Gave up on mixing ground meat, don't like the pasty texture. I season in a big tub as cubed and grind once sometimes 2 and then to a horizontal 10# stuffer. Salted ice cubes in the tub when mixing. COLD!
Red wine or white ice cubes for mixing with the spices. That's the easy way to keep meat cold. Pick your poison: Vermouth, port, apple juice, water, beer.
Could you not use a metal tray on top of a tray of ice when hand mixing? Seems like that would help keep everything nice and cold. We use this when dealing with high fat meats to keep them cold for portioning.
I would really like to see a grinder smeared fat and over mixed meat video. Show at what point you have gone to far and how quickly it can go bad in a mixer and smeared meat from the grinder meat getting to hot. That would give us a what to look for during processing idea. Just a thought, thanks for sharing.
Hi Eric, I mix my sausage the same way that the old timers squeezed grapes - in a tub with my feet! nah, ha ha ha, just joking, I use a stand mixer with the bread hook and spatula, its a lot less stress on the machine than using a paddle. I just want to say I am loving your vids and appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with us - your a top bloke - cheers mate.
Thanks so much for the very informative video, some of the points you you referenced I’ve wondered about but never tried... now I have a baseline for my next sausage making adventure
Way back when I worked in a hotel garde manger dept and we used a buffalo or bowl chopper to mix our paté grinds. The german chef used to add ice as it was mixing, I thought just to keep it cold, but now I see he was also adding water. He would look at the texture but he never really explained what qualities he was looking for and why. Thanks for the great content. Cheers, mate... And a reminder: when freezing meats you can't freeze them for perpetuity, otherwise they will freezer burn. Date them and consume within 6 months.
I made a 10 pound batch of hot dogs not long ago and it was obvious that I didn't mix it enough. They were good, but every so often you'd get a bite that was overpowering with one of the spices. Live & learn!
I've been researching EVERY WHERE for why I am supposed to mix the sausage until I see a "film" on the meat. Your description of the two proteins and how they bund together to form a "glue" made that light bulb go off in my head! Thank you for being so thorough and informative!!
I think I hit a genius technique to keep meat cold when grinding. I cube and spice my meat, then I add a bunch of ice cubes to the mix. Then, before grinding ... SALT THEM. Videos on ice cream makng show this reduced the ice to 17d Fahrenheit. You can even freeze stock cubes mixed with wine, and then salt those and mix with the cubed meat, then grind. My meat got VERY cold quickly. You could also freeze beer and salt that.
@@2guysandacooler So now I reserve the salt portion of a sausage recipe and sprinkle it over the ice cubes in a mixing tub a bit prior to grinding. It really works and reduces the burden of trying to keep your grind at cold temperatures via a freezer.
Check out this awesome grinder set up. He needs a throat riser to preserve his fingers, but the production is very fast and the machine far more reliable than any grinder under $400. I just built a version of this using a real Czech Porkert #22 and will post the build video soon. Note that the meat is not very cold and quite soft - no problem apparently. Here is the link, from Poland: th-cam.com/video/nTYdDb75V1Q/w-d-xo.html
Great tips . Made all the difference in my previous attempts. Thanks 🙏. The whole process took a long time. How do you set up and clean your gear? Felt like my workspace got full of pork and the gear (Kmix) needs to be carefully cleaned, can’t go on the dishwasher.
You have removed any remaining excuses I have held onto preventing me from making sausage. Well, I have made it three times including a wild boar (made it too dry) and so I need to stow the excuses. Thank, Eric. Excellent job.
All my stainless steal parts are put in the freezer an hour before use, We freeze bowls, paddles, all mincer parts, this really helps keep things cooler for an extra 3 mins, which helps us out for mixing and mincing.
Thats looking, just wondering can that make burger patties too? I think yes, so i have to try, but you know better, so it would be nice to know :) thanks for this video
What about adding the equivalent of crushed ice instead of water to the mixing? Seems you wouldn't over chill in this way and you wouldn't risk raising the temp.
Hi Eric - extremely informative video presented in a very succinct manner. Looking to acquire a mixer as well. Would you say a planetary or spiral mixer would work better? My own inclination is to go for a planetary mixer where the bowl remains static. In your experience, how long does it generally take for the meat to be emulsified? I'm thinking that if you place the bowl in an ice bath, that would help in ensuring the temperature of the meat doesn't rise quickly during mixing. Would love to hear your thoughts.
