5 Tips to Mix like a Pro

Learn how to Mix Like a Pro with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below.

Meat Hacks

How can I Mix Like a Pro at Home?
A few weeks ago, we showed you guys some tips on how you could take some of the things that commercial processors do when grinding meat and adapt them for use at home. We are continuing our effort to help you guys make the best homemade product possible, so today, we have some tips for you on meat mixing.

1 Protein Extraction is the Key
When mixing large batches of Summer Sausage, Snack Sticks, or any other product that requires protein extraction, a commercial processor is going to use a large commercial mixer, and the paddles on the mixer create mechanical energy that will break down the proteins in the meat and allow them to bind together with the fat, water, additives, and seasonings. While you don’t have a large commercial-style mixer, you can use a home mixer to get the same results, either the Walton’s 20 lb or 50 lb meat mixers will work for your purposes. The 50 lb mixer even hooks up to the Walton’s #22 Meat Grinder and larger Walton’s meat grinders and does the work for you. You will also want to use both the forward and reverse on your mixer in about equal amounts to make sure the seasoning is mixing in as thoroughly as possible. You know when you have enough protein extraction when you pick up a handful of it and try to pull it apart, and it stretches before breaking.

2 Use a Binder
Almost all commercial processors use some sort of binder when mixing their meat for a cured product. It helps with protein extraction, and it increases the final yield by keeping more of the water bound up in the product. The next time you plan on making summer sausages or snack sticks, add some sure gel or carrot fiber; it will make protein extraction easier and give you better consistency.

3 Use the Correct Amount of Excalibur Seasonings
Commercial processors are also using seasonings with the correct amount of salt in them, and salt plays a key part in protein extraction. This is another reason why we always recommend you use Excalibur Seasonings; they have already calculated all of this. Your home recipe is not going to be as accurate.

4 Add Ingredients in the Correct Order
Make sure you mix in special ingredients like Cheeses or any Encapsulated products last. Mixing too early can smear the cheese or break the casing on an encapsulated product which can cause the encapsulated ingredient to start working too soon in your product.

5 Keep Things Cold
Many commercial processors do their mixing in a cool room which helps keep the heat down. If you have a room large enough for you and your mixer, then by all means, do that, but since most of you don’t have that ability. So, after you grind your meat, put it in a freezer for 30 minutes or so to cool it back down after grinding.

We will be back in a later video showing you some things you can do to stuff like the pros.

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5 Tips to Grind like a Pro

Learn how to Grind Like a Pro with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below.

Meat Hacks

How can I Grind Like a Pro at Home?
One of the things we wanted to do when we started Meatgistics and WaltonsTV was to try to help you at home make as good of a product as possible. We talk to a lot of professional processors who do this for a living, and we have a lot of people in this building who have a lifetime of experience in the processing business. I wanted to take some time to share some simple things that the pros do that you can apply to your home processing to give you the best-finished product possible. The three main things that home processors use in making their products are grinding, mixing, and stuffing, so we are going to give you some tips on all of those.

Today we are going to focus on grinding, and I’ve got 5 good pointers for you.

1 Heat is Your Enemy
Through the grinding process, heat is your enemy, you want to do everything you can to keep everything as cold as possible. Commercial processors will put their entire grinder in a walk-in cooler, this is probably not possible for you at home, but you can put your grinder head and auger in the freezer before you grind to keep the heat down.

2 Keep Things Chilled
Along the same lines, you should leave your meat in the cooler until just before you start to grind. The colder your meat is, the better. Even if it has a few ice crystals, it will grind a lot faster and easier than a warmed-up product will.

3 Sharp Plates and Knives
Commercial processors also make sure that their plates and knives are in good shape before grinding. You can do the same by holding your plate up and looking across the surface; if you see any waves or a groove along the side where the knife has eaten away the surface, then use a different plate and knife. If you don’t have a different plate, order one for your next grind. Do the same with your knife; make sure the edges are sharp; if you use a dull knife, it is going to smear and heat your product.

4 Check for Damage
Plates and knives can crack, and once they do, it creates all sorts of problems; visually inspect both before you use them. Tap the side of the plate; if it rings like a bell, then it is good; if you hear a thunk or chunk, then you might have a fault in it somewhere, and it shouldn’t be used.

5 White Oil on Everything
There is a reason we sell a lot of white oil to commercial processors, they use it to lubricate everything. We say it all the time, but it’s worth repeating, oil your plates and knives before you start your grinder. If you do not lubricate them, you are going to have metal on metal which will create friction, and friction causes heat which will damage your product and remember, heat is the enemy during this stage.

We will be back in a later video showing you some things you can do to mix like a pro.

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Make sure you subscribe to WaltonsTV and remember to tap the bell next to the subscribed button to get notified about all new videos, plus like and comment on this video, and visit waltonsinc.com and meatgistics.com to find Everything But The Meat!

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Meat Hacks: The Importance of Protein Extraction.

Learn about the importance of protein extraction when making a snack stick or other cured sausage with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below.

