first try at sausage making

[Kteedid63]

Yeah it sucked ,, First I had the pork ground to fine ,, then it lost flavor over night .. do you add more fat to a pork butt when grinding? I thought the casings were tuff ,, andI didnt stuff them full enough.. it took forever to do it with the kitchen aid ,, yikes ,, part of it I mixed with cheese it was shreaded ,, lord that was a huge mistake,, any pointers?? I loved the flavor of one when I fried it to taste it to see if it needed more spice, but after letting them sit over night it was bad. thanks for listening to this frustration
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TomCat BBQ team

[Hell Fire Grill]

I'll tell you that from what I have read, no personal experience with it, the KA is a POS when it comes to sausage. It smashes the meat instead of grinding it. Partialy freezing the meat can help but if you have a good grinder it wont need to be partly frozen.

The fat. I use pork butts and they always have enough fat for most pork sausages. No need in trimming the fat just grind it after its cubed.

Tough casings. Could be a few things, they might have got dryed out somehow. Try a little vinegar in the water your soaking them in before you stuff them. They dont need to soak overnight a couple of hours will do it. Under stuffing could be part of the problem also.

The cheese. Did it stick to the KA parts?


Do you have Rytek's book "Great sausage recipes and meat curing"? Its the sausage makers go to book and prolly the most informative book available on the subject.

[Kteedid63]

Maybe I didnt soak the casing long enough,, what kinda of grind do you put on sausage? I did like hambuger meat I think it needs to be more like coarse chilli meat ,, I am so disappointe it to forever to get the casings to fill with the kitchen aid ,, the texture was so bad ,, flavor goo but it just gagged me sooooooooooo the bird dog got a treat ,, the cheese was actually just kinda blended in there ,, I am going to try again in a week or two any help would be great.
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He who laughs last, thinks slowest

TomCat BBQ team

[Hell Fire Grill]

You should rinse the casings inside and out then let them soak while your preping the meat, use 1 tablespoon of plain white vinegar per cup of water, when your ready to stuff quickly rinse the casings again. You dont need the acid in the vinegar in your sausage. The vinegar makes the casings a bit softer and more transparent.
I use 3/16+1/4" plates for everything. When I grind meat for burger I will grind it twice if I think there is alot of gristle. I have never ground twice for sausage because the meat comes out more mushy than I like it.

[Kteedid63]

So is it the texture of chili meat then? Yeah I think I over processed mine way to much It was very disappointing,, I want to make my own sausage for a comp comming up at the end of sept so I have to practice more on it ,, Any tips you could think about I will suck it up like a sponge thanks for your help
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He who laughs last, thinks slowest

TomCat BBQ team

[Hell Fire Grill]

Im not sure about the chili meat but Im thinking it would need to go through a 1/2" plate if you want it to be chunky.

The best tip I can give you is to pick up Rytecs Kutas' book or one of Robert + Adam Marianski's books.

Here are some links to many recipes.

http://www.sausagesource.com/forum/index.php

http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index.htm

http://www.wedlinydomowe.com/index.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20010214020112/http:/home.att.net/~g.m.fowler/frame/Sausage1.htm

[teakettle]

Hey Kteedid63, the best tips I can give you is to get your meat very cold before grinding through the largest plate you have for your KA. For stuffing it is best if you use a dedicated stuffer and the dollars you spend on one will be well worth not having the hassle of trying to stuff using the KA.

Don in Texas

[Kteedid63]

Well stuffing with the kichen aid was a nightmare it took FOREVER,, Yikes.. but the texture of the meat so was soooooooo bad I just dont see how ,, I will have to read up on it more and see what the heck I am doing wrong. I am going coarser ground next time for sure ,,
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He who laughs last, thinks slowest

TomCat BBQ team

[trapper]

I don't have a KA so sorry if this is a stupid question but do you have a sausage stuffing plate for it? You grind it with a normal plate and then you stuff it with one that looks like this: http://www.sausagemaker.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=703

[teakettle]

[JimH]

Make sure you sharpen the knife and plate before you grind. Use fine sandpaper from the auto supply store. The name for it escapes me but it's made to be used wet. Wet the sandpaper, put it on a flat surface (formica countertop, plate glass, etc) then slide the plate & knife back and forth on the sandpaper. This made a big difference in how well the KA attachment grinds. Also, you should put the grinder in the frig while you cube the meat. As you grind feed it some ice between the chunks of meat to help keep the grinder cool. The KA sucks at stuffing so I agree that a dedicated stuffer is the way to go.

As far as flavor goes, some people add their spices before they grind, I add them after. I grind into a big flat tub, spread the meat out and then add the seasoning and mix well. Then back into the frig while I clean up and set up my stuffer.

The casings I rinse inside out, then soak in water for a while.
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