Homemade Sausage Making

Hi,
I've been making fresh Polish and Italian with my Dad and Grandfather for many years now. We always usually just cube up pork butt, add spices, let refrigerate for a few hours, then grind into hog casings. Only recently have I been exposed online to the methods of grinding first, adding more liquid, emulsifying, using a dedicated stuffer, etc. I'm gathering that the whole reason of not grinding directly into casings is when you want to add water, emulsify, etc.

So my question is this? Is it worth the hassle/time? In particular for fresh (white) Polish or Italian? We've been skipping that this entire time and I guess, not really missing it. What would it add to the final product?

Thanks!

I think it depends on your tastes. To me, it allows for more consistency, a better blend and a moisture more juicy sausage. For me, its worth the trouble.

I recall reading, somewhere on our forum, that the traditional Polish way is to cut everything up, mix in the herbs & spices, let it season in the cooler, then grind and stuff. I stuff separately from grinding because I have two different pieces of equipment. That said, I don't see why you couldn't stuff off the grinder.

But on the other hand, I think that people like to mix before stuffing, especially if something (example: water) is added or if the fat is unevenly distributed. Multiple passes through the grinder may be required as well. I grind, then mix, then season overnight, then stuff. You could let it season in the casing, I guess, but I feel like allowing everything to diffuse, the proteins to develop, etc. seems like a good idea.

Bottom line: do which ever way you like, keep it cold, stay safe.

I noticed a lot of the polish recipes call for curing the meat first then doing sausage. This sounds reasonable.

Personally, I don't like strict rules and think you ought to just do it however you want and whatever pleases you and your tastes. But if you don't try other methods you really have no way of judging the quality differences between different procedures.

Thanks. If you don't have a dedicated stuffer, and don't want to re-grind, but stuff, can you put the ground meat through the grinder with no blade on it?

You can use what is called a kidney plate in place of a grinding plate.

I stuffed straight from the grinder for a long time before I bought a vertical stuffer. Not having a separate stuffer means one less piece of equipment to clean, which is an advantage. But I found that it's nicer to have a separate stuffer. It gives you more control. Further, it is something you can keep cold right up till when you need it. I freeze my grinder head before using it, but the longer it sits out, the warmer it gets.

If you don't have or want a stuffer, you might consider buying a foot pedal for your grinder if it is electric. That gives you more control when working by yourself. Amazon has them at good prices - I bought the same one Cabellas sells for about half of what they charge. It's one of the best purchases I've made in a long while!

Cheers,
Jeff

I ended up buying a foot pedal and you are absolutely right. Thank you!

Glad it worked for you patrad!

Cheers,
Jeff

Kidney plate works good, but they also sell plates with big "regular" holes.
I bought a plate on e bay, advertised hole size 3/4 inch, but in reality it's 13/16". (.812)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PICK-YOUR-SIZE- ... 484260d3a6

Joe

Gulyás wrote:Kidney plate works good, but they also sell plates with big "regular" holes.
I bought a plate on e bay, advertised hole size 3/4 inch, but in reality it's 13/16". (.812)
Joe

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