Pork sausage woes

[crappyice]

So I decided to break out the grinder and try some Italian pork sausage in casings.

 

Cut meat into pieces appropriate for grinding off a 4 pound pork butt mixed with seasoning set for a deep chill, ground with the largest plate; re-“froze”; and stuffed in casing.

 

All looked great (not my normal mush like I had with my venison attempts). Cooked some excess meat that remains in the grinder and overflowed the casing and the flavor was good but seems a bit dry. Grilled up a link last night and it was as really dry.

 

What am I missing? Of course I can’t find the actual recipe I used online as a guide to my missteps.

 

If it called or any liquid it wasn’t much.

 

Any help would be great

 

 

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[Bionic]

9 hours ago, crappyice said:

 

So I decided to break out the grinder and try some Italian pork sausage in casings.

 

Cut meat into pieces appropriate for grinding off a 4 pound pork butt mixed with seasoning set for a deep chill, ground with the largest plate; re-“froze”; and stuffed in casing.

 

All looked great (not my normal mush like I had with my venison attempts). Cooked some excess meat that remains in the grinder and overflowed the casing and the flavor was good but seems a bit dry. Grilled up a link last night and it was as really dry.

 

What am I missing? Of course I can’t find the actual recipe I used online as a guide to my missteps.

 

If it called or any liquid it wasn’t much.

 

Any help would be great

 

 

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Need more fat in my opinion.  My dad is big into this, and I listen when he talks, and also am the taste tester.  Anyways, he had a lot of dry versions, it seems like a disgusting amount of fat goes into sausage, in order to make it juicy like store bought.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Bionic

[ADK Native]

A little crush ice keeps the meat firm since the grinder heats it up. plus it adds a little moisture.

[mowin]

It sounds like you're grinder knife and plate need sharping If on the first grind it's coming out mushy. Or your not tightening the locking ring enough??? 

I never double grind my ven sausage. Use a medium plate. Place grinder head in the freezer, and use ice water as needed.  

Edited June 24, 2018 by mowin

[Robhuntandfish]

Need a good fat content. Figure burgers are usually 20 percent and with sausage gonna want the right consistency.  Pork butt alone can be too lean believe it or not. Like if you cooked pork chops they can be dry if cooked too much and with sausage you can't have medium it needs to be cooked thru.   When usually cook store bought sausage there is enough fat in it to cook without adding oil.  So higher fat content to cook inside the casing.  And when cooking try.not to pierce the casing as well to hold in the liquid.  

https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/170/using-the-best-fat-to-lean-ratio-in-making-sausage

 

 

Edited June 24, 2018 by Robhuntandfish

[t_barb]

Try this recipe...  I found it to be great...

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/35989/hot-italian-sausage/?internalSource=similar_recipe_banner&referringId=216319&referringContentType=recipe&clickId=simslot_1

 

 

[tommyc50]

Deffently more fat 30% fat, the pork  shoulder doesn't have enough you can also add some wine if you like some people do for flavor and consistency , my  dad made sausages  and I would help him this goes back to the 60's. Just remember clean ,cold and Clorox [ tablespoon to a gal. of water] and I mean cold almost frozen the same with all the part the come in contact with the meat ,also what I do I put an ice pack under the bowl . Why you do that is the fat melts and clogs the dies and sticks to everything.   

[corydd7]

11 hours ago, crappyice said:

 

So I decided to break out the grinder and try some Italian pork sausage in casings.

 

Cut meat into pieces appropriate for grinding off a 4 pound pork butt mixed with seasoning set for a deep chill, ground with the largest plate; re-“froze”; and stuffed in casing.

 

All looked great (not my normal mush like I had with my venison attempts). Cooked some excess meat that remains in the grinder and overflowed the casing and the flavor was good but seems a bit dry. Grilled up a link last night and it was as really dry.

 

What am I missing? Of course I can’t find the actual recipe I used online as a guide to my missteps.

 

If it called or any liquid it wasn’t much.

 

Any help would be great

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Late to the thread but fat. This goes against most opinion but I would add a little heat if you can without popping the casing as well.

[landtracdeerhunter]

We do a 50x50 mixed with pork round and venison. We did 70 lb. and it came out good to our liking. Going to try a brat mixture this year.

[crappyice]

Try this recipe...  I found it to be great...
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/35989/hot-italian-sausage/?internalSource=similar_recipe_banner&referringId=216319&referringContentType=recipe&clickId=simslot_1
 
 

Thanks...however what parts of porky make up the “20 ground pork”
The cup of oil is interesting - obviously that would cure some dryness


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[crappyice]

Late to the thread but fat. This goes against most opinion but I would add a little heat if you can without popping the casing as well.

Thanks but can you define “fat?” Seems like an odd question but when I used straight fat (pure white skin removed) that’s when I had problems with it gumming up the machine even when it was partial frozen and the parts were frozen.


