My sausage is too meaty or dry? Help please

[Funtime Frankie]

Been trying to master sausage making and I use pork shoulder and belly pork mix. But seems to be too dry or too meaty. Anyone suggest any tips.....

[TJ Buffalo]

It would help us to help you if you could post a recipe and tell us some about how you're doing mixing, amount of water added, etc.

[Funtime Frankie]

I am using 1.5kg shoulder and .5kg belly. seaoning, 30gms breadcrumb and 50ml water. Mincing twice with large hole 4-5mm and was using hog casing 34-36mm

[DanMcG]

Did you mix everything together while very cold and until the mass was tacky or sticky? What temps did you cook them at and how did you cook them?

[NCPaul]

Your fat content seems to be good. Are you keeping the meat really cold during grinding? How are you mixing? How much salt did you use? These questions all have to do with the bind of the sausage. A good bind will help the sausage retain moisture and have a good texture. There is nothing in your ingredients that says you shouldn't get a good sausage, so we'll have to hear about your technique for making them. There are a lot of good sausage makers on this site to help.

[Big Guy]

what are your spices? liquids? too much acid can break your bind and result in a dry grainy texture.

[Funtime Frankie]

Wow, lots of people who can help me, brill.

2lb shoulder mix with belly

I use 2.75 tsp salt .25 ground ginger .25 ground sage pinch of nutmeg .50 pepper 30 gms dry breadcrumbs 50 mls water 34/36mm hog casings

I have to admit that I dont keep meat cool (what does that do)

Thanks all

[Funtime Frankie]

I cook usually under grill or bbq if weather permits.

[NCPaul]

I have to admit that I dont keep meat cool

This is a common mistake that is easily fixed.

When meat is cut, a small amount of water is released. If the meat is nearly frozen, the cutting is clean and the water released is minimized. If the meat is warmer, the action of the auger and blades will crush the meat and it will come out of the grinder as a paste. It may not look too bad, but the water has been squeezed out of the meat and it will cook out dry and mealy.

Meat that is cut while very cold will have just enough water and salt to do another important thing; there is a protein in meat called myosin that is extracted from the meat that will bind water and "glue" the meat and fat together. You will see this referred to as the primary bind. If there is too much water however, the myosin is overwhelmed and is not able to bind the sausage together. It may look mixed, but when cooked, the lack of structure will leave it dry and mealy.

To fix, place the cut meat and fat in a freezer until almost frozen. The meat will feel firm and dry to the touch. You can even put the parts of the grinder in the freezer as well. Set into a bowl of ice the bowl you are grinding the meat to. Mix quickly and thoroughly the ground meat, fat and spices while cold until a sticky mass forms. It will look and smell like sausage at this point.

[yotmon]

One other thing - although you are using 75% shoulder/25% belly, is there sufficient fat in the sausage. Belly pork can be very fat but also very lean. I will use up to a 1/3rd of the meat weight as fat but a lot of 'newcomers' are frightened by such an amount and err on the side of caution by making their sausage too lean. Just a thought.

Yotmon.

[Dogfish]

What kind of meat are you using? Farm-raised boar/sow? Young or old? Supermarket pork or wild pig?

Supermarket means young, typically.

[Funtime Frankie]

Supermarket bought

[Funtime Frankie]

Spent alot of money trying to make a good pork sausage BUT not getting it right. ANYONE got a good recipe that is gauranteed to work I'm using pork shoulder, I'm keeping meat cold.......etc.............

[captain wassname]

do you leave them overnight in the fridge before you cook them or freeze them?

jim

[Funtime Frankie]

Yes, I hang them in a fridge for 24/30 hours. Eat some then and freeze some too