I am experimenting with home made sausages. Grinding chuck to make the sausage.
Typically I pass it through the grinder 2-3 times (kitchenaid grinder, small die).
I've gotten the flavor nice, but when cooked the sausages are mealy and soft. When I reduce the number of grinds I get a sausage that is grainy and feels like hamburger in the mouth.
No matter what cooking technique I use (steaming, simmering, sloooow grilling, fast grilling) I get a sausage that is so flimsy it falls apart on the way to the plate.
What am I missing?
Best Answer
Chuck? As in beef chuck? Not that it won't work, but it'll be slightly different taste and texture wise than the more common pork sausage.
I don't think the # of grinds is the issue. I'd be looking more at:
temperature. Do you put the meat in the freezer for an hour or so before grinding, and are your bowls/grinder/etc cold? If your meat gets too warm, it'll separate from the fat, resulting in a mealy sausage.
are you beating the ground meat & spices with the paddle blade and a bit of liquid at the end? You want to do that to produce a bind and end up with a tight (not crumbly) sausage.