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[mowin]

10 minutes ago, crappyice said:

Thanks but can you define “fat?” Seems like an odd question but when I used straight fat (pure white skin removed) that’s when I had problems with it gumming up the machine even when it was partial frozen and the parts were frozen.


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How old is the knife and plate?  Has it been sharpened? If the knife doesn't stay in contact with the plate, it will gum up.  Are you freezing( not partially) the chunks of fat and grinding them separately?  What grinder to u have? 

Edited June 24, 2018 by mowin

[crappyice]

So many F’ing variables.
How much water? Wine? Ice chips?
Types of pork? Pork fat?
Size of cutting disc? One grind or two?
Mix fat and pork and spices and then let sit Before grind? Grind meats then mix spices and then stuff in casings?

A big problem is me not tracking my efforts- I seem to change too many variables at once and can then never eliminate problems or identify successes.

Premio sausage at $6.00 a pound ain’t seeming so bad any more!


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[crappyice]

How old is the knife and plate?  Has it been sharpened? If the knife doesn't stay in contact with the plate, it will gum up.  Are you freezing( not partially) the chunks of fat and grinding them separately?  What grinder to u have? 

My latest attempt produced the best batch- straight pork butt - no additional fat.

Result- good grind(no gumming up) but the cooked product was dry.

Grinder is “new” - maybe 30 pounds of meat through it since the fall- STX international turbo force 3000.


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[mowin]

16 minutes ago, crappyice said:

My latest attempt produced the best batch- straight pork butt - no additional fat.

Result- good grind(no gumming up) but the cooked product was dry.

Grinder is “new” - maybe 30 pounds of meat through it since the fall- STX international turbo force 3000.


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Just looked up that model.  Looks like a good unit.  

I'd try to freezes solid the chunks of fat. Grind with a course plate.  Re freeze while you clean the head. Cool the head in ice water as you Mix the frozen ground fat to meat and grind  ASAP.... Adding ice water as u go helps to. 

Good luck.  

Edited June 24, 2018 by mowin

[tommyc50]

1 hour ago, crappyice said:

Thanks but can you define “fat?” Seems like an odd question but when I used straight fat (pure white skin removed) that’s when I had problems with it gumming up the machine even when it was partial frozen and the parts were frozen.


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to quote emerald pork fat rules lol. Beef fat is suet ,feed it to the birds and its the same cap fat on venison [they make candles and soap out of it] you can find prk trimmings and pork fat in the supermarket its cheap. As a side note rendered chicken fat is called shmultz and jewish people  use a lot of it cause they are not allowed to use butter ,no mixing meat and dairy

[Culvercreek hunt club]

On 6/24/2018 at 8:24 AM, crappyice said:

My latest attempt produced the best batch- straight pork butt - no additional fat.

Result- good grind(no gumming up) but the cooked product was dry.

Grinder is “new” - maybe 30 pounds of meat through it since the fall- STX international turbo force 3000.


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When we do ours ant use pork shoulder or butts we chunk um the pork and whatever fat is on it as it comes from the store is what go into the grinder. Do't try to put the fat through as pure fat (trimmed off the butt or shoulder and then ground) . When in a chunk with the meat it will go right through. 

[Uncle Nicky]

On ‎6‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 8:11 AM, crappyice said:

So many F’ing variables.
How much water? Wine? Ice chips?
Types of pork? Pork fat?
Size of cutting disc? One grind or two?
Mix fat and pork and spices and then let sit Before grind? Grind meats then mix spices and then stuff in casings?

A big problem is me not tracking my efforts- I seem to change too many variables at once and can then never eliminate problems or identify successes.

Premio sausage at $6.00 a pound ain’t seeming so bad any more!


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I used to make pork sausage in a grocery store, and ran a processing business for a number of years.

Here is what I have always done or learned:

1). The ratio of fat to meat (regardless of whatever kind of meat you are using) is 1:3, or 75% lean to fat. I use what they call Leidy's Pork trim, I mix this 4lbs to 6# deer for venison sausage. For just pork sausage, use fatty pork butts. If you use pork picnic shoulders, add 1 lb of fatback or 2 lb pork trim for every 5 lb of pork. I know this sounds like a lot of fat, but diet sausage just doesn't come out right,

2). Cold water is preferred to ice chips, but you can't add that much without the product suffering (1 cup cold water: 10 lb meat at most). I never had much luck adding vegetable oil.

3). Overgrinding is not good. Grind once through a coarse plate. Use a fine plate if you want, but it won't be the same. Always make sure the grinder and plates are cold when you grind.

4). I always ground the meat first, then added spices. I always soaked the casings at least 4-5 days, they are MUCH easier to work with when they are soft.

Good luck!

[crappyice]

Check out this recipe in the new F&S for venison Brats



Any sausage pros out there can talk to me about their process, fat to venison ration(seems light on fat) cooking tech.
May try again since my last attempt led to dry brats


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