What size grinding plate for sausage

[Steve H]

I just made 3 pounds of sweet pork sausage. The test patty tasted great. But, the texture was a bit grainy, not sure if that is the best way to describe it. It's like I should have ground it finer. I used a 1/4" plate. Perhaps smaller will have a better result?

 

[SmokinAl]

Depending on what kind of sausage I'm making I prefer to use the biggest plate for the initial grind, then mix in all the spices & cure (if needed) & either use the med plate for Italian Sausage, breakfast sausage, etc. But for bologna, or hot dogs I use the smallest plate for the final grind. To me it's just as good as emulsifying it in a food processor, which is a real PIA.
Al

 

[Steve H]

I'm making sweet Italian sausage. I just reground with a smaller plate 1/8" I believe. And made a test patty. Much better.

 

[Dotyville]

This might be a dumb question but I'll ask anyway. My grinding plates weren't marked size wise. Should I just use the largest plate for the first grind and then next one down for second grind? First attempt making italian sausage. Hot and mild. Using pretubed casings to get my feet wet working with hog casings. TIA for any suggestions