Sausage tasted good, not plump

[kvn]

Ok, newbie here again for sausage making. Ok, i made some sausage and the inside consistency wasn't seemed to be lacking a bit. It was soft but not really together. Any ideas?

 

[jcam222]

Ok, newbie here again for sausage making. Ok, i made some sausage and the inside consistency wasn't seemed to be lacking a bit. It was soft but not really together. Any ideas?

Youwill get plenty of good answers here for sure. That said you’d fair better but putting your questions in a single thread as a sausage newbie instead of back to back separate ones.

 

[chef jimmyj]

" Soft and not together..." May be Under Mixed. To get a good firm but tender texture, that is uniformly bound and smooth. There must be Salt in the 1%+ range and making sure the meat is Cold you Mix it until it gets Sticky. At this stage you Mix some more until a uniform Paste comes together. Things are looking good the meat and fat has emulsified...So you Mix some more! Keeping the Meat Cold keeps the Meat and Fat Emulsified. If it is getting warm, stings less when you are mixing, stop and put the meat and bowl, in the Freezer for 15 to 30 minutes, while your hand warms up, get the meat out and have at it again...JJ

 

[chef jimmyj]

Not Plump? Is a sign the casing was Under Stuffed. This can result in Tough, Chewy Casing as well. How full to stuff casing requires you get a Feel for what's right. Under full feels Limp and will look like there are flat and uneven spots. Too full can Blow Out easily. Just right should feel firm and if you hold the Sausage up off the table, it should hold a shallow ARC back to the table. Like a Water Hose under pressure. If the sausage hangs Limp like a wet Noodle, hanging down at 90°, you are Under Stuffed. Squeeze the meat down like eating a melting Freeze Pop, and Gently pull the empty casing back on the horn and hold the casing Back until it fills more and just starts to fight to get away from you...JJ

 

[zwiller]

The more info you can provide the better the responses. What kind of saugage, method of prep, cook, etc. Good ideas thus far. I will add that I found sausage needs be cooked a little higher IT than many recipes to have the feel I am after.

 

[SmokyMose]

jj is on it!
I mix til it's so sticky it tries to pull the gloves off my hands or my hands are so cold it hurts. That's usually enough but not always.
I didn't know about the 1% + salt thing. Always learning....
Like he said, you need to hold onto the horn and control how tight it stuffs. This takes a bit of practice and is different with different types of casings.
If you're twisting/linking as you go like I prefer, it helps to make a couple of holes with a sausage pricker or needle at the start of a new link to let out air.
If it makes you feel a little better, I've been making sausage for almost 6 years now and recently had the worst failure since I started making sausage
and I'm still not really sure what I did wrong (and no, I don't want to talk about it LOL).
Welcome to sausagemaking and don't give up!
Dan

 

[chef jimmyj]

The Salt is needed to partially Denature the protein bundles. This is how Dry and Wet Brines help to tenderize meat. Add the stirring action and the relaxed proteins can start to Bind to each other. The meat gets really Sticky. The result, what otherwise was loose granules of ground meat, stick together making a uniform and firm sausage filling...JJ

 

[kvn]

All, I really appreciate the feedback, thanks