My first sausage... fresh Garlic pork sausages

[jtnf]

Alternative to: http://lpoli.50webs.com/index_files/Garlic-Fresh.pdf

I switched out the white wine for bourbon and some black rum (I really, REALLY need to restock my drinkin booze AND cookin booze!)

I had some low sodium bacon I opted to use, so it was about 4lbs of pork and a pound of bacon.

The coriander has been hanging on the stem drying for a few months. (corriander is what happens when you let I've never winnowed seed before... Talk about sorting fly poop from pepper!

 

[daveomak]

Don't forget the pictures and taste test description....    

 

[jtnf]

Right now I'm having a heck of a time assembling the LEM electric grinder (#8, 575 watt.) There's just too much stackup when the stuffer tube is in play... The ring nut won't catch a thread even with four hands on it.

I am going to machine a washer out of teflon or hdpe to take the place of the knife, perhaps 1/32" thinner than the knife, or knock 1/32" off the spare gear-spine end. Those are about the only mods I can manage today... I don't want to grind the knife or the auger.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

You don't need the knife when stuffing, just the stuffer plate.



~Martin

 

[jtnf]

You don't need the knife when stuffing, just the stuffer plate.
~Martin

That was my first assumption too but the documentation on this model is really explicit - The knife is required or you can stuff the motor with meat!

 

[jtnf]

And I'd just as soon not use the knife with the stuffing plate. I have a texture I think I like (experience may alter my perception, of course) and I'd rather not grind it a second time.

 

[diggingdogfarm]

That was my first assumption too but the documentation on this model is really explicit - The knife is required or you can stuff the motor with meat!

That's strange, the knife wasn't required on any grinder I've ever used.


~MArtin

 

[jtnf]

http://cdn.lemproducts.com/downloads/1113_575 watt_grinder_manual.pdf

Last paragraph on the last page:

NOTE: Never operate the grinder without
the grinder knife and one of the grinder
plates in the head. Doing so may force
meat back into the motor.

 

[daveomak]

http://cdn.lemproducts.com/downloads/777-779-780-781-782-GRINDER-MANUAL-update-080309.pdf

The exploded view shows the stuffing plate.... It goes in place of the grinding plate like Diggy noted....  check to see you are assembling it correctly..... If so, maybe an incorrect part was placed in the box at the factory......  

With the stuffing plate, you do not use the grinding plates....

 Dave

 

[diggingdogfarm]

http://cdn.lemproducts.com/downloads/1113_575 watt_grinder_manual.pdf

Last paragraph on the last page:

NOTE: Never operate the grinder without

the grinder knife and one of the grinder

plates in the head. Doing so may force

meat back into the motor.

Yeah, that could certainly happen if someone did that with grinder plates in the machine, but it's extremely unlikely with a stiffer plate, there shouldn't be much, if any, resistance.
I've never had it happen, anyway.


~Martin

 

[chef jimmyj]

It is interesting that the assembly pictures don't show the knife but the instructions talk about it...JJ

 

[daveomak]

The link I put in my post shows the parts.....

http://cdn.lemproducts.com/downloads/777-779-780-781-782-GRINDER-MANUAL-update-080309.pdf

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I just looked at the manual for the 575 watt....they gave you a really crappy stuffing plate that's more like a grinder plate....that's why they want you to use the knife.
I good stuffing plate has only 2 or 3 really big holes.

~Martin

 

[boykjo]

It is interesting that the assembly pictures don't show the knife but the instructions talk about it...JJ

Yeah.. That's odd. Maybe the instructions are for grinding only.  For stuffing It should run without the knife like the illustration in the top right . Set it up like the stuffing diagram and with the unit unplugged, check the screw and make sure it doesn't have any back and forth play and no wobble. You should be good to go

 

[jtnf]

With the stuffing plate and no knife, there was definitely a LOT of fore-and-aft play on the auger.

The stuffing plate is thicker than the other plates, with larger holes.

What I wound up doing was placing two stainless steel washers on the shaft - 5/16" ID fit nicely on the shoulder of the square that drives the knife. I fit the ring without the stuffing tube and the there was no fore-and-aft play.

With the stuffing tube, I had enough thread for the ring to safely seat the whole stack. Yay.

(Pics to follow.)

Now comes the interesting part - I suspect I may have been better off with the knife in place and tried to make the stuffing tube work.

It looks to me like some of the sausage meat bound up the holes in the stuffing plate (I had trouble cleaning them at the end of the stuffing session) and the character of the sausage changes soon after the beginning of the stuffing session...

That is to say, the first two links look like nice traditional sausages with visible differences in the meat (grain/grind size.)

Subsequent links were increasingly finely ground, looking more like an emulsified grind (very fine grind.)

I believe that the meat was recirculating thru the grinder while I was stuffing links.

NOW I know why you guys use dedicated stuffers :)

The finished product is proofing/drying in the fridge right now. I'm going to bring a few to my favorite guinea pig family in an hour or so for a test fry.

 

[jtnf]

I just looked at the manual for the 575 watt....they gave you a really crappy stuffing plate that's more like a grinder plate....that's why they want you to use the knife.
I good stuffing plate has only 2 or 3 really big holes.
~Martin

I'd have to concur - the stuffing plate is definately more like a grinding plate with fewer, larger, holes, but it is absolutely NOT the typical "two or three kidney-shaped hole) stuffing plate.

I'll see if I can source a proper stuffing plate before giving up on this little grinder as a surrogate stuffer.

 

[jtnf]

Yeah.. That's odd. Maybe the instructions are for grinding only.  For stuffing It should run without the knife like the illustration in the top right . Set it up like the stuffing diagram and with the unit unplugged, check the screw and make sure it doesn't have any back and forth play and no wobble. You should be good to go

Unfortunately, no... The instructions were really explicit. I think DigginDog nailed it... The "stuffing" plate is not really a stuffing plate at all... It's like a grinding plate with 1/2" (or so, at the widest) pie-shaped holes.

I'll measure it and let you know for real - I verified the washer stackup trick above with a digital calipers, so I can get dimensions pretty easily.

 

[venture]

I have seen grinder/stuffers with the instructions to include the blade.  Go figger?

I would only think because of no "kidney" plate?

Good excuse to ask Santa for a stuffer?  Better hurry!

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[jtnf]

Brought some to a few neighbors for Christmas Eve and Christmas.

The taste was good, definitely wanted smoke-roasting rather than pan frying what with the bacon and bourbon in there.

The texture WAS too fine. If I get a kidney-holed stuffing plate, I'll bring it into the office and slap it one the mag-plate grinder and take 80 thousandths or so off of it.

 

[jtnf]

The promised Q-View photos...

The "stack of washers" solution:

IMG_1264.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012

Funny "stuffing" plate with the stack of washers:

IMG_1268.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012

Here's the plate with the knife in place. You can see it stacks up taller than with the two washers.

IMG_1270.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012

Einstein is very interested in progress. 36" tall at the shoulder and 175 lbs. He generally does not help himself to anything on the counters (or in the sink!) when I'm around... turn my back, or with other family members all bets are off.

IMG_1272.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012

Garlic-bacon-bourbon fresh sausage meat (no cure.) Since this is a first effort, I'm kinda making things up as I go.

The rice maker spoon pictured worked quite well for an ad-hoc meat shovel!

IMG_1276.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012

The goods (and bads.)

You can see that the first one or two look OK, but the subsequent links look highly emulsified. Texture of the fine grain proved the what you see there: It's very finely ground.

Yes, I know they look like hell, I'm posting my experience so others may learn!

   Tasted good tho!

IMG_1281.JPG

• jtnf
• Dec 26, 2012