Sausage Making - Grind twice or just one time?

[npaden]

On my first attempt at making sausage a couple weeks ago I followed the instructions and ground it through first with the coarse plate (3/8") and then mixed everything up and ran it through a second time with the fine plate (1/8").

On the first grind I can barely throw the meat in the grinder as fast as it gets it ground up and spit out. On the second grind it was a pain to have to essentially push all the already ground up meat through the grinder. The grinder was plenty powerful enough, it just doesn't grab ahold of the meat and pull it through the second time, I have to push it in there. I ground 50 pounds of meat in under 10 minutes the first time and the second grind seemed to take hours although I'm sure it didn't take that long it seemed like forever and I was jamming the plastic stomper thing the whole time.

It turned out really good, but it sure took a long time.

When I make hamburger I just grind it through one time with the medium plate (1/4") and have always thought it was just fine.

I'm thinking of just doing the one grind with the medium plate this time and seeing how it turns out.

Am I making a big mistake? Is it worth the time and effort to do the second grind with the fine plate?

Thanks, Nathan

 

[Nameless Range]

After you put it through the first grind, put the tote or whatever container you are using in the freezer so the once-ground meat gets semi frozen. Then your grinder will rip through the second grind faster.

 

[JohnCushman]

I do the 2 plate method. I find that seasonings mix much better through the meat in the grind. What helps me is freezing the meat for the second grind after it's been mixed. Having the meat as absolutely cold as possible helps greatly in the process of the second grind. Freeze the grinder chute too and re-freeze it periodically through the process. I personally feel it is worth the effort to do two grinds for a better end product.

 

[TRS_Montana]

Yeah, the second grind really helps mix up the spices, like Cush said. As far as how fine you grind the meat, that's personal preference. I don't use the fine plate. My workflow is to grind the meat using a sausage stuffer plate for the first grind. Add spices. Then grind through what you are calling a coarse plate. Then, because my grinder is also my sausage stuffer, I put the meat through a third time when it gets stuffed into the casings. Personally, I like having a mix of coarse/chunky meat in the sausages. Just have to grind up enough so that it holds together and the spices propagate through the meat.
Keeping things cold is a good tip. I usually don't worry about putting meat in the freezer, though I'm sure that would help. One thing I do keep track of pretty closely is how hot the grinder gets. If your auger is so hot it's substantially increasing the temperature of the meat, that's going to be an issue. You can tell this if there is cooked meat stuck to the grinder when you are done. If you are doing 50 lbs, I would be taking pretty frequent breaks (every ~10 mins) to let your gear cool down a bit.

 

[wytex]

We just grind on a cold day and we keep our grinder stored in the garage where we process. Everything stays frosty if the meat is semi frozen and the ambient temp is cold.
We grind twice and stuff on the second grind. We start with a 3/8 plate and just go down to 1/4 for the last grind and stuff.

 

[JLS]

Use your fine plate first, then coarse plate second. Or, use medium twice.

 

[wytex]

Makes sense as stuffing will be much easier through the coarse plate, duh, thanks JLS !

 

[npaden]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I will have to try putting it in the freezer for a bit after the first grind and after it is mixed.

My first time I ended up with 3 passes through the grinder. First time through with the 3/8" plate, then mixed it all up, second time through with the 1/8" plate, then ran it through a third time with no plate when stuffing it. I didn't realize you could stuff on the second grind, that would speed things up too.

I sprung the big $ for the 3/4 hp Carnivore grinder from Cabelas and it has the frozen ice pack that you put on the grinder head but I'm not sure that really does a whole lot. I forgot it on the first 25 pound batch going through the second time and put it on for the second 25 pound batch and I'm not sure I could tell a difference. I think getting the meat semi-frozen might help though.

I might move my grinding process out to the barn in the future. I'm sure my wife would prefer that as right now I do it in the kitchen.

 

[JLS]

You'll find you get a much better product if the first and second grind are done semi frozen.

Edit: I do like to take the grinder neck and put it in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes in between the first and second grind. Mine does heat up and the colder I can keep everything, the better the finished product is.