It really all depends on how much you make. I like a planetary mixer as it's fast and does a good job. We use our larger one to do 25 pound batches at a time.. Usually I chill my meat before mixing (i have a blast chiller) so I don't need to chill the bowl, but chilling the bowl doesn't hurt.. In my experience it takes around 2-4 minutes in a planetary mixer (depending on the recipe) for the meat to get mixed properly.. By hand it takes much longer 10-15 minutes
Eric, great videos and I follow to a t! Assuming 3 lbs of properly chilled ground pork in a kitchen aid. How long to mix until the proper texture? I hit it perfectly rhe first batch and missed on the second run. I didn't keep track of the time unfortunately. This is a game changing tip for me so thank you!
It all depends on how you are mixing the meat. In a meat mixer it might take several minutes. In a stand mixer it might take 2 minutes. If you are doing it by hand it could take 3-5 minutes. It just depends on the meat and the method
That video has a lot of value right there !! Anyone new to sausage , nail the bind and you are there....I’m in the non fat dry powdered milk camp for extra assurance when had mixing
Hello very good your channel. I would like to know what you think of meat mixers as the third one that you talked about in this video but manuals. do the job well? work well and fluently?
Meat mixers work well. I've never had a problem with the way they mix. There is a minimum that you have to put in it in order for the mixer to mix well so if you choose to get on e make sure that you know the minimum. For my 50pound mixer I have to put at least 25 pounds of meat.... If you can get one that attaches to a grinder motor that's even better. Cranking it by hand can get a little tiresome :)
Usually a dry sausage means the fat has leaked out. It was either cooked at too high of a temp or the fat was smeared.. You could add more water or even a binder like potato starch to help retain some moisture
@@2guysandacooler Eric, thank you! I probably overcooked the sample - I always follow your directions precisely and I've never had a problem before. So, I'm going to cook another sample, watching more carefully. Everything, including me, was just above freezing when I carefully ground up fifteen pounds of pork, so I'll discount the smeared fat scenario and go with the overcooked sample. Anticipating stuffing sausages tomorrow - waiting on casings. Will you consider making a video of how to dress an entire Costco pork shoulder - I'm not sure which fat is good to keep and which isn't, plus anything else that should be tossed out. Again, thanks for helping me. RobL Charleston, SC
I am enjoying your videos. Great job. My one suggestion/question: you begin this video by talking about the percentages of salt. Are you talking about percent by weight? (Or I suspect not, percentage by volume.)
The amount of salt that's added to a recipe is by the weight of meat and fat. If you plan on adding 1.5% salt to the recipe and your meat and fat combined weighs 1000g you would add 15g of salt
I personally wouldn't as you are trying to achieve protein extraction evenly. If anything I would mix 1/2 the batch to completion then take it out and then mix the rest. Then in a larger bin combine both batches.
@@2guysandacooler - thank you for your quick response, unfortunately I’m in kidney failure doing dialysis 5 days a week and salt is bad news for me. But thank you anyway. I do enjoy your videos 👍👍👍. ✌️😎
You've inspired me. I bought a meat grinder last week and I've already made boerewors, with original South African spices and also a Catalan sausage called "butifarra", which is a basic sausage. Next I want to try yellow butifarra which contains eggs and is eaten cold, sliced. Anyway, thank you for your content!
@@2guysandacooler I'm riding that beginner's luck at the moment. For the boerewors my casings split while cooking them. Otherwise both have been perfectly comparable to good butcher bought stuff. 😳 Do you have a video on different casings with your opinion on when to use which and their strengths?
Do you have any creative ways to mix your sausage meat? I'd love to hear them...
Gave up on mixing ground meat, don't like the pasty texture. I season in a big tub as cubed and grind once sometimes 2 and then to a horizontal 10# stuffer. Salted ice cubes in the tub when mixing. COLD!
@@RRaucina texture is better to me ground once as well
Red wine or white ice cubes for mixing with the spices. That's the easy way to keep meat cold. Pick your poison: Vermouth, port, apple juice, water, beer.
Could you not use a metal tray on top of a tray of ice when hand mixing? Seems like that would help keep everything nice and cold. We use this when dealing with high fat meats to keep them cold for portioning.
I was looking for seasoning weight per pound of meat???
Hey Eric is there gonna be any Andouille sausage featured in your series
I would really like to see a grinder smeared fat and over mixed meat video. Show at what point you have gone to far and how quickly it can go bad in a mixer and smeared meat from the grinder meat getting to hot. That would give us a what to look for during processing idea. Just a thought, thanks for sharing.
I second this
I use a kitchenaid mixer with paddle attachment, but I usually only make small batches, less than 5lbs.
That's perfect!! I love how quick it mixes the meat!!
Hi Eric, I mix my sausage the same way that the old timers squeezed grapes - in a tub with my feet! nah, ha ha ha, just joking, I use a stand mixer with the bread hook and spatula, its a lot less stress on the machine than using a paddle. I just want to say I am loving your vids and appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with us - your a top bloke - cheers mate.
