into corned beef. Corned beef is easy to can too. Your friend Leisa Sutton has a nice video on canning corned beef. Canned corn beef on the shelf makes for a quick heat and eat supper. I just bought a smoker since I've been processing our own bacon. Now I can smoke it too. As you can probably tell I get so excited about new meat processing videos. I love this channel!
This is so cool. We were just saying that luncheon meat is not the same as it used to be. So many chemicals that you feel ill when you eat it.
I won’t buy deli meat due to the additives and unhealthy meat they sell. Even doctors say it isn’t healthy. I have always used my own dinner meats to prepare lunches. Can’t wait to see what you do.
I love the comments section on this channel so much. What a dragon’s hoard of wisdom, knowledge, and experience collective humanity possesses! 🤎🤎🤎
What an exciting idea. The possibilities are endless.
Grind smoother add ice to keep meat cold during processing.
Last week we took beef rump roast and cooked it to med well, not sure the temp it was,y husband cooked while I was at work. Then the next day we sliced it on the meat slicer. This is the ONLY way I eat lunch meat roast beef sandwiches, it’s the best. You can season your meat any way you like. It was about a 3 lb roast and lasted us about a week. Enjoy! Diane Hartley
Wow that's different! As long as it tastes good.
Todd & Rachel you are blessed to make so many homemade meals., thanks 3-5-2024👍🏽👍🏽❤️
YAY! RACHEL AND TODD!
What a fun experiment! I like d’Eli ham sandwiches, but I eat them rarely because of the health issues.
Very interesting, can't wait to see what else you come up with for sandwich meat.
An interesting project! Never even thought of it. I enjoy "real meat" sandwiches myself. Whenever we do a (chicken, beef, etc) roast, I always portion the remains for leftover dinners (empty nest these days) AND for sandwiches. Sliced/portioned for sandwiches, then frozen for a future sandwich! I enjoy your channel!
Another empty nester here- love cooking extra to portion out for sandwiches.
I smoke beef, turkey breast etc and cut it with my meat slicer for lunch meat. Never tried grinding it unless I'm making smokies or sausage.
Great tips here in the comments, and this was a great video! Thanks for sharing!!
Practice makes perfect.
I am so glad to see this! My son saw reels, I purchased one and it’s still sitting in the box after 3 months. Teach me!
I hope you keep sharing updates on sandwich meat. I am very interested.
Interesting. I would think the slicer in the basement would be better for slicing it.
This process is going to something I’ve got to try this summer. Been wanted to make sausage links and summer sausage but now lunch meat is on the list too. Thank you for sharing with us! Hope it’s something g you’re still doing. Would love to see other recipes that have worked too.
This is fantastic! Thank you for sharing. Im so inspired to try this!
I would love to see more recipes and types of meat used. Thx.
Oh I love a good sandwich as well. I love cheese and pickle sandwiches too 😋 I’ve been priced out on Boars Head. I’m also a huge garlic bologna fan! Omgosh on white bread with mayonnaise. Takes me back to red kool-aide under the cherry trees in Kentucky. Love you guys. You are the real deal. Thanks.
Maybe get a sausage making book and try one of those recipes if you like sausage in a casing texture
The Backyard Chef has a video out about 8 months ago using pork. It was also very interesting.
I watched the Holler Homestead and they did a chicken pate but she ground it first and then put it in a meatloaf pan, cooked it, cooled it and then sliced it for sandwhiches. Good luck! Looks yummy, Nancy from nebraska
YUM!!!!! I bet the taste is really good! I've made salami before out of ground beef and pork and baked in the oven slow. It was really good. AND......good for you for trying this! It's the QUALITY that counts here knowing what ingredients you put in. I love all your videos. Keep trying.
I’m glad the flavor was good. It’ll be interesting if you find the right recipe
We used to make homemade old fashioned loaf..it's been years but I believe we baked it wrapped in a low temp oven. So good!
Very interesting!!! Thank you for sharing it with us!!! God Bless Us All!!!
I think that is brilliant !!!
Keep trying. It's a learning process for sure. I almost gave up after the first time. Try a recipe with gelatin. Maybe try a blender to grind it all together. Hope this helps
If you're after the deli-meat texture, you have to emulsify some of the meat with a binder/starch/milkpowder and ice water, using a food processor. I use the vietnamese method of making Cha Lua
That is sooooo cool, I can tell I will be going down the rabbit hole tonight on how to do this lol, thank you for sharing
Always great to learn new ways. Thank you for sharing 😊
Hello I am new subscriber from your old video. I am glad you are still active... Cheers from WA.
I would love to see your 'practice' deli meats. This is so exciting, as I too, buy deli meats each week. If not complete videos, maybe do a short segment at the end of other videos. You could show us the results of your experiments and perhaps tell us your ingredients. This can open up a new way to fix sandwich meats without nitrates, nitrites and all the other add ins that are unhealthy. Thanks. You guys are great.❤
If you add a bit of broth and some gelatine to the mixture it will have more of a traditional deli meat texture. 😊
Absolutely love this video you two look so happy! Can’t wait to make lunch meat TYVM!
Can't wait to see the next one ❤😂
I bought this same tool last year and haven’t had a chance to try it yet I even bought a fancy meat sliced! I need to do this.❤
No need for gelatin or any other additives. Use a boneless Turkey breast and sous vide it whole. Then slice it when its cold. There's more precise recipes here on YT.
I think you are right
Meg on Hollar Homestead does lunch meat. Maybe check her out? Great experiment guys!