Meat Hacks

Why is mixing correctly so important for snack sticks?
One of the most common issues home processors have with snack sticks and cured sausages is not getting enough protein extraction during mixing. Protein extraction allows the seasoning, water, meat and the fat to all bind together by breaking down the protein in the meat. If you do not have a mixer and are relying on your hands to not only mix the seasoning with the meat but also get enough protein extraction you are going to have a difficult time.

You will know when you have enough protein extraction when the meat is sticky or tacky to the point where when I pull it apart, the meat stretches as it is already binding together, if it pulls apart cleanly you are going to have to keep mixing. There is no real set time for how long to mix for, there are too many variables including the age, type and living conditions of the animal you are processing. Salt also plays a key role in protein extraction, this is one of many good reasons to use Excalibur’s seasonings, they have ensured that each mix has the correct amount of salt, vs some random recipe you found online.

Check out the video for some tips on when you have enough protein extraction and for common issues that not getting enough protein extraction can cause.

If you have an issue with your snack sticks that you would like us some help in figuring out leave a detailed post in our community section and we will try to recreate your issue and give you some tips to fix it!

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Can Meat Grinders Grind Animal Bones For Pet Food?

Learn what grinders are suited for grinding some types of animal bones with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below.

Meat Hacks

We’re kicking off today with Meat Hacks… A question we get a lot is…Can I use a meat grinder to grind animal bones and make pet food? In some cases, that answer is yes. We have 2 Walton’s meat grinders that are approved, by the manufacturer, to grind SOME types of bones, and the Pro-Cut meat grinders can also grind some types of bones. From Pro-Cut there are #12, 22, and 32 size grinders available, and for the Walton’s grinders, you will want to look at the Walton’s Meat Grinders, in the #22 and #32 sizes. These grinders are capable of grinding smaller, softer animal bones, such as rabbit, whole chickens, chicken quarters, and other birds, due to the power and all metal construction of the units.

But, please avoid trying to grind large or dense animal bones such as bones from any type of large game, pigs, cows, deer, or sheep. And, always remember that busted splintered bones can get into the digestive tract of a pet and cause severe damage and even death by puncturing the walls of the intestines or stomach. So…YES…you can get a grinder capable of grinding certain types of bones by purchasing a Pro-Cut meat grinder or the Walton’s #22 or #32 Meat Grinder, but please do be wary of the dangers that can arise in feeding pets food with bones in them, if you don’t adequately and completely grind the bones.

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Make sure you subscribe to WaltonsTV and remember to tap the bell next to the subscribed button to get notified about all new videos, plus like and comment on this video, and visit waltonsinc.com and meatgistics.com to find Everything But The Meat!

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WaltonsTV: Using A Meat Binder To Make A Better Meat Product Meat Hacks: Using A Meat Binder To Make A Better Meat Product

What does it mean when we say "meat binding"? Watch the full video, read the highlights here, and then post your comments or questions below.

What Are Meat Binders, What Do They Do, and Why to Use Meat Binders?

A lot of people ask us what is meat binding and why do you want to mix until the meat gets sticky? What we are doing with mixing and ultimately meat binding, is we are trying to extract protein. You can tell that your protein extraction is beginning because your meat will become sticky. Protein extraction is going to allow the proteins in the meat to encapsulate fat and hold fat and water together in the final sausage or product. Meat binders help cover fat particles and have a strong affinity for water, which holds more water and then keeps fat from clumping together. Then, the protein holds onto itself like velcro, around the fat particles. Good protein extraction will also allow the meat block to bind better to the sausage casing and reduce the tendency for fat to migrate to the outer layer of the sausage, or as some people say, fat-out. Having a good protein extraction and meat bind will help with increased juiciness from retained water, provide a better mouth feel, give your product a better appearance, and make the product have better slice-ability if you’re slicing summer sausage, deli or lunch meats.

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WaltonsTV: Using Tap Water When Making Sausage Meat Hacks: Using Tap Water When Making Sausage

Can I use regular tap water when making sausage? Watch the full video, read the highlights here, and then post your comments or questions below.

Can I Use Tap Water When Making Sausage

You can use tap water in making sausage, but for the best results, you need to follow a few steps to prepare the tap water.
Any process in making any meat product where you add water to a seasoning and meat product, whether that is vacuum tumbling, adding water to fresh sausage, adding water to a brine, or other meat snacks, should have very cold water used. Most tap water is at a temp of 56 to 60 degrees. The problem is that we are then going to add that 60 degree water to a meat product that should be held at 32 to 34 degrees. So, what we need to do instead of taking water directly from the tap and putting it in your sausage is to take the water and put it in the refrigerator or cooler and chill it down. That is going to accomplish two things. First, we will lower the temperature of the water and get it more in line with the meat temp so we don’t raise the temp of the meat when we add the water. Second, if it is city tap water, and there is any chlorine, while the water is resting in the cooler, the chlorine has a chance to evaporate and you then are not adding any chlorine into your meat products.

So if you are adding water to any meat products that is not already cold and distilled water, then simply place the water in an open container in your fridge to let it cool down so you don’t raise the temp of the meat once it is added and so it gives the chlorine found in most city tap water a chance to evaporate so you don’t add any chlorine to your meat products.

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