😂😂😂😂
As a retired chef, I must say this is a pro culinary video, very nicely done, great information. Thank you!
You've inspired me, just bought a grinder.
Have you broken in your new grinder :)
% salt of what? Weight?? You didn't specify
Thanks so much for the very informative video, some of the points you you referenced I’ve wondered about but never tried... now I have a baseline for my next sausage making adventure
Way back when I worked in a hotel garde manger dept and we used a buffalo or bowl chopper to mix our paté grinds. The german chef used to add ice as it was mixing, I thought just to keep it cold, but now I see he was also adding water. He would look at the texture but he never really explained what qualities he was looking for and why. Thanks for the great content. Cheers, mate...
And a reminder: when freezing meats you can't freeze them for perpetuity, otherwise they will freezer burn. Date them and consume within 6 months.
Is there a way to tell if you over mixed without cooking it ?
Can you please turn your bumper music down a little? much thanks
Recently purchased a 20# mixer that works well. They say 20#’r but I don’t think I would put more than 15#’s.
Great video, exactly what i needed.
I mix my by hands like for 6 minutes
Any way to fix over-mixed meat
unfortunately not 😥
I made a 10 pound batch of hot dogs not long ago and it was obvious that I didn't mix it enough. They were good, but every so often you'd get a bite that was overpowering with one of the spices. Live & learn!
I've been researching EVERY WHERE for why I am supposed to mix the sausage until I see a "film" on the meat. Your description of the two proteins and how they bund together to form a "glue" made that light bulb go off in my head! Thank you for being so thorough and informative!!
You are so welcome!! Reach out if you have any questions 🙂
Thank you, that was very interesting.
Is this just for a stuffed/smoked sausage or fresh/pan sausage? Thanks.
All sausages
Man you make it look so easy.
I think I hit a genius technique to keep meat cold when grinding. I cube and spice my meat, then I add a bunch of ice cubes to the mix. Then, before grinding ... SALT THEM. Videos on ice cream makng show this reduced the ice to 17d Fahrenheit. You can even freeze stock cubes mixed with wine, and then salt those and mix with the cubed meat, then grind. My meat got VERY cold quickly. You could also freeze beer and salt that.
Great tip! That's awesome!!
@@2guysandacooler So now I reserve the salt portion of a sausage recipe and sprinkle it over the ice cubes in a mixing tub a bit prior to grinding. It really works and reduces the burden of trying to keep your grind at cold temperatures via a freezer.
Check out this awesome grinder set up. He needs a throat riser to preserve his fingers, but the production is very fast and the machine far more reliable than any grinder under $400. I just built a version of this using a real Czech Porkert #22 and will post the build video soon. Note that the meat is not very cold and quite soft - no problem apparently. Here is the link, from Poland: th-cam.com/video/nTYdDb75V1Q/w-d-xo.html
Found this while research this process for making sausage.
Great tips . Made all the difference in my previous attempts. Thanks 🙏.
The whole process took a long time. How do you set up and clean your gear?
Felt like my workspace got full of pork and the gear (Kmix) needs to be carefully cleaned, can’t go on the dishwasher.
You have removed any remaining excuses I have held onto preventing me from making sausage. Well, I have made it three times including a wild boar (made it too dry) and so I need to stow the excuses. Thank, Eric. Excellent job.
Thanks for sharing your recipes and techniques very interesting thanks
All my stainless steal parts are put in the freezer an hour before use, We freeze bowls, paddles, all mincer parts, this really helps keep things cooler for an extra 3 mins, which helps us out for mixing and mincing.
Thats looking, just wondering can that make burger patties too? I think yes, so i have to try, but you know better, so it would be nice to know
:) thanks for this video
Yes you can!
@@2guysandacooler i make patties with satay sauce and something extra spices :)
@@2guysandacooler damn that i cant send you private message, those are coming so great and juicy :)
Thank you for sharing this, it helps a lot!
Seasoning the meat before and after grinding.
Hmmmm must have been overmixed
What about adding the equivalent of crushed ice instead of water to the mixing? Seems you wouldn't over chill in this way and you wouldn't risk raising the temp.
That works..
Hi Eric - extremely informative video presented in a very succinct manner. Looking to acquire a mixer as well. Would you say a planetary or spiral mixer would work better? My own inclination is to go for a planetary mixer where the bowl remains static. In your experience, how long does it generally take for the meat to be emulsified? I'm thinking that if you place the bowl in an ice bath, that would help in ensuring the temperature of the meat doesn't rise quickly during mixing. Would love to hear your thoughts.
