MNmeat: Sorry to be late sticking my oar in your pond. I’ve made a lot of different brats both as fresh sausage and as smoked. I get best results stuffing fresh pork casings. You do not need to mix the meat as long as when making summer sausage or snack sticks. Also, if you grind the lean meat and the fat through different grinder plates, using a slightly larger plate for the fat, then mix the fat and lean together it seems to give a better, pleasing appearance to the product. The fat contrasts with the darker color of the meat and gives your sausage a nice marbled look. Good luck. G