by MikeD » Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:51 pm
I am also new to the world of sausage making and have just made my first attempt at a basic pork sausage and although not the most professional start, I certainly learned a lot through some of my mistakes during the steep learning curve I am embarked upon.
One thing that had me confused were the variations of methods that were to be read in books, so I decided to approach an old school butcher to ask for some pointers as to methods, and with the notes I made from his advice I will try to answer the questions you are asking.
[1] I used the 8mm coarse plate to mince my shoulder and back fat, however before I minced the shoulder meat I added my seasoning to it, mixed it thoroughly and then placed the meat back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, before passing both the shoulder and back fat through the mincer.
[2] After mincing the pork I added the rusk mix that I had already measured, mixed with ice cold water and placed in the refrigerator an hour earlier. (Rusk ratio is 10% of the total weight of meat, double the weight of iced water to dry rusk)
[3] At this point I hand mixed all the ingredients in the bowl to develop the myocin and when it began to emulsify, I then ran it through the 8mm coarse plate again.
[4] After this second pass through the coarse plate, I then hand mixed the sausage meat to develop the myocin further creating a very sticky and creamy consistency, at which point I made my sausages.
They were not the most brilliant to look at given it was my first attempt, but I certainly learned a lot from this first attempt and hope with further practice to perfect the craft.
When making the rusk, fist weigh the rusk and place it in the mixing bowl and then add the water to the rusk, my butcher friend told me that sometimes it is better to reserve some of the water for when you are developing the meat mixture.
As a complete novice, I hope my notes may point you in the right direction, good luck and enjoy your sausage making journey, the results will be well worth it both in flavour, satisfaction and of course in the knowledge of what it is you are actually eating! Regards