Can You Grind And Stuff Sausage At The Same Time? -

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Killing two birds with one stone has been the common saying of folks, but does it apply to grinding and stuffing sausages? Well, you’ll find out shortly.

So, Can You Grind And Stuff Sausage At The Same Time? The answer is a resounding No. According to the book “charcuterie”, the author suggested that grinding and stuffing sausages aren’t a good idea.

Instead, It’s advisable you first grind the meat before proceeding to mix the required seasoning, and the reason is that doing so would help the sausage to stick together rather than crumbling apart.

How to make use of a meat grinder to stuff or make sausage

Knowing how to make sausage at home is one of those things that isn’t too hard. Typically, a sausage is gotten or made from grounded meat, fat, salt, and some flavourings.

You do not have to stuff them into links if you do not want to. A good sausage is known for its balance – of salt and flavour, meat and fat, herbs and seasonings as a whole.

Knowing and using an appropriate ratio of salt to the meat and fat is important, but immediately you know it you can regulate your understanding of saltiness and this varies among people.

A particular liquid is used to tighten the bind when you are mixing the sausage meat. Without the use of this liquid to bind, your final result would be a hamburger, not a sausage. You would also need an appropriate amount of fat – at least 20%.

However, beyond those regulations, your list of ingredients can only be limited by your imagination. You can add as many or a few herbs, seasoning, and some other spices as you like, and the liquid I mentioned earlier could be anything from water- fruit juice-wine-cream.

The type of meat that is preferable for making sausage is- pork, but you can also make use of beef or lamb.
I gave a percentage of fat that can be used which is 20% but it can be 25 or 30 or as high as 50%. Sausages wouldn’t taste good without enough fats in them.

Before we start, you would need to get some equipment ready.

A meat grinder ( I recommend you get this LEM Stainless Steel Big Bite Electric Meat Grinder)
A scale
Sausage stuffer (This one – MASTER FENG Sausage Stuffer is a good choice)
Wooden rack

NB:

You have to make sure your equipment and ingredients are cold.
Ensure that the meat and fat are very cold. I’m emphasizing the temperature because it would help you avoid smearing.
Put your meat grinder and bowls in the refrigerator for at least one hour or more. Make sure they are cold, very cold.
Be ready to spend hours on this and do not have anything planned. Don’t panic, you’d get to take a break in the middle of the process.

I’d list the measurement of the ingredients you would use below.

Measurements of ingredients.

1 pound of fat- pork.
4 pounds of pork shoulder.
35 grams of sugar.
40 grams of salt (kosher salt).
6 grams of black pepper (already cracked).
20 grams of toasted fennel seeds.
4 grams of grounded nutmeg.
¾ cup of dry sherry.
1 cup of minced parsley.
¼ cup of sherry vinegar.
1 peeled and chopped head garlic.

Main equipment

Meat grinder.

extra equipment needed for sausage links (stuffed):

Sausage stuffer.
A wooden rack to dry the sausages.

Step 1: Begin with extremely cold ingredients and equipment

Ensure that your ingredients are set out and the meat and fat are extremely cold- I’d advise that the fat should be completely frozen. Also, put the bowls and grinder in the refrigerator for an hour or two before making use of them.

Step 2: Slice and cut the meat and fat into small chunks

In this process, set a big bowl of ice and put an average metal bowl on the top. Then cut your meat and fat into small chunks. Slick your fat a little bit smaller than your meat and put your sliced meat into the bowl placed on the top of the bowl of ice.

Step 3: Add some of your seasonings to your meat and fat, then wait

Once you are done cutting your meat and fat, add your seasonings immediately and mix them fast. You can set aside one or two tablespoons of fennel seeds and black pepper for later.

Add salt and sugar and mix again. Put the sausage mixture into a container, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator for at least 30mins not more than an hour though. You can rest or do whatever you have to do in this short period.

Step 4: Mix the sherry vinegar and dry sherry

Mix the sherry vinegar and dry sherry and put it in the refrigerator. You can also make use of white vinegar or white wine.

Step 5: Put the casings in warm water

If you have the intention of stuffing your sausage, bring out some of the casings and put them in warm water.

NB – you would need about 18- 20 feet for 4 or 5 pounds of links. If you do not intend to stuff your sausage, you can ignore this step.

Step 6: Assemble your grinder

Once your sausage mixture is all chilled, bring out your grinder from the refrigerator and set it. The most common dies are coarse die and fine die.

