Breakfast Sausage - Season before or after?

[Andy Roller]

Fixing to grind some bulk breakfast sausage using the Holly Regular Pork seasoning. Question: Should I season pork chunks before the grind or season the ground pork, after. I’m looking for the best seasoning transfer to meat.

[grenier32]

I just finished making around 150lbs of sausage using Holly Regular Pork seasoning. I also grind once, season then grind a second time. I spread the ground pork out on a cutting table and mix really well before grinding again. Sausage has always turned out extremely good with fantastic flavor.

[Andy Roller]

grenier32 Thanks! I like that idea of once through big plate. Season, chill and regrind using smaller plate. I’ll give that a try.

[Tex_77]

Andy Roller I concur with grenier32 grind once, seasoning, then grind again and stuff. If you don’t have a meat mixer or a large commercial mixer like a Hobart or like then spreading out the first grind and seasoning would probably work pretty well.

[AdamCA]

I’m not a big fan of seasoning and then running it through the grinder, I prefer to grind it twice then season and mix lightly (on a fresh sausage) and then either stuff into casings or meat bags depending on what I’m doing. I do not think there is anything technically wrong with seasoning before or after your first grind, think it is more of a personal preference thing.

[TexLaw]

I don’t think it matters all that much, either. Some say that seasoning before a grind can increase some wear on your plates and knives, but I have a hard time imagining much a difference to a home user.

[DJS303]

I season my cubed meat before the first grind. I will then hand mix the first grind meat and run it through the same medium plate that I used for the first grind. I feel this helps to consistently mix the fat and seasoning in the grind.

[Andy Roller]

Tex_77 Thanks, I don’t have mixer and need one with has much summer sausage as I make. I’m not stuffing the breakfast sausage, leaving bulk and bagging. I’ll spread out on table and mix in and re-grind.

[Joe Hell]

grenier32 I like to add salt or seasoning on the first grind and added ingredients such as veggie, fruit, herbs, etc. on the second grind followed by hand mixing.

[wvhunter1965]

I do the same as many others in that I grind, season and grind again before stuffing into meat bags. I think it is common knowledge that ground beef becomes tough the more it is worked due to (I assume protein extraction) so I figure the less I handle the sausage, the better. This method works well for me and gives a moist, less solid bite when cooked.