I've got meat...

[SonnyE]

I have a big Boston Butt over 10 pounds. (Well, big for me...)
And I have a package of over 5 pounds of Stew Meat.
My plan is to grind them for Sausage, and probably specifically for Snack Stick fodder.
So I have a storage idea I would like help with.....

My idea is to break down the Butt into grinder chunk fodder, and the Stew meat chunks into 1 pound packages of each. Then vacuum bagged these portions separately. (Unground)
Then my thought was to make bags of 1 each packages for the freezer to store them. (A pound of Pork, and a pound of Beef)

The idea here is to be able to pull a package, and have portioned 50/50 Pork/Beef to grind and combine for Snack Sticks, or other sausage attempts as I fiddle along.

Does it sound like a reasonable idea? The two meats would be kept separate, and whole, until I decide to season, grind, and combine in my small scale production.

Taking that a step further, what about seasoning the meat before the initial freezing? Kind of a ready to grind and stuff package, stored in the freezer.

(If I could, I'd Love to be able to do, say, 5 pound bags. But 2 pounds makes me ~8 feet of 19 mm casings currently. Yields about a 1 quart Ziploc bag of stix. Which seems to be plenty for me at a time.)

Advice Please! Crazy Idea?
My stuffer seems to be on a slow boat from China. So trying to get ahead of my frenzy when that crucial puzzle piece appears.

 

[disco]

It would work fine to portion like this unless you are making fresh sausage. They recommend you don't refreeze fresh meat once it has been frozen. However, if you are smoking snack sticks, summer sausage, etc, it will be fine.

 

[Mofatguy]

Go for it!
I thaw venison burger out that has already been ground to mix with pork fat which I purchase when I can find all the time. Works fine.
Don't know that I would want to pre season it though? Might work?

 

[disco]

Go for it!
I thaw venison burger out that has already been ground to mix with pork fat which I purchase when I can find all the time. Works fine.
Don't know that I would want to pre season it though? Might work?

Actually, I don't know anything for sure but seasonings cover a lot of ground in variety and some might affect the texture of the meat. Likely not a good idea to season.

 

[dernektambura]

As far as I know about freezing meat and later using it for sausages is that meat need to be frozen fast at very low temp to prevent meat water "crystallization"....I am not sure if household fridge prevents crystallization....All I remember is advice my grandpa gave me: never cure or smoke meat previously frozen....

 

[dernektambura]

personally...I would cut that boston butt in to two pieces, dry cure and cold smoke....then you can snack on them for 6 months...:)

 

[DanMcG]

I freeze cubed meat when I don't need the whole butt, and it works good for me. I wouldn't preseason it either, what if you decide to make some other sausage with it then you're out of luck.

Good luck, and I hope your stuffer gets there soon.

 

[SonnyE]

Actually, I don't know anything for sure but seasonings cover a lot of ground in variety and some might affect the texture of the meat. Likely not a good idea to season.

Yeah, I agree. But wanted to ask before doing it.
Using frozen meat is one thing. Seasoning, freezing, and then grinding at a later date might over do things.

I might cause gringeing, But we do eat pre-packaged stuff where you heat and eat pre-prepared stuff. So that was kind of where my head was at with the idea.

 

[SonnyE]

As far as I know about freezing meat and later using it for sausages is that meat need to be frozen fast at very low temp to prevent meat water "crystallization"....I am not sure if household fridge prevents crystallization....All I remember is advice my grandpa gave me: never cure or smoke meat previously frozen....

I can't flash-freeze like manufactures do, that's just a cool dream for me.
But my Chest freezer is Sub-Zero. Best I've got.
I can't process mass quantities. I'd have stuff stuffed everywhere!

 

[dernektambura]

I hear'ya...same problem here...when it comes to meat smoking and curing hobby, I am megalomaniac....at 165 pound body frame it's ridiculous to process hundred pound of meat a year...it's just that I can't help it...

