am i stuck with lumpy sausage?

[netspyder]

soooooo i need some advice from the sausage masters... i'm mixing up some italian sausage, and at this point i sent it through the grinder, mixed in the seasonings and the water... but it still feels lumpy. it'll be bulk packed (not cased), so i guess its not the end of the world if i have to leave it like that... but is it too late to send it through the grinder a 2nd time? if i do send it through again, do i use the large or small die? i don't have one that i'd call "medium".

 

[SmokinEdge]

soooooo i need some advice from the sausage masters... i'm mixing up some italian sausage, and at this point i sent it through the grinder, mixed in the seasonings and the water... but it still feels lumpy. it'll be bulk packed (not cased), so i guess its not the end of the world if i have to leave it like that... but is it too late to send it through the grinder a 2nd time? if i do send it through again, do i use the large or small die? i don't have one that i'd call "medium".

How do you mean “lumpy “ what are the lumps?

 

[DougE]

What size plate did you use on your initial grind?

 

[netspyder]

How do you mean “lumpy “ what are the lumps?

seems like fat chunks. the meat seems soft

What size plate did you use on your initial grind?

holes are... what maybe 5/16"

 

[DougE]

Was the meat cold when ground and mixed? 30~32° is where I grind and mix. You should have good meat/fat particle definition at this temp and not have "globs" of fat.

 

[netspyder]

Was the meat cold when ground and mixed? 30~32° is where I grind and mix. You should have good meat/fat particle definition at this temp and not have "globs" of fat.

it was mostly frozen when ground. i didn't temp it. it didn't smear when ground. but now i've added water and the mixture is starting to tack up, but when i run my hands through it, it still feels a bit 'chunky' (unlike other sausages i've done - but this is the first time i've used loin and back fat)

clearly i should've run it through a second time to get the meat n fat better acquainted... is it too late to do that? will i end up with fatty meat paste?

 

[netspyder]

and maybe i'm over-thinking it and i should just bag it up and call it a day... not like my parents are making patties - they add it to spaghetti or lasagna

 

[DougE]

I'd chill it back down and run it through again if it were me.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I’m still not getting the lumpy feel from meat ran through a 1/4” plate. That makes zero sense. A single pass is fine and a double pass will help extract protein and cut it a bit smaller.

 

[netspyder]

I'd chill it back down and run it through again if it were me.

i will give that a try. the large die again or the small one? the small one has ... 1/8" holes? or therabouts. they're probably actually metric and i didn't read the thing.

 

[netspyder]

I’m still not getting the lumpy feel from meat ran through a 1/4” plate. That makes zero sense. A single pass is fine and a double pass will help extract protein and cut it a bit smaller.

right? i thought that was kinda weird too after i started mixing it up... hence the post. only thing i can think of is that maybe that fat was still cold enough to be solid and didn't mix very well

 

[DougE]

4.5mm or about 3/16ths is the plate I use for most.

 

[netspyder]

4.5mm or about 3/16ths is the plate I use for most.

ope yep it helpfully says so on the edge of the die. ok - wish me luck ! dropping the lug into the freezer for a bit to chill it out

 

[DougE]

ope yep it helpfully says so on the edge of the die. ok - wish me luck ! dropping the lug into the freezer for a bit to chill it out

Just don't hold it against me if it don't work out lol.

 

[SmokinEdge]

ope yep it helpfully says so on the edge of the die. ok - wish me luck ! dropping the lug into the freezer for a bit to chill it out

A double pass should solve your problem. Been doing this a long time and still struggling to understand your situation. Let us know how the second pass goes. And I would not go through the fine plate, go back through the same plate.

 

[netspyder]

ok... well, that was an ordeal. SmokinEdge you were right... i shouldn't have gone with the smaller die. meat paste. and it was hard going the whole way -- the lem plunger isn't a snug fit, so it'd spooge out the side then create air pockets... oh well. live and learn. and my parents probably won't care that much.

so, remember kiddos, if you've already added water, don't try and send it back through the grinder. the motor on the grinder got pretty hot (the auger stayed pretty cool though)

 

[Fueling Around]

Hey Nate
Get a couple more plates is my suggestion. Also get knifes (blades) to pair with each of the plates.
3mm, 4.5mm, 8mm, and 10mm is a good assortment to have in the "what am I going to grind today" choice of accessories.

One can regrind meat after adding the seasoning and water. It just needs to be well chilled (not frozen) so it holds shape when hand formed into logs to feed into the grinder. Chilling in a lug isn't uniform unless you stir the meat a lot to get the temp relatively uniform.
This is from lessons learned grinding and regrinding meat.

 

[netspyder]

Hey Nate
Get a couple more plates is my suggestion. Also get knifes (blades) to pair with each of the plates.
3mm, 4.5mm, 8mm, and 10mm is a good assortment to have in the "what am I going to grind today" choice of accessories.

One can regrind meat after adding the seasoning and water. It just needs to be well chilled (not frozen) so it holds shape when hand formed into logs to feed into the grinder. Chilling in a lug isn't uniform unless you stir the meat a lot to get the temp relatively uniform.
This is from lessons learned grinding and regrinding meat.

yeah, it turned out ok - just took forever to send it back through on the small die (45 minutes or so constantly running the grinder).

what would you use 3mm for? hot dogs?

 

[SmokinEdge]

ok... well, that was an ordeal. SmokinEdge you were right... i shouldn't have gone with the smaller die. meat paste. and it was hard going the whole way -- the lem plunger isn't a snug fit, so it'd spooge out the side then create air pockets... oh well. live and learn. and my parents probably won't care that much.

so, remember kiddos, if you've already added water, don't try and send it back through the grinder. the motor on the grinder got pretty hot (the auger stayed pretty cool though)

When grinding meat keep the meat temp around 30* if double grinding go back to the freezer until the meat is around 27* or par frozen, this will help it feed and grind much more as a premium grind. Keep that meat cold all through the process. This will make the process much easier and give you a better product.

This advice will save your backside if you ever want to do hotdogs or bologna, which will require a double pass through the 1/8” plate. If the meat is kept very cold it will run smooth.

 

[DougE]

Also helps to get the first grind arranged in logs (turds, maybe lol) that will go through the grinder throat before you put it back in the freezer and par freeze.