So if you hang around some low sodium social media groups made for recipe sharing, you may have noticed this fun little idea of making your own deli meat. Deli meat is notoriously awful for sodium restricted diet. Yes there is a few brands with meat that is relatively decent. Unfortunately, my North Dakota city doesn't have stores that typically carry those.
But guess what? I finally got the meat press that has slowly been making it's way around the group. I got this one, but since I'm not being sponsored, please feel free to shop around and see if there's another that you like. It did the job.
So all it takes is sound ground meat, seasonings and time. To make this chicken loaf, I did use a blender to make a chicken paste.
The basic recipe is
2 lbs meat
Seasonings as you like
1tsp gelatin if you'd like a more Spam/canned ham-like consistency. I didn't use it for this, but I might for the next.
Then you just pack the container and place the plate with spring on top, with the spring on top. Then attach the lid and twist to secure. Place the press in 180F water for about 2 hours. Use the hole at the top to periodically temp the meat like normal. Once done, let cool and then refrigerate at least overnight. Remove and slice.
Removing can be a bit tricky, just be patient. I've learned to grab the spring close to the plate and slowly pull. Then flip the whole thing over onto a plate and let gravity do it's thing.
It worked pretty well! I'm going to try it with pork and make my own low sodium ham for Easter.