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Sausage Texture Issue

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    Sausage Texture Issue

    Hello Fellow Club Members,

    Your wisdom is needed and appreciated!

    We've made casing stuffed pork sausage in the past that when cooked and cut into, has a mealy texture. In fact, it doesn't hold together and sort of falls apart. It's a little irritating given all the effort put in, plus, we love all the varieties of great sausage!

    Are we not giving it enough rest before stuffing? We do overnight. Do we freeze it too soon? We freeze right after stuffing. Is there not enough fat? We usually use a good amount of back fat. Or are we not turning it or kneading it enough? Or too much?

    I sure would like to get this figured out since we have a whole Berkshire hog on order from a local farm in May and we plan to break it down ourselves. There will be lots of scraps for awesome sausage!

    Thanks.

    #2
    I'm looking froward to some good advice here. Luv me some homemade sausage.

    Comment


      #3
      Sounds to me like your sausage may be over processed(macerated instead of coarsely ground)???

      Some things to check on: Good sharp grinder blades? Very cold (almost frozen) meat before going through grinder? Reasonably good size holes (3/8") in grinder plates? Grind once, mix spices grind again and stuff. If stuffing through the grinder, do not stuff too firmly as that causes the blades over grind (pulverize) the meat while forcing through the stuffing tube.

      You may want to practice with a pork shoulder or two before tackling your Berkshire. Best of luck with your project!
      Last edited by HorseDoctor; January 8, 2017, 09:13 AM.

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        #4
        Thanks HorseDoctor. Great idea to practice, pick up a shoulder next weekend.

        Comment


          #5
          +1 for what HorseDoctor said. Also you want at least 30% fat content in your meat, not enough fat will give that texture and fall apart. Not sure if you are using a commercial packaged mix but most recipes call for a meat binder and some use powdered milk for that reason. A binder is a high protein substance that binds the meat/ fat mixture for a smoother product with less shrinkage through moisture retention.
          I use this http://www.butcher-packer.com/index....roducts_id=895.
          Last edited by Powersmoke_80; January 8, 2017, 10:15 AM.

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            #6
            Also see this about The Meat and Fat http://amazingribs.com/recipes/hot_d...g_at_home.html

            Comment


              #7
              Now that I think about it and read up on it little more, I'll confess I haven't been focused enough on keeping everything cold. I think the sausage grind must be breaking which would lead to the texture issue.

              Any guidance on mixing after grinding? Is that important?

              Comment


              #8
              Thanks for all the great advice and links, everyone. Now it's time to practice.

              Comment


              • EdF
                EdF commented
                Editing a comment
                Go get 'em!

              #9
              I make quite a bit of venison sausage. Everyone always says to grind twice. I only grind once through a #8 plate, mix my spices, chill again and use a stuffer to fill the casings. No complaints so far. I personally like a coarse grind for hog casings (32mm). Another thing that could possibly cause crumbly sausage would be a low fat content. Good advice here on keeping everything cold. If your hands don't hurt, it ain't cold enough.

              Comment


                #10
                Did you work on the butts before the good pork? how was it? I grind only once, 30% fat, everything very cold, use milk powder for insurance and dissolve your powders in ice cold liquid and add that to the meat to incorporate while mixing with a paddle. do not over mix. chill quickly if not still very cold. Then stuff. Hope I am not too late.

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