Make use of the coarse die, do not use a fine die, to use this you need to grind the meat first and then put it in the refrigerator again, then grind it again with the fine die. Sounds like a lot of work, right? So make use of the coarse die.

Step 7: Push the mixture through the grinder fast and wait

Push the mixture through the working grinder fast. If you are making use of the KitchenAid accessory, make use of it on level 4.

Ensure that the grounded meat is falling into a cold bowl. Once all the meat has been grounded, put the grounded meat back in the refrigerator and clean the meat grinder and your work area.

Step 8: Mix the spices and sherry mixture you kept aside earlier

After you have cleaned up the meat grinder and your work area, bring out the mixture and add the remaining spices to it.

With the use of a spatula or the paddle accessory attached to the mixer, mix the sausage mixture well. Set the mixer on level 1 and let it mix for 1 ½ minute as it might take a little longer when you make use of a spoon or spatula. When you are done mixing, then your sausage is ready.

If you are not making links, you are done. If you want to cook it, scoop it and form a ball with your hands. Then, cook on medium heat for 6-10 minutes until you notice that each side is getting browned.

How to clean your meat grinder after use

How to clean a meat grinder after is not as tough as it sounds, just like how to use a meat grinder, cleaning it is also easy. There are a few steps on how to clean a meat grinder faster and easier.

Step 1: Put bread through the grinder

In this process, run or rather put 2 or 3 slices of bread through the grinder. This may sound a bit odd, but those slices of bread would soak any grease or oil left by the meat in the grinder.

Step 2: Dismantle the grinder

Proceed by dismantling your meat grinder, starting with the tray at the top, followed by the feed tube and then the hopper. Then put away the interior screw, cutting plates, and blades. Lastly, unscrew the metal cover. It is very essential to wash all the metal components even though they do not look dirty.

Step 3: Dip the parts into soapy water

In this step, you have to do those parts that you dismantled in a soapy to remove the meat remnant. Fill up a plastic container with warm water and add dish detergent to the water.

If you like, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda rather than detergent. Then place the parts in the water and let them sit in it for at least 15- 20minutes.

Step 4: Wash every of the grinder’s part

Use your hands to wash every part of the grinder individually and you can also make use of a sponge to wash the metal parts. Handle the blades carefully so you won’t cut yourself. Also, be mindful of the amount of pressure you apply while washing so that those quality parts won’t lose their quality.

Step 5: Clean both the inside and outside of the meat grinder

This process requires you to clean both the inside and outside of the grinder. Make use of a bottle brush to clean the interior parts and make sure you touch the nook and cranny. You should not wet the mechanical parts of the electric meat grinder as wetting it could cause a short circuit.

Step 6: Make use of Cloth to dry everything

In everything you do, do not rearrange your meat grinder and put it away when it is still wet. Dry the grinding parts with a dish towel and also dry the interior part of the grinder because you also washed it. If accidentally you wet the mechanical parts of your electrical grinder, dry them immediately. Not drying a meat grinder can lead it to rust.

FAQs

How many times should you grind meat for sausage?

Most homemade sausage makers grind their meat twice and there are a few reasons for this. Like I said earlier about 2 common dies used to grind – coarse die and fine die. Coarse die- you can grind ⅜ plate with coarse first and then secondly a small ¼ or ⅛ plate with fine. You can just grind with a coarse ¾ plate two times.

What grinding plate to use for sausage

For normal intermixed sausages or hotdogs, you can make use of a fine ⅛ – 3/6-inch plate or grind once or twice or you can also grind the meats in a machine with a rotating knife in the kitchen till your sausage paste is finely emulsified. When you grind meat with big holes of size ½, it would make the meat with a large size pass through when you are grinding the meat.

What is the ratio of meat to fat in a sausage?

The appropriate sausage ratio of meat to fat is ratio 2:1 I.e. 60- 70% of meat to 30-35% of fat. This ratio would make the sausages have flavour and they would stay sticky while cooking. You can adjust the fat content by about 10% despite that, all sausages need at least a minimum of 15% fat so that they won’t get dried after cooking.

What is the best cut for sausage meat?

Typically, the best cut for sausage meat is the shoulder of the animal (the shoulder of pork). So that your sausage would not take dry add about 25% – 30% of fat.

Should I grind meat once or twice for sausage?

It is advisable to grind your meat at least twice for a more consistent result.

How much water should you put in sausage?

While making your sausage at home, it is okay if you add 1 cup of water per 4 or 5pounds of sausage. As I said earlier about making sure everything you use cold, make sure the water is very cold.