It was time to revisit sausage making since the last batch I wrote about a few months ago. There are many things I learned from my last experience that would hopefully make this a better sausage making experience. Here are a few problems/errors I had encountered the last time:
-I did not use an ice bath while working with the meat
-Sinew had caused binding with the grinding blade and dye
-the plastic pusher introduced air into the grinding chamber and caused some headaches mostly during the stuffing phase
-the meat mix was dry because I had not used any fat other than the natural fat within the pork shoulder
-my sausage girth was not consistently the same diameter
-During the stuffing, I allowed the sausage to just feed on to the counter top which created some mess and didn't keep the meat cold.
-I was not very thrilled with the spice blend I used the last time.
So, with all of this in mind, I decided to make another batch.
I began the night before by placing all of the grinder parts, and my mixing bowl in the freezer. Keeping everything cold allows for the meat to be ground more easily and more importantly prevent harmful bacteria from forming.
I started by ordering 5 Lbs. of pork shoulder and 1 Lb. of fat back.
I made my own spice blend consisting of the following:
ground fennel seeds
ground black pepper
ground dry onions
garlic powder
ground dried serrano peppers
paprika
dried parsley
dried Oregano
dried basil
sugar
salt
I adjusted the ratio of the above to match with the quantity of meat and what I thought would be a nice balance. I mixed all of the spices in 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar.
The following day I ground the meat and fat back together. I allowed the ground meat to fall into a bowl sitting in an ice bath to keep the meat cold. Ground meat is the most susceptible form of meat to bacteria if allowed to warm. I stopped several times during the process to clean out the sinew. Next, I mixed the spice blend and the meat by hand. I did this quickly to prevent my hands from making the meat warm. I placed the meat in the fridge and allowed to sit overnight to allow the spices to meld with the meat.
-I did not use an ice bath while working with the meat
-Sinew had caused binding with the grinding blade and dye
-the plastic pusher introduced air into the grinding chamber and caused some headaches mostly during the stuffing phase
-the meat mix was dry because I had not used any fat other than the natural fat within the pork shoulder
-my sausage girth was not consistently the same diameter
-During the stuffing, I allowed the sausage to just feed on to the counter top which created some mess and didn't keep the meat cold.
-I was not very thrilled with the spice blend I used the last time.
So, with all of this in mind, I decided to make another batch.
I began the night before by placing all of the grinder parts, and my mixing bowl in the freezer. Keeping everything cold allows for the meat to be ground more easily and more importantly prevent harmful bacteria from forming.
I started by ordering 5 Lbs. of pork shoulder and 1 Lb. of fat back.
I made my own spice blend consisting of the following:
ground fennel seeds
ground black pepper
ground dry onions
garlic powder
ground dried serrano peppers
paprika
dried parsley
dried Oregano
dried basil
sugar
salt
I adjusted the ratio of the above to match with the quantity of meat and what I thought would be a nice balance. I mixed all of the spices in 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar.
The following day I ground the meat and fat back together. I allowed the ground meat to fall into a bowl sitting in an ice bath to keep the meat cold. Ground meat is the most susceptible form of meat to bacteria if allowed to warm. I stopped several times during the process to clean out the sinew. Next, I mixed the spice blend and the meat by hand. I did this quickly to prevent my hands from making the meat warm. I placed the meat in the fridge and allowed to sit overnight to allow the spices to meld with the meat.
I cleaned all of the grinder parts and placed back in the freezer for the stuffing phase the following day.
Next day, I made a "test" burger and was very happy with the flavors, so no seasoning adjustment was necessary. I began the prep for stuffing. I assembled the grinder with the sausage stuffer nozzle. I placed a pan in an ice bath below the grinder to catch the sausage. I used speed 2 on the grinder to keep things moving slowly so I could control the girth of the sausage and manage the prevention of air into the grinder more easily. This worked. I kept the meat supply constant. This is crucial to prevent air from getting into the chamber. The process went very smoothly. The entire process seemed more efficient, smoother, and cleaner.
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