Hello Beginner Here and a couple of questions

Beginners FAQ on sausage making, meat curing etc may often be found at the head of each relevant section, but here is the place to ask experienced users for advice if you are still stuck or need more information...we're here to help!

Hello Beginner Here and a couple of questions

Postby Ader1 » Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:18 pm

Hi,

I have just come across this forum. So this is my first post.

I have recently bought a Kenwood Chef a901 mixer with mincer and sausage filler attachment. Has anybody used this. When mincing I guess I should use the blade with the large holes firstly then mix the spices etc. I'm looking at the excellent guide to sausage making in PDF at the top of this forum and it says to mix but should I use my kenwood or hand mix? Is there a preference? Then I understand I should pass the minced meat + added spices through a second time using the smaller holed blade. Sorry for the very basic questions. Can't wait to get started. Hope somebody can find the time to answer me but the main question is regarding hand or machine mixing. Thanks.
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Postby Ader1 » Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:37 pm

Sorry been reading on and some of my questions being answered eg mixing by hand to begin with to get the feel etc. :oops:
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Postby wheels » Wed Sep 19, 2012 12:14 am

Ader1, welcome.

Oh boy, you don't know how many of us started in this crazy hobby with a Kenwood and 901 mincer - or a 701 in my case.

What I would do is, make sure that the flat of the blade is against the plate with the holes. Check that the ring that holds it together is really tight, and then grind the meat. Depending how fine you like it, you could put it twice through the large plate, or mince it through the large plate and then again through a smaller one.

Now, I'll pass it over to what an expert said a number of years ago:

sausagemaker wrote:A basic sausage would be something like this

80% Pork
2.5% Seasoning
6.5% Rusk
11% Water

So if we intend to make a kilo of sausage we need the following
800g of pork (you could use half shoulder & half belly pork for this trial)
25g Seasoning
65g Rusk
110g Water

Start by cutting the pork into 1½" dice or small enough to pass through the mincer, when this is done place in the refrigerator to chill or put in the freezer for a short while.
Meanwhile weigh up the seasoning, rusk & water
Secure the mincer onto the table top and soak about 4- 5 feet of casing in water to remove the salt.

Now that the meat is well chilled mince it through the mincing blade into a bowl large enough to add the other ingredients to.
Add water & spices & mix vigorously to ensure the spices are well dispersed, add the rusk & mix well in.
Now replace the mincing blade with a sausage stuffing horn & wash the inside of the sausage casing by running tap water through them, once this is done slide them onto the sausage horn.
Now put you meat mixture back through the mincer & form the sausage as it come out (You might find it useful to have someone pushing the meat through while you attend to the stuffing side of the operation.
Hold the casing lightly with your index finger & thumb and allow the meat to fill the casing but not too tight or it will burst.
Try not to get any air pockets in the sausage as you are filling.
Don't worry you will get the hang of it soon.

Once the sausages are made you may link them if you wish or leave it in a coil like Cumberland Sausage.
Place in the refrigerator over night for the flavour to develop this is called blooming by sausage makers
The next day it's over to you.
Cook them slowly in a frying pan & enjoy.


I have to tell you that many of us find that stuffing sausage using a mincer/grinder is an absolute pain. It can help to just put golf ball sized pieces of mince into the stuffer at a time.

I hope that this helps. Persevere and I'm sure that you'll find that the effort is worthwhile.

If you have any problems, just post back here.

Phil
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Postby georgebaker » Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:45 am

Hi
I have a Kenwood 901 and have never used anything else.

This is what I do Toulose style recipe
I start with about 2.5 Kg shoulder. Everytime I stop to change plates, weigh etc I Put everyting in the freezer

Trim the meat so there is a little connective tissue as possible cos it jams up in the plate. Put this scraps to one side and use for stock.
Course grind.
Add spices (pepper, nutmeg, cloves, ground ginger ) salt 15g, and 250gm chopped bacon
Mid grind add some ice cube (10 last time)
EDIT 200ml good cider
K beat in 2 loads 3-5 mins each mid speed.
Stuff big tube.
Remove the stuff left in the stuffer and fry, cooks perk, as a patty for lunch.

This produces 2.5Kg which in our house is 4 dinners for 2 plus a odd few for a breakfast. I vac pack for the freezer.

Ask if you want more info
George
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Postby Ader1 » Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:12 pm

Thank you both for your suggestions and recipe. I recently purchased the Kenwood on ebay. I was looking at buying a mixer and reading forums etc I found that people felt that the old kenwoods were as good as the new machines costing hundreds of pounds. I paid £37 pounds for mine and it looks like new. My mum used to have one and she thought they were good too.

My mum wants me to try making faggots with it as she used to do. But we need to get some caul. I asked at the local butchers and they said the don't get it any more. Are there any substitutes or on-line suppliers? Sorry it it's a stupid question.
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Postby georgebaker » Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:20 pm

Hi
I dont know, BTW its not a stupid question, few are, although some answers may be

George
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Postby wheels » Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:39 pm

It's not a stupid question at all, and you're correct, caul isn't easy to get.

However, don't let it stop you making faggots, I certainly don't!

I make both "butcher's faggots" and a faggots in gravy one and they're still good, even without the caul.

Phil
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Re: Hello Beginner Here and a couple of questions

Postby Kebb320 » Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:24 pm

My question is : is it possible to use the kenwood chef sausage attachment without mincing the meat a second time? Sometimes I want a coarser mixture but I can't work out how to get it. Having minced the meat and added the seasonings I can only use the horn if a blade is also attached and this makes the mixture too fine for certain sausages. Is there a way of fixing the horn on tight without a blade? Help please!
Keith
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Re: Hello Beginner Here and a couple of questions

Postby georgebaker » Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:39 pm

Hi
Yes, you are assembling it wrongly, you maybe missing a plastic part that lets you have the horn without the blade or plate

The part is a Polo like torus with a slope on one side

George.
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Re: Hello Beginner Here and a couple of questions

Postby Kebb320 » Sat Mar 08, 2014 5:24 pm

thank you George. That works fine now.
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