What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?

[Jamieson22]

Am curious what your tips and tricks are.

I’ve been deboning my butts and grinding one day and mixing/stuffing the next. I do 25lb batches so certainly easier to break up the equipment cleaning of grinder and stuffer. Also think the extra fridge time is nice on the ground meat before stuffing. Processed 50lbs today to stuff tomorrow.

Would love some second grind tips as it just seems to be a bit of a mess for me. Took 20 min to second grind 25lb from 10mm to 4.5mm today in my #22 grinder. But perhaps it just takes a lot plunger effort normally?

[bocephus]

Jamieson22 Second grind is always slower, usually running through a smaller plate and auger doesn’t grab as good. Make sure to put the first grind in the freezer before second grind, this will help.

[Jamieson22]

bocephus main issue is I don’t have freezer space for two meat lugs with 25lb each.

[bocephus]

Jamieson22 do you have a big cooler that you could put ice in to set one lug in while grinding the meat in the other? Cold meat grinds better for sure.

[ND Mike]

Jamieson22 on the second grind I just drop smaller meat clumps down and it seems to go better. I never have to really use the plunger.

[samspade]

Cold, cold, cold. The best practice is keep it cold

[Jamieson22]

bocephus said in What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?:

Jamieson22 do you have a big cooler that you could put ice in to set one lug in while grinding the meat in the other? Cold meat grinds better for sure.

Not sure a lug would fit in any cooler I have. When I do 50lb I keep one lug in garage fridge while working the other. For this batch I deboned and cubed and put in fridge when a lug hit 25lb. Left both in fridge for several hours before staring the grind. Then I did 10mm grind on one batch then back into fridge and pulled 2nd batch to do the same. Set up for 4.5mm grind and then pulled 1st batch and put back in fridge when done, and then pulled second batch for the grind.

So seem to be keeping as cold as I can. Grinder head and all parts were in freezer for a couple hours before grind as well.

[Jamieson22]

ND Mike said in What are your tips/tricks for more efficient sausage making?:

Jamieson22 on the second grind I just drop smaller meat clumps down and it seems to go better. I never have to really use the plunger.

I have been trying to keep a constant pressure/feed so have been using plunger to tamp it all down into the chute. Then it runs up the side of the chute/plunger so need to scrape it down off the edges (L*M #22). Even used a foot pedal this batch to back off the grind while loading chute, etc. Was worried about heat build-up with 50lbs but maybe over thinking it a bit.

I’ve made most sausages as a coarser single grind, so still getting used to a second.

[blackbetty61]

Jamieson22 I do the same as ND Mike small chunks of almost frozen 1st grind meat. I don’t use the plunger unless to clear the throat once in a while. I also put the grinder head in the freezer overnight to help with overheating

[robertmarkgraf]

I use the stuffer to push the 1st grind meat into the grinder for the second grind. Used the largest tube and a Pvc 90 to direct the meat into the grinder. Goes faster and easy to get a good second grind!

[Departing Contestant]

Sharp plates and knives cold protein and patience

[gus4416]

I only grind once so I debone and chunk it up in about 1and 1/2 inch chunks put my seasoning on it and mix by hand then I put it in the fridge over night the next morning I get it out and grind then it goes in the mixer and I mix till it is sticky then I put it in the freezer and take it out in 5 pound batch’s to stuff

[bocephus]

Jamieson22 Sounds like you are doing everything right, second grind is always slower as grinder doesn’t have chunks to grab. Just let the grinder do the work and not jam it down the throat.

[mdseaside]

I always assemble the grinder head and put in the freezer for about 1 hour before regrinding. Seem to really help. I give it a quick spray of pam down the throat just before using it. At the start the meat will want to stick to the cold metal so it may need a little help. Worth a try.

[HerbcoFood]

Don’t open the beer as early as you think you should, hold until all grinding is done…

[Dr_Pain]

I will start by saying that the biggest batch I have done was 1/2 that size. I do try to debone, first and second grind on the same day. I have a meat lug but find that it easier to use full size cookie sheets and spread the meat in a thin layer. I stack one cookie sheet and use small bowls as spacers for my second cookie sheet. I find that metal makes the process of refreezing (dropping the temp) much better than plastic. I can manage 2-3 cookie sheets at a time in my bottom freezer. I’ve toyed with the idea of using magnet spacers between my cookie sheets. That may be my next hack I share with the group

[bocephus]

HerbcoFood But a cold beer helps the grinder.

[ND Mike]

HerbcoFood sound advise! I don’t mix alcohol with grinding. Stuffing and smoking…yep!

[HerbcoFood]

ND Mike I usually don’t, it just depends on the crowd, am I alone, is the sun up yet, you know the important things!!!

[Jonathon]

We have a cured sausage video coming out where we took some of our favorite meat hacks and put them all in one. They were, grind your meat as cold as possible, partial freeze is a GOOD thing. One 2nd grind, only put a very small amount down the throat at a time, let it clear the chamber and then add a little more, don’t use your stomper. 3rd was the Dr_Pain therapy eggs to get the rest of the meat out of the grinder, we are actually bringing in some of these to sell cause it worked so well! 4th was add automotive sponges to your oversized water pan to increase humidity in your smoker and last was finish your sausage in sous vide water instead of the smoker after the IT hits 130°F. There was a bonus one in there but I can’t remember what it was right now.

Anyone do dual grind out there? We have been playing around with it and the company who sent it to us is the same manufacturer who makes another dual grind head and they urged us to buy one of theirs to compare it to. Seemed weird but they also said they would comp us for it so we did it. We are not 100% sold on the one they sent us but I really don’t know how the dual grind passed QA. We got the #8 as they told us to and swapped out the last plate for a brand new #8 1/8th plate and got the meat down to 31° and it smeared and curled it like crazy. So I am wondering if anyone has one that they think works well and is it possible that we got a gremlin?