What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?
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I will start by saying that the biggest batch I have done was 1/2 that size. I do try to debone, first and second grind on the same day. I have a meat lug but find that it easier to use full size cookie sheets and spread the meat in a thin layer. I stack one cookie sheet and use small bowls as spacers for my second cookie sheet. I find that metal makes the process of refreezing (dropping the temp) much better than plastic. I can manage 2-3 cookie sheets at a time in my bottom freezer. I’ve toyed with the idea of using magnet spacers between my cookie sheets. That may be my next hack I share with the group
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Don’t open the beer as early as you think you should, hold until all grinding is done…
HerbcoFood But a cold beer helps the grinder.
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Don’t open the beer as early as you think you should, hold until all grinding is done…
HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!
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Jamieson22 do you have a big cooler that you could put ice in to set one lug in while grinding the meat in the other? Cold meat grinds better for sure.
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HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!
ND Mike I usually don’t, it just depends on the crowd, am I alone, is the sun up yet, you know the important things!!!
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We have a cured sausage video coming out where we took some of our favorite meat hacks and put them all in one. They were, grind your meat as cold as possible, partial freeze is a GOOD thing. One 2nd grind, only put a very small amount down the throat at a time, let it clear the chamber and then add a little more, don’t use your stomper. 3rd was the Dr_Pain therapy eggs to get the rest of the meat out of the grinder, we are actually bringing in some of these to sell cause it worked so well! 4th was add automotive sponges to your oversized water pan to increase humidity in your smoker and last was finish your sausage in sous vide water instead of the smoker after the IT hits 130°F. There was a bonus one in there but I can’t remember what it was right now.
Anyone do dual grind out there? We have been playing around with it and the company who sent it to us is the same manufacturer who makes another dual grind head and they urged us to buy one of theirs to compare it to. Seemed weird but they also said they would comp us for it so we did it. We are not 100% sold on the one they sent us but I really don’t know how the dual grind passed QA. We got the #8 as they told us to and swapped out the last plate for a brand new #8 1/8th plate and got the meat down to 31° and it smeared and curled it like crazy. So I am wondering if anyone has one that they think works well and is it possible that we got a gremlin?
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HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!
ND Mike said in What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?:
HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!
Grinding? Maybe.
Mixing ingredients, weighing and batching? Just don’t do it.
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ND Mike I usually don’t, it just depends on the crowd, am I alone, is the sun up yet, you know the important things!!!
HerbcoFood sometimes it depends on my company also!
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HerbcoFood sometimes it depends on my company also!
ND Mike The equation for when to open a beer while meat processing is as complicated as trying to figure out how to land a man on the moon!
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ND Mike The equation for when to open a beer while meat processing is as complicated as trying to figure out how to land a man on the moon!
HerbcoFood hahahaha… yep!
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Ohms Law said in What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?:
bocephus try zip lock bags and lay flat
I saw a hack where they cut the zip strip off a ziplock bag and put it long ways (split in half) and vacuum seal it. The strip is used the prevent the collapse of the opening of the bag
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We have a cured sausage video coming out where we took some of our favorite meat hacks and put them all in one. They were, grind your meat as cold as possible, partial freeze is a GOOD thing. One 2nd grind, only put a very small amount down the throat at a time, let it clear the chamber and then add a little more, don’t use your stomper. 3rd was the Dr_Pain therapy eggs to get the rest of the meat out of the grinder, we are actually bringing in some of these to sell cause it worked so well! 4th was add automotive sponges to your oversized water pan to increase humidity in your smoker and last was finish your sausage in sous vide water instead of the smoker after the IT hits 130°F. There was a bonus one in there but I can’t remember what it was right now.
Anyone do dual grind out there? We have been playing around with it and the company who sent it to us is the same manufacturer who makes another dual grind head and they urged us to buy one of theirs to compare it to. Seemed weird but they also said they would comp us for it so we did it. We are not 100% sold on the one they sent us but I really don’t know how the dual grind passed QA. We got the #8 as they told us to and swapped out the last plate for a brand new #8 1/8th plate and got the meat down to 31° and it smeared and curled it like crazy. So I am wondering if anyone has one that they think works well and is it possible that we got a gremlin?
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ND Mike I usually don’t, it just depends on the crowd, am I alone, is the sun up yet, you know the important things!!!
HerbcoFood ND Mike I never have beer while making sausage. Sippin Whiskey maybe, but never beer.
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Am curious what your tips and tricks are.
I’ve been deboning my butts and grinding one day and mixing/stuffing the next. I do 25lb batches so certainly easier to break up the equipment cleaning of grinder and stuffer. Also think the extra fridge time is nice on the ground meat before stuffing. Processed 50lbs today to stuff tomorrow.
Would love some second grind tips as it just seems to be a bit of a mess for me. Took 20 min to second grind 25lb from 10mm to 4.5mm today in my #22 grinder. But perhaps it just takes a lot plunger effort normally?
Jamieson22 I use venison and pork butt. When I process a deer I grind it all and package in 1 or 2 lb packages and freeze(grind one).
I purchase pork butts, debone grind and package and freeze, noting the weight on the each package (grind one). I’ve thought about asking the butcher if he would grind the pork butt for me to save time and clean up.
A few days before I make sausage, I start thawing the meat block, usually 50:50 venison pork.
2nd grind- I have found that if I only put golf ball sized clumps of 1st grind meat into the throat of a #22 grinder, the 2nd grind goes well and fairly fast. I seldom have to use the tamper. It’s a bonus if you have a few ice crystals in the meat.
I also place the grinder head in the freezer prior to grinding.
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HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!
ND Mike Mix the beer with the meat, during grinding.
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I cling wrap my entire island like Dexter. Then stuff on the island. Gives lots of room and cleanup is a snap.
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I got into the whiskey pretty early yesterday morning while making sausage in the garage alone. I think me singing along with the radio made me take longer than it should’ve!
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I got into the whiskey pretty early yesterday morning while making sausage in the garage alone. I think me singing along with the radio made me take longer than it should’ve!
HerbcoFood that will happen from time to time.
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I got into the whiskey pretty early yesterday morning while making sausage in the garage alone. I think me singing along with the radio made me take longer than it should’ve!
HerbcoFood Who cares!! At least your having a party even if you are by yourself!
Improvise, Adapt and Overcome! Semper Fi
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HerbcoFood Who cares!! At least your having a party even if you are by yourself!
Bob Stehlik My hands did because they were frozen!
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