I have been making my OFG Breakfast Sausage for years. It is based on Pop's recipe. I love it. However, I have a mental problem that makes me want to improve every dish I try. I thought about anything I thought could be better in the sausage.
I did have one thing. I have made the sausage with a fine grind and it has a good moistness but less chew. So, I tried grinding it coarser. It had a great chew but was more ground meat like thatn sausage like in moisture and texture. Over the years, I use a medium grind for a balance between these two results.
However, I wanted a great chew, moisture, and texture, not a compromise.
I decided to coarse grind all the pork and then beat 2/3 of the sausage to a pasty texture and then leave the other 1/3 coarse ground and mix it with the beaten paste. It worked! I love the texture and chew and this is now my go to method.
Here’s the whole process for the improved sausage.
I cut fatty pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. I mixed a seasoning mix for the pork by weight. For each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pork I mixed:
I put the meat on one layer on a tray and put it in the freezer until it formed a crusty surface. Then I ran it through the coarse plate on my KitchenAid. I put the pork in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Then I removed 1/3 of the ground meat from the rest and put it in the fridge.
I put the remaining 2/3 of the pork mixture in the bowl of my stand mixer with the paddle attached. I added 1/4 cup of ice water to the bowl. I mixed the meat on medium for 4 to 5 minutes. You are looking for the meat to get a pasty texture that sticks to the bowl and paddle.
I added the 1/3 of coarse ground sausage from the fridge and mixed them together by hand.
I put the meat in the fridge for an hour to chill.
I did a test fry to confirm the seasonings were right. They were perfect.
If you are making sausage patties, just shape them and freeze them. I wanted links.
I used my LEM stuffer and used 22 mm (3/4 inch) collagen casings to make the sausage. It took about 1.8 meters (6 feet) of casings. After stuffing, I pinched the sausages every 4 inches.
I cut at the pinches and put the sausages on a tray. I froze them solid and then vacuum sealed them for storage. If you don’t freeze them first the pressure from the vacuum sealer can flatten them.
The Verdict
As I said, this method of grinding gave a great chew and texture. Try it with your favourite sausage recipe.
Disco
I did have one thing. I have made the sausage with a fine grind and it has a good moistness but less chew. So, I tried grinding it coarser. It had a great chew but was more ground meat like thatn sausage like in moisture and texture. Over the years, I use a medium grind for a balance between these two results.
However, I wanted a great chew, moisture, and texture, not a compromise.
I decided to coarse grind all the pork and then beat 2/3 of the sausage to a pasty texture and then leave the other 1/3 coarse ground and mix it with the beaten paste. It worked! I love the texture and chew and this is now my go to method.
Here’s the whole process for the improved sausage.
I cut fatty pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. I mixed a seasoning mix for the pork by weight. For each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pork I mixed:
- 12.5 grams (0.44 ounces) salt
- 2.2 grams (0.08 ounces) black pepper
- 1.5 grams (0.06 ounces) fresh sage, finely chopped or 0.7 grams (0.03 ounces) dried sage
- 0.65 grams (0.03 ounces) ground ginger
- 1 gram (0.04 ounces) fresh thyme or 0.5 grams(0.02 ounces) dried thyme
- 0.9 grams (0.04 ounces) dried ground chipotle
I put the meat on one layer on a tray and put it in the freezer until it formed a crusty surface. Then I ran it through the coarse plate on my KitchenAid. I put the pork in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Then I removed 1/3 of the ground meat from the rest and put it in the fridge.
I put the remaining 2/3 of the pork mixture in the bowl of my stand mixer with the paddle attached. I added 1/4 cup of ice water to the bowl. I mixed the meat on medium for 4 to 5 minutes. You are looking for the meat to get a pasty texture that sticks to the bowl and paddle.
I added the 1/3 of coarse ground sausage from the fridge and mixed them together by hand.
I put the meat in the fridge for an hour to chill.
I did a test fry to confirm the seasonings were right. They were perfect.
If you are making sausage patties, just shape them and freeze them. I wanted links.
I used my LEM stuffer and used 22 mm (3/4 inch) collagen casings to make the sausage. It took about 1.8 meters (6 feet) of casings. After stuffing, I pinched the sausages every 4 inches.
I cut at the pinches and put the sausages on a tray. I froze them solid and then vacuum sealed them for storage. If you don’t freeze them first the pressure from the vacuum sealer can flatten them.
The Verdict
As I said, this method of grinding gave a great chew and texture. Try it with your favourite sausage recipe.
Disco
