Homemade sausage help

[thirdeye]

Yeah I ran one pass through a 3/16" plate on the meat used for this, the rest of the pork I ground up I used a 3/8" plate on. I need to pick up a 1/4" plate, I think that's where I prefer it. Both the meat and the grinder attachment were very cold, but it still had an odd texture when I ran it through the 3/16" plate. I spent a fair amount of time trimming each piece to keep the stringy type stuff out of the grinder as best I could. I think the AC Legg packet instructions mention using a 2 stage grind, 1 more course then mix in the seasoning, then a pass through a finer plate. I was happy with the texture but it was a bit different than what I often see (like IamMadMan's pics).

Is your grinder (or attachment) variable speed? A common mistake is to have too high of a speed which not only overwhelms the cutter, but creates more friction which is essentially heat. This can change the texture of the sausage. Here is a short VIDEO of my KA attachment in use showing feed rate and quality of grind.

There are several options for seasoning & grinding. Some will double grind with the same plate, others will step down one size for the second run. I mostly use a single pass through a 1/4" plate.

For seasoning I like to sprinkle 1/2 of my seasonings onto the strips or cubes before grinding, then mix the remainder either 1) into the ground meat my hand, or 2) into iced water and do a final blending by hand. One of my buddies will puree any garlic called for and mix that into the icy water. I've borrowed sausage mixers (the comb style) but prefer doing it by hand wearing glove liners.

 

[sudsandswine]

I have a LEM Big Bite 5#....its either on or off. I did have the Kitchenaide attachment prior to that and did appreciate the variable speed aspect.

 

[IamMadMan]

Hi Have you tired the Ac Leggs bratwurst seasoning, if so let me know what you think.
Thanks DanB

Dan,


Haven't tried that one yet, so I can't answer for you. But it is on my list of to-do's. I haven't tried it yet simply because i am not a big fan of American style bratwurst. I get mine from a local German Butcher and I order from
https://www.bavariasausage.com/products.php?cat=BRATWURST
because I haven't found a good recipe to work with yet.

 

[DanB]

Dan,


Haven't tried that one yet, so I can't answer for you. But it is on my list of to-do's. I haven't tried it yet simply because i am not a big fan of American style bratwurst. I get mine from a local German Butcher and I order from
https://www.bavariasausage.com/products.php?cat=BRATWURST
because I haven't found a good recipe to work with yet.

Hi Thanks for link. Last time I ordered bratwurst on line I used Black Forest. I have tried the bratwurst pre mixed seasonings from a few places didn't come close to what I was looking for. I was in Germany for years and ate some of the best tasting brats. Haven't come close them as of yet.
Thanks Again Dan

 

[KClandcruiser]

Suds, if you're still looking for powdered milk, it should be in the baking aisle near the flour and sugar. Should be readily available at Hyvee/Price Chopper etc

 

[sudsandswine]

Suds, if you're still looking for powdered milk, it should be in the baking aisle near the flour and sugar. Should be readily available at Hyvee/Price Chopper etc

Thanks....my wife said the same thing :grin: probably a better idea than paying for "free" shipping.

 

[sudsandswine]

Made some more brats last night....used the powdered milk this time and a small amount of Tender Quick again. I sampled one this morning and it was pretty tasty. I boiled it then gave it a sear in the pan, it was definitely juicy, but its hard to say how much of that was due to a different cooking method. More experimentation required but results are tasty thus far. :thumb:

 

[Norm]

Nice experiment, looks delicious!

 

[thirdeye]

That is looking good. Edible experiments are the best.

 

[sudsandswine]

Texture was a little less "dense" this time compared to the last. I still used my 3/16" plate since I haven't found a 1/4" one but I didn't work the mix as much as last time. Maybe the dried milk made a difference but it was very sticky with less working of the mix...called it good when my gloves started getting pulled off :becky:

 

[thirdeye]

Texture was a little less "dense" this time compared to the last. I still used my 3/16" plate since I haven't found a 1/4" one but I didn't work the mix as much as last time. Maybe the dried milk made a difference but it was very sticky with less working of the mix...called it good when my gloves started getting pulled off :becky:

I treat the mount of iced water (or beer or wine) called for in sausage recipes as an essential variable. Meaning it is essential, but the amount is flexible. I size it up as I'm mixing and some batches take more or less. It's a feel thing. And since I let my sausage mellow in a container overnight I'll sometimes add more iced water (or crushed ice) before stuffing. Also, when I use sheep gut, I make the mixture a little bit looser.

 

[sudsandswine]

Last time I think I used too much water, so I erred on the side of caution and tried less. Need to figure out that "feel".