It really all depends on how much you make. I like a planetary mixer as it's fast and does a good job. We use our larger one to do 25 pound batches at a time.. Usually I chill my meat before mixing (i have a blast chiller) so I don't need to chill the bowl, but chilling the bowl doesn't hurt.. In my experience it takes around 2-4 minutes in a planetary mixer (depending on the recipe) for the meat to get mixed properly.. By hand it takes much longer 10-15 minutes
Eric, great videos and I follow to a t! Assuming 3 lbs of properly chilled ground pork in a kitchen aid. How long to mix until the proper texture? I hit it perfectly rhe first batch and missed on the second run. I didn't keep track of the time unfortunately. This is a game changing tip for me so thank you!
It all depends on how you are mixing the meat. In a meat mixer it might take several minutes. In a stand mixer it might take 2 minutes. If you are doing it by hand it could take 3-5 minutes. It just depends on the meat and the method
use a bosch mixer
That video has a lot of value right there !! Anyone new to sausage , nail the bind and you are there....I’m in the non fat dry powdered milk camp for extra assurance when had mixing
Absolutely!! I agree. I'm with you on the NFDMP. I'm formulating a video on binders and how helpful they are in the process.
I add my seasonings right before I do the final grind. Then I add my liquid when I mix the meat. Is this way ok or is there a better way?
Hey Ryan. That's a great way to do it!
Hello very good your channel. I would like to know what you think of meat mixers as the third one that you talked about in this video but manuals. do the job well? work well and fluently?
Meat mixers work well. I've never had a problem with the way they mix. There is a minimum that you have to put in it in order for the mixer to mix well so if you choose to get on e make sure that you know the minimum. For my 50pound mixer I have to put at least 25 pounds of meat.... If you can get one that attaches to a grinder motor that's even better. Cranking it by hand can get a little tiresome :)
What happens when you over mix your meat? Does it ruin the texture and how do you know if it is over mixed?
It get's grainy and crumbly. It will feel different.
how do you know if you overmixed the meat? is there any way to recover from that? Thanks for the great video
If it's overmixed it will have a very mushy texture and won't stick to your hand so well. Once that happens it's too late.
Eric, my Italian sausage sample is too dry - can I add water and remix? Thanks for your videos!
Usually a dry sausage means the fat has leaked out. It was either cooked at too high of a temp or the fat was smeared.. You could add more water or even a binder like potato starch to help retain some moisture
@@2guysandacooler Eric, thank you! I probably overcooked the sample - I always follow your directions precisely and I've never had a problem before. So, I'm going to cook another sample, watching more carefully. Everything, including me, was just above freezing when I carefully ground up fifteen pounds of pork, so I'll discount the smeared fat scenario and go with the overcooked sample. Anticipating stuffing sausages tomorrow - waiting on casings.
Will you consider making a video of how to dress an entire Costco pork shoulder - I'm not sure which fat is good to keep and which isn't, plus anything else that should be tossed out.
Again, thanks for helping me.
RobL Charleston, SC
I am enjoying your videos. Great job. My one suggestion/question: you begin this video by talking about the percentages of salt. Are you talking about percent by weight? (Or I suspect not, percentage by volume.)
The amount of salt that's added to a recipe is by the weight of meat and fat. If you plan on adding 1.5% salt to the recipe and your meat and fat combined weighs 1000g you would add 15g of salt
@@2guysandacooler Thanks so much! Now we just need The Sausage Maker to print their directions in weight rather than teaspoons.
I have a question, can I mix half my meat and when the volume decreases, add the second half for further mixing?
I personally wouldn't as you are trying to achieve protein extraction evenly. If anything I would mix 1/2 the batch to completion then take it out and then mix the rest. Then in a larger bin combine both batches.
@@2guysandacooler good idea, TU
Is it possible to make sausage without or very little salt in and smoke it or freeze it?
No. Salt is a critical ingredient. Minimum needs to be 1.5% of the total weight of the meat and fat
@@2guysandacooler - thank you for your quick response, unfortunately I’m in kidney failure doing dialysis 5 days a week and salt is bad news for me. But thank you anyway. I do enjoy your videos 👍👍👍. ✌️😎
You've inspired me. I bought a meat grinder last week and I've already made boerewors, with original South African spices and also a Catalan sausage called "butifarra", which is a basic sausage. Next I want to try yellow butifarra which contains eggs and is eaten cold, sliced.
Anyway, thank you for your content!
Hey Alex. That's great to hear. I can't wait to hear about all the sausage masterpieces you're going to create😁
@@2guysandacooler I'm riding that beginner's luck at the moment. For the boerewors my casings split while cooking them. Otherwise both have been perfectly comparable to good butcher bought stuff. 😳
Do you have a video on different casings with your opinion on when to use which and their strengths?
@@vaazig I'll have 0ne out soon😎
@@2guysandacooler awesome! 👏