Making sausages using previously frozen meat

[wilder]

I didn't make enough sausages when we butchered our last pigs.

We still have a few joints in the freezer which could make good sausages, but am I right in thinking that once the meat is defrosted and then made into sausages I won't be able to freeze the sausages unless I cook them first?

Chris

[Oddwookiee]

Not true at all. A huge part of my summer business is guys bringing me last year's meat from the freezer to make sausage for this fall's hunting. Thawing will cause a bleed of about 10% start weight, and you'll need to compensate for that, but otherwise treat it exactly as any other meat. Freeze, cook then freeze, whatever- it makes no difference.

[wilder]

Thank you! I always thought that once defrosted you couldn't refreeze meat without cooking it first - it is good to know that 'the old wives' are wrong in this case.

[JerBear]

I don't think that they're wrong per se, it's the application of the frozen, thawed, frozen meat. The slow freezing you're likely to get in a home freezer is quite slow which allows sharp ice crystals to form which in turn ruptures cellular structure thus the 10% loss Oddwookiee was referring to. If you were to take that meat, say a steak, thaw and refreeze then pull out and toss it on the grill it would probably have a pretty gross texture.

But grind it and mix it with some tasty fat and some additional liquids for flavor and mouthfeel and you're all set to go. So, wive's tale is not wrong, just not right for the application.

[wilder]

I'm all set to go then.......... meat out of the freezer tonight and sausages tomorrow. Yum.

Er, just one more thing......... does the 10% loss mean simply that I need to weigh out 10% more meat for each batch of sausages

Apologies for the seemingly daft question

[kimgary]

The only way you can safely freeze meat that has already been frozen WITHOUT cooking is to defrost the meat and whilst processing, preparing,ensure the tempreture of the meat does not go above 5 degrees Centigrade then refreeze, above that temp bacteria will mutiply rapidly and after refreezing and cooking again ,although the bacteria will be killed their toxins will not, much easier,safer and better to defrost, make sausages, cook and then freeze.

Regards Gary.

[JerBear]

Er, just one more thing......... does the 10% loss mean simply that I need to weigh out 10% more meat for each batch of sausages

I'd say your 10% would be liquid because that's what you're going to lose in the thawing process if you totally thaw out the meat.

[Oddwookiee]

Once it's thawed, re-weight it. If you had 10# going into the freezer, double-check on the thawed side what it weighs. It depends on the animal, too. Moose & duck bleed more, elk less and deer less still.