 

[SonnyE]

I freeze cubed meat when I don't need the whole butt, and it works good for me. I wouldn't preseason it either, what if you decide to make some other sausage with it then you're out of luck.

Good luck, and I hope your stuffer gets there soon.

Thanks!
Yeah, my first attempt made two strings that yielded ~11 feet each. But I was stuffing with the grinder. (Using the slotted plate for the least amount of over-grinding.)
The ropes were kinda loose, and not tightly packed. But it left room for me to twist them.
19mm - 3/4" ropes. Stogie sized sticks. LOL! I wanted to start out kind of middle of the road.

 

[indaswamp]

Do not pre salt the meat and freeze it....you want protein extraction when you make the sausage, not when you freeze it.

 

[SonnyE]

Do not pre salt the meat and freeze it....you want protein extraction when you make the sausage, not when you freeze it.

Makes sense.
I do want to make some up, even though I have to stuff with the grinder for now.
Too hungry to wait for the boat. LOL!
Thanks Inda!

 

[Mofatguy]

Quick google search brought this.

https://food.unl.edu/it-safe-refreeze-raw-meat-and-poultry-has-thawed

Just sharing. Not being contentious.

 

[SonnyE]

Quick google search brought this.

https://food.unl.edu/it-safe-refreeze-raw-meat-and-poultry-has-thawed

Just sharing. Not being contentious.

I wasn't planning on refreezing this meat. From memory, any meat that was thawed from a frozen state had to be cooked and used.
The Butt is cryovac packaged, and supposed to be fresh, never frozen.
The Stew meat is Angus meat, lean in appearance, and cubed up to a nice size for the grinder. Also supposed to be fresh never frozen. (Before I got my paws on it. )

 

[SonnyE]

Maybe good, maybe not, but I did my duel packs of 1 and 1 pound, Pork Boston Butt, Angus Stew Meat.
A Friend advised me that Stew meat is a good candidate because of it being usually taken from Muscles of Locomotion.

"Stew meat is usually made from tough cuts, i.e. muscles of locomotion... These muscles have a high collegen content (because they are tougher) and as such, they have a high binding capacity. "

At any rate, I packaged up pounds of each and the idea is to be able to draw out a 2fer package to grind.

The Maybe not is, I made my pounds on Dry waxed paper, then folded the corners to make a bundle of the meat. Then inserted the bundle into an 8X8 Vacuum bag and vacuumed and sealed it. Then those, 1# Pork Butt, and 1 Pound Beef Stew Meat, went into an 11"X11" vacuum bag and vacuum sealed as a two-fer.
So I might be busy picking paper out of this before I can grind it. Or adding fiber to my diet when I chomp my sticks....
Nothing added (except the paper). No salt, no cure, no nothing except high hopes.
Step one complete. They're frozen already.
4 dual packs, and 5 Pork Only single pounds.

Thank You All for your thoughts and help on this step.

 

[Mofatguy]

Should be fine. Ground meat always came frozen in freezer paper from the local buthers we have butcher our beef for years.
They just recently in the last few years changed to the plastic bags. Never had a problem with paper.

 

[indaswamp]

Sonny, if the beef is 100% lean like you say, and you did not trim any fat off the pork (20~25% fat in boston butt), and you go 50/50 beef to pork, you will only have 10~12% fat in the sausages. I recommend saving fat caps from boston butts and adding 0.2lbs. of pork fat per each sealed 2# pack when you make sausage. This will get your fat up close to 20% where is should be, and you will now have 2.2lb. batches, which is 1 kilo. Easier to do sausage test batches in kilos for scaling purposes.....

 

[SonnyE]

Should be fine. Ground meat always came frozen in freezer paper from the local buthers we have butcher our beef for years.
They just recently in the last few years changed to the plastic bags. Never had a problem with paper.

No matter what, after it goes through the grinder, it'll pass.

Her, "What is in your underwear?"
Him, "Fart dust."

 

[indaswamp]

will be 16.66667% fat.....

if you want to go to 20% fat, add 0.24lbs. of fat... (3.84ounces)