 

[targetpanic]

Like others said you want the meat to be as cold as possible and the neck of the grinder to be as cold as possible. We usually use 3/8" for both the first and second grind for sausage. For burger we typically triple grind with a 1/4" plate

 

[Bambistew]

Anyone use a sausage mixer? I was considering buying one. Figured I could grind everything once, mix and stuff. I don't stuff using the grinder.

I usually use the "stuffing" plate (has 2 large holes) for the meat on the first grind, and grind the fat/pork with the 3/8 plate, mix it all up and run it all through again on the 3/8. As mentioned keep everything super cold, and work in small batches.

When I do burger, I run the 1/8 plate, and mix/sprinkle in in pre-ground fat at 3/8. One grind and done. The second grind is a PITA when in production mode.

 

[buckbull]

It seems I'm in the minority and only grind once. I use the 1/4 or 1/8 plates depending on what I'm making. I like the 1/4 for brats and polish sausage and use the 1/8 for everything else. I use a meat mixer that hooks up to my meat grinder that ensures all the spices are mixed consistently. The meat mixer does so much better than mixing by hand or running through the grinder again. If the meat is ran through the grinder again, it is only with the sausage stuffer plate to fill sausage or hamburger bags.

As mentioned above many times, try to keep things cold. Keep meat cold (semi frozen is best) and equipment. I actually fill my meat mixer with ice and dump out prior to use. Grinder attachments go in freezer in between runs.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

I do the twice method also. The ice trick works to keep the "Bite" going and keeps the throat cleaner. I will use my sausage mixer and transfer it to the stuffer, putting it into bags and use a self loading hog ring plier. John

 

[Poke 'Em]

Depends on the type of sausage and the texture I want. If I want a coarser, more rustic sausage, usually just once. If I want a smoother mouthfeel, or if I'm making an emulsified sausage, then twice.

 

[JohnCushman]

Anyone use a sausage mixer? I was considering buying one. Figured I could grind everything once, mix and stuff. I don't stuff using the grinder.

I usually use the "stuffing" plate (has 2 large holes) for the meat on the first grind, and grind the fat/pork with the 3/8 plate, mix it all up and run it all through again on the 3/8. As mentioned keep everything super cold, and work in small batches.

When I do burger, I run the 1/8 plate, and mix/sprinkle in in pre-ground fat at 3/8. One grind and done. The second grind is a PITA when in production mode.

I do. It was well worth the investment for a better mixing of seasonings and cheeses and whatnot. I do my coarse grind, then mix seasoning or cheese and use the mixer with the meat, then put it all through a second time with a smaller plate. I always hated biting into sausage and getting a clump of seasoning. The mixer takes that away. Plus you can mix meat and fat/pork more evenly as well. It was one of my best butchering purchases I made.

 

[NoWiser]

Mixer is worth every penny! We got a big one that can easily do 100 pound batches and it’s awesome. We only grind once and then let the mixer take it from there.

 

[JEL]

I usually do two grinds for sausage. Sounds like I may be the only one that does this but I actually mix my seasonings into the chunked meat before the first grind. Instead of adding water I add crushed ice and as stated keep everything cold. Works for me. I would like to get a mixer at some point.

 

[Walkathon]

I also use two grinds. One with the coarse plate and one that is, medium, I'm guessing. Good tip on partially refreezing the meat between 1st and 2nd grinds. I start off with barely thawed cubes on my first grind, but had a heck of a time getting my coarse ground meat through the medium plate this year, I'm thinking it was starting to thaw and it was sticking. I also take the whole neck assembly and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so before I start my grinding and it seems to help as well

 

[schmalts]

Grind once with a 1/8 plate. Get a good mixer and stuffer and be done with it. Keep all meat par frozen or just slightly warmer. Stuffing through a grinder is not very productive. I wish I had time to find the video of the mixer I made, it blows away most mixers you would buy. Best description of it is a modified stainless version of a 5 gallon drywall mud mixer that you put in a 1/2 in drill. I can mix a 12-15 pound batch of sausage in about 30 seconds. The one I made is similar to this in concept. I use a stainless 5 gallon bucket to contain the meat tornado http://www.blastlineind.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PS-1

 

[bigdonniebrasco]

I use a stainless 5 gallon bucket to contain the meat tornado http://www.blastlineind.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PS-1

You had me at "meat tornado"! HA HA HA