Butts: Grind & freeze, or freeze, thaw & grind for sausage
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If it is a bone-in butt, they have to be soft enough to be safely boned and cut into [roughly 1 inch square strips that will fit in your grinder. If they are too cold, you won’t get a knife through them. If it takes too much force with the knife it becomes unsafe and they need to soften some more.
If you need to thaw them to bone and cube the meat and they become too soft, you can always put them back in the freezer for an hour or so to firm them back up.
processhead Thanks, Understand that, and i do 1-1 1/2 " strips, much faster for me. My question is grind now in bulk or freeze or grind as needed. Just an opinion answer… No wrong way
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Just read your edited post again about grinding the whole lot of butts and freezing for later use.
Yes, you can do that, although I usually only grind what I want for immediate use or maybe to use within a 2 week window.My reasoning for this is that whole meat will retain its quality longer than ground meat, even when vacuum sealed and frozen.
processhead Thanks that’s what i was looking for, and it makes sense. Sure would be convenient to just pull two 10lbs pacs out of the freezer for a batch
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Sorry, little slow on the uptake today. lol
See my last post on why I prefer only grinding what I plan to use and freezing the rest whole. -
I’d debone and cut everything into strips and vac seal into 5# bags.
Isaiah 5:22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks
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Tex_77 said in Butts: Grind & freeze, or freeze, thaw & grind for sausage:
I’d debone and cut everything into strips and vac seal into 5# bags.
That is a great preparation step that saves work when you are ready to grind.
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Tex_77 I like that idea. Sure would save freezer Reality but doesn’t help with the separate cleanup. it’s an option Thanks
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I agree with NOT pre grinding. Grinding partially frozen meat just prior to needing it is always going to give you a better product.
We get deliveries once a week and always get at least a few cases of butts not knowing what is coming up in the following week. When we get a day or two from the next delivery and still have butts left we debone, cut into baseball size chunks that fit our grinders and then vacuum seal 12.5# into 14"x16" bags making sure to date each bag. If we ever get into a situation that we run out of the prior weeks butts we simply pull the oldest bag from the freezer and into the cooler overnight.
Works great for us always having some pork on hand just in case.
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I’d also only go as far as boning and cutting into strips or cubes before freezing. Once I’ve gotten to the grind, I want to go ahead and finish mixing and stuffing and just have it done.
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I really appreciate all the ideas and techniques… As i said there are no wrong answers to this, just personal preference Thanks again for taking the time.
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I really appreciate all the ideas and techniques… As i said there are no wrong answers to this, just personal preference Thanks again for taking the time.
JoeB I bone mine out when on sale and freeze the cubes in about 5 lb paks
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craigrice That processes saves a lot of freezer space. I has its advantages… Thanks
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Wish I would have read this earlier, good idea to cut up into grinder size chunks and freeze in packages of 5 lbs. Just bought some butts and put them in the freezer whole.
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Wish I would have read this earlier, good idea to cut up into grinder size chunks and freeze in packages of 5 lbs. Just bought some butts and put them in the freezer whole.
bocephus Your freeze, I Don’t think that’s a bad idea. That’s what I’ve always done in the past. Just was curious how others handled this… Learned a lot from the feedback. Many options open. Do Whatever works for you. It’s what I say to people about sausage making. It’s not great sausage unless it tastes as you remember it. Cheers
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GWG8541 I will probably smoke a couple for pulled pork, but I wish I would have cut up the rest for grinder size. Fit better in the freezer and ready to grind when partially thawed.
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GWG8541 I will probably smoke a couple for pulled pork, but I wish I would have cut up the rest for grinder size. Fit better in the freezer and ready to grind when partially thawed.
bocephus I’m with you and have done the same thing in the past. Thats why were all here. To learn from and help each other out. I’ve had very few original ideas, but have borrowed some really great ones and put them to work.
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My .02 is you get a better product with a fresh grind. I have done it both ways but generally I am happier with the product when I grind right before using.
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Well i guess i’ve come full circle with my thoughts on prep, grinding and freezing Butts. I always get good prices buying by the case… Butts and Chuck rolls. When i thought about grinding everything up which i have never done in the past. I was thinking convenience. Now i know why i never did it before… I do a variety of products. Ground Pork / Beef for the wife’s cooking, Smoked pulled, cured butt for Ham, sausage, smash burgers, sliced pork S.V, Cowboy steaks… etc. I see now it’s best to freeze and defrost what i want as needed. Many of my sausages take different grinds also… Cryovaced meat is well protected. Refrigerator shelf life 35*, 40days. 0* freezer life 1yr+ . Everyone that contributed had great advice, and it did give me remarkable insight. Thanks
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I don’t think I will grind before freezing, but I do think I will cut up to grinder size chunks prior to freezing. I can then weigh out and make 5 lb batches as that is the quantity that I like to do at one time.
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Tex_77 That’s what I do
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