I was blinded by butt!!

[KonaRich]

I just finished pounding the heel of my hand into my forehead a couple of times because I got all excited a while ago learning that pork butt is perfect for sausage because it has a natural 80/20 (approx) lean/fat content.

Just buy pork butt for sausage and forget any additional fat!! So off to Costco for pork butt, only to find a $10 off sale on 2-packs!!! I bought 2!!!

Now, about a week or so later, i discover that Costco sells 80/20 ground pork for $2.99/lb, 50 cents more than pork butt. I could have saved lots of time had I just realized. I was blinded by butt!!! Not the first time, and not having anything to do with pork.

From now on, it's ground pork for my sausages! I've even learned that my kitchen aid 6 qt stand mixer can be used to blend the cure and spices into the ground pork, saving time and arthritic pain doing it manually.

I'm trying to remove all possible physical labor from the process of sausage making short of buying an electric stuffer.

Live and learn...

 

[Fueling Around]

I've done both ways.
I prefer home grind of a butt versus store ground pork. I found most store ground has much more fat.
I'm sure others will add their experiences

 

[Quiganomics]

Grind your own. You can control the texture, and a secondary grind is a good way to evenly distribute your spices. Not to mention, it's just better. I find this step yo be the most satisfying part of sausage making, as I despise stuffing the casings.

-Shaun

 

[forktender]

We would be a good team Shaun.
I enjoy stuffing much more than grinding. Mainly because I have a little #8 lem grinder.
It works but everything has to be cut perfectly or it won't fit. And it's slow.
Time for an upgraded grinder I guess.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Like mentioned above, I would sooner grind my own , as I find the store grind wetter ( or I guess maybe more fat )

And trust me , I am a bit on the lazy side . So already grind would be my friend , BUT I find it just too moist for what I want it be be for what I am building.

But this is just how I feel.

David

 

[Winterrider]

I am on the whole butt bandwagon compared to ground.

 

[KonaRich]

We would be a good team Shaun.
I enjoy stuffing much more than grinding. Mainly because I have a little #8 lem grinder.
It works but everything has to be cut perfectly or it won't fit. And it's slow.
Time for an upgraded grinder I guess.

We'll be using our Kitchenaid plastic grinder attachment we've had for many years. It's serviceable enough for processing a 7 lb butt every few months.

We looked at LEM grinders, as we looked at LEM stuffers, and there was no cost justification for our low-end use. We're big on cost justification, and try never to buy more than what's minimally required for our usage pattern. Kitchenaid to grind and mix, and Hakka to stuff.

All of your input is for butt over pre-ground pork, so maybe i did well, after all. I hadn't thought of excess moisture of pre-ground, although all say to add water to the ground meat. I tend to trust Costco quite a bit, and if they say their ground product is 80/20, I'd believe it. Besides, lots of sources say 75/25 is great, too.

The Siren song of pre-ground, with all its labor savings, still pulls at me. I'm sure I'll try some after processing a butt or 2 just to finally know.

 

[jcam222]

I usually have the perfect situation in my mind. My local Savealot only charges me $0.25 per lbs to grind the butts AND I don't pay bone weight. They do a perfect sausage grind as they do their own sausages in house too.

 

[Fueling Around]

We'll be using our Kitchenaid plastic grinder attachment we've had for many years. It's serviceable enough for processing a 7 lb butt every few months.

We looked at LEM grinders, ...

I ground meat with Armstrong (manual) as well as the Kitchen Aid plastic attachment.
I was very seriously looking at getting a metal attachment until I scored a Weston #8 for under $50
More than adequate for my 4-6 grind sessions a year.

Like mentioned above, I would sooner grind my own , as I find the store grind wetter ( or I guess maybe more fat )

And trust me , I am a bit on the lazy side . So already grind would be my friend , BUT I find it just too moist for what I want it be be for what I am building.

But this is just how I feel.

David

Great point and I forgot about that David.
If memory serves, US processors are allowed up to 10% by weight of added water (as ice) in grinds.

 

[Count Porcula]

I just finished pounding the heel of my hand into my forehead a couple of times because I got all excited a while ago learning that pork butt is perfect for sausage because it has a natural 80/20 (approx) lean/fat content.

Just buy pork butt for sausage and forget any additional fat!! So off to Costco for pork butt, only to find a $10 off sale on 2-packs!!! I bought 2!!!

Now, about a week or so later, i discover that Costco sells 80/20 ground pork for $2.99/lb, 50 cents more than pork butt. I could have saved lots of time had I just realized. I was blinded by butt!!! Not the first time, and not having anything to do with pork.

From now on, it's ground pork for my sausages! I've even learned that my kitchen aid 6 qt stand mixer can be used to blend the cure and spices into the ground pork, saving time and arthritic pain doing it manually.

I'm trying to remove all possible physical labor from the process of sausage making short of buying an electric stuffer.

Live and learn...

Weeping tears of joy for you.