Grind days

[Kellendv]

This time of year after the hunts are done we get the grinder out to make something delicious out of all the not-so-appealing cuts of the animals I take. Typically we do burger and breakfast sausage but this year we had so much grind meat we decided to do some hot Italian sausage too.

My buddy Daryl and I did a big grind day last weekend and I made 50 pounds of burger and 50 pounds of breakfast sausage. Today my wife and I finished the grind off with another 30 pounds of hot Italian.

For those that are interested in doing this on your own, it’s not that hard but it is very time consuming. We have a 3/4 HP Weston grinder which is an awesome tool. I do 15% fat for burger and 30% for sausage. This year we got fatback from Iowa meat farms on mission gorge, but in the past if we can’t find fatback we’ve used pork belly slabs from Costco and it works great too.

 

[NBK]

Well done for sure. Would like to try your breakfast sausage!

 

[Lungpopper]

130 lbs is a load.
Between my local buck, Coues deer and some elk left over from last year I ground up 75 lbs of burger and sausage. Same ratio’s as you % wise.
But I always buy a pig at the local 4H auction and use pork roast instead of adding fat.

 

[TRICER]

Good stuff right there. I love processing my own game it adds another level to hunting that I enjoy.
I picked up a 1.5hp Weston a few months back it’s a work horse. Do you only
Use the coarse plate? I do 2 passes through the coarse plate and don’t use the fine since fat gets built up the fine plate and it clogs.
I do want to pick up a sausage stuffer at some Point but the weapons do good wnough with the attachment to make sausages but it is a 2 man job for sure.

 

[ilovesprig]

Can I bring you boys a few ducks to add to the pile.........

 

[TRICER]

Can I bring you boys a few ducks to add to the pile.........

Let me know when you want to do it Steve we can knock them out quick. If you bring them to the tune up I can get them ground up for you this weekend.

 

[ilovesprig]

Let me know when you want to do it Steve we can knock them out quick. If you bring them to the tune up I can get them ground up for you this weekend.

Right on, Drew...Maybe add some chorizo or fennel seed.

 

[Kellendv]

Good stuff right there. I love processing my own game it adds another level to hunting that I enjoy.
I picked up a 1.5hp Weston a few months back it’s a work horse. Do you only
Use the coarse plate? I do 2 passes through the coarse plate and don’t use the fine since fat gets built up the fine plate and it clogs.
I do want to pick up a sausage stuffer at some Point but the weapons do good wnough with the attachment to make sausages but it is a 2 man job for sure.

I do one pass through the coarse die, then add seasoning and mix it up, then do one pass through the fine die. I would think a 1.5 HP would have no issues.... the 3/4 HP has no problem. I haven’t done cased sausage yet. We bought casing this year but I forgot that I had broken a plastic piece needed to attach the feeder tube for the casing. So we just packaged the Italian in vacuum bags. It’ll be fine like that for pasta and I’ll get a new piece for next year. A few things I’ve learned over 3 years with this grinder:

- Keep all meat and all parts as cold as possible. I take the feed tube, auger, blade, die and the keeper nut off the machine while I’m not using it and put them in an ice bath. I also like the meat and fat to be frosty, but not frozen solid. I’ll put trays of meat waiting for a second pass through the grinder back in the freezer while we set things up. The grinder works much better this way. A lot of heat is transferred from the electric motor through the auger and if the fat starts to render in the tube as it is pushed by the auger it will really gum things up. That 1.5 HP motor will make a lot of heat too.

- I’ve noticed if you feed the grinder slower, just dropping pieces in rather than pushing meat in with the plunger, it will feed much better and overall it won’t be any slower. In the instances when the fine die does get gunked up with connective tissue it is usually because it is being fed to forcefully.

- The more people you can get to help the faster it all goes. 4 people is not too many. The less downtime the grinder has the better. Packaging the meat at the end is probably the most annoying part for me.

 

[WaterDawg]

Holy Hamburger Helper Kellen! Nice meat processing operation and some great meals ahead.

 

[Kellendv]

Well done for sure. Would like to try your breakfast sausage!

Happy to share!

 

[SDLIVIN]

That's what I'm talking about right there!
Very nice.
Hamburgers, meatloaf, spaghetti, wontons, lasagna, ravioli, those Chinese dumpling thingies, chili con carne, shepherds pie, Bolognese, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, tostados, beef stroganoff, sloppy joes, ziti, meatballs, lettuce wraps, sliders......

crud, making myself hungry...

 

[SurfNHuntSD]

Nice job. Lots of work but sure is nice to have sausage ready to thaw and eat. How do you do your breakfast sausage if you don't mind? I've done several batches that have turned out pretty good but just seem to be missing something.

 

[Kellendv]

Nice job. Lots of work but sure is nice to have sausage ready to thaw and eat. How do you do your breakfast sausage if you don't mind? I've done several batches that have turned out pretty good but just seem to be missing something.

Yep happy to share. I’m at work but I’ll post it up later.

 

[Kellendv]

Nice job. Lots of work but sure is nice to have sausage ready to thaw and eat. How do you do your breakfast sausage if you don't mind? I've done several batches that have turned out pretty good but just seem to be missing something.

This is what I start with. Obviously multiply amounts for the amount of meat you have (whatever the total weight will be, meat and fat combined). I always have to adjust something. Usually more salt and more chili flakes. Also I cut the maple syrup in half because I don’t want it to be too sweet. You could also just drop the maple syrup if you like and this would be a pretty standard breakfast sausage flavor profile. Season it like this to start and throw a little patty in the skillet and taste it, than adjust seasoning as needed.... enjoy!