Hint...add some chucks to the paste for the marbled look like commercial deli lunch meat. This is so much fun! I enjoy making my own olive loaf. Also dry milk powder is a binder as well. Helps ot hold together and the meat has to be mixed more. Try using you kitchenaid. Until it's like pate. Hope this helps
If you mix it for awhile until it gets real sticky and tacky (extracting the gluten/protein) it packs tighter and gives more of a deli meat consistency. I use a sausage stuffer and stuff into 4" casings for bologna or deli meat. I order seasonings from PS seasoning and they have some good videos on youtube. I think you could order any of their sausage seasoning and make into deli meat
Thanks, trying to make my own lunch meats, starting with spam. Thank you. God Bless, stay safe and warm.
try it with shoulder pork roast, tenderloin grind it then add spices i use simple: brown sugar, curing salt, water, salt its the best ham sandwich meat iver ever tasted. you can use milk powder as a binder. i also freeze the left over juice to put in soups
I’ve seen several recipes that say to add some water to the mix
I literally bought this last week to try this. I havent yet. Thrilled to warch you try it😊
Absolutely, bacon grease is gold. I have never made lunch meat, but I think.its a good idea.
Tim Farmer has a video on making Bologna and it is very good. I baked the ones I made in large kidney bean cans. The only thing was the color was different that store bought. Please give it a try.
Always have the bacon grease jar. 😊
Celery has natural nitrites which I believe are going to be needed for your classic lunch meat texture. Maybe try adding some celery juice while blending? I’m excited y’all are trying this because it’s one our store bought staples too
Thank you for sharing ❤
I just smoked a turkey breast & a ham the just sliced it on my slicer. I'm still playing with seasonings but came out fine
This was so much fun to watch. It looks delicious. I never saw anything like your new gizmo. Another great video. Thank you!
Gelatin is in lunch meat. Very interesting experiment.
How cool is that!
Constance did lunch meat in one of those canisters
I would buy a good book on the subject , and find a person with much experience. I am not going to take a chance with it myself. My very good friends family made many types of dried sausage , Capricoli and 2 other types.The cold cuts hung in their cold room for a long time before we were able to eat it.The meats were delicious. I wish you luck with that project..
I've been wanting this so bad!!!
Oh mannnn, I have one of those in my cart. I can't wait to watch this. I bought a turkey breast and seasoned it with Chipotle. It was amazing , I gotta fins that recipe again
Oh u should make sauges in Jan has to be cold and in a cellar and it so good ! If u have pigs u have main thing
That looks amazing!
Maybe you need a small professional slicer to slice real baked chicken breast, ham turkey breast or roast beef?
You can also try using a KitchenAid mixer (if you have one) to get the meat into a paste like consistency! I have done that before👍🏻 Doner Kabab meat!!! Gyros!
Good job!
So fun to learn with you and you HAVE inspired me🥰
Very interesting video now my mind is going with all the possibilities. Thank you for sharing
We used to eat way too much deli meat as well but never bought the processed type. Only whole breast or whole ham. We stopped buying 15 years ago. You just have to stop. Then we bought a slicer and slice thin our own hams and turkey chicken breast. 😊
That’s what I would do too
It’s kinda like making summer sausage!!
I've been wanting to try this ! Thank you for testing it out 😊
I bet the the texture would be fine in a sandwich. I’m very interested in this idea, thank you.
THIS is a game changer!!
I think you guys should of put it in the fridge for a while before to cook it. But the recipe looks really good.
It looks yummy delicious to me. You have to remember this was your first try!Ya’ll perfected the taste which is great. I believe you can work out the packing. Enjoyed this video
You two are awesome! I love your channel and I learn much!
I own this tube. I've used it once and gave up. So I'll be watching as you tweek this. 😊 I think because I used store bought chicken breast and thighs that have added saline solution, the texture was way off. Also, the video I watched said to boil it, which I thought was weird, so perhaps I overcooked it.
Rachel, i make a Norwegian sandwich meat called rullepølse. I will send you the recipe because it is the bomb. I am buying one of those meat sleeves because it would make it much easier.
Like others have said, you want to mix it a LOT more- you really need to emulsify the meat a bit. Check out Glen and Friends as he does a good job of explaining the science behind it.
that looks delicious
WOW HOW INTERERSTING
That is great! I also say “buy now”😂
O yes I love this idea definitely will be trying it we did the sausage an ur spices are perfect for our taste thank you
I have and use that same set of mixing bowls (Pyrex) and Im buying a meat slicer VERY soon. I'm so glad you're showing this! I have seen these reels! Vibes.
menards sells meat slicers for like 80$
Interesting idea! I wonder if you could get a smoother slice by partially freezing the meat before slicing? Or perhaps a different method of cooking would make it less watery? Could you smoke the pressed meat on the grill instead of simmering it?
Looking at what you got I would look into catalan egg sausage "butifarra d'ou" or even a blood sausage "butifarra negra" or "bull negre", they are usually made with pork and the ground meat is not grounded fine, the last one though it has some interesting cuts like tonge, ears and face, but it need curing. "Morcilla" would be good to, but it has rice in it and I am not really a fan unles grilled on a barbacue. Italian style "mortadella" would be good to, and in this one the meat is extremely fine grounded
Try checking the Hollar Homestead. Meg makes her own lunch meat and I think smoking rather than boiling would work best. You can also watch videos from guys whose content is about smoking meat and see how they do it.
LOL.....I am cleaning kitchen, listening to this.....and I hear my phone ring.....I get to it and it isn't ringing....your's is :)