Porkert mincer question - texture

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Porkert mincer question - texture

Postby Howard » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:08 pm

I've had a Porkert mincer for many years and have been very happy with it. I've used it many times during salami making, and recently have used for it for fresh sausage making. With the mince for the fresh sausages one thing I found was that the mince texture was too fine. I've bought several mincing plates, and recently used a fairly coarse plate (8mm diameter holes I think). I'm using a mix of pork shoulder and belly.

What I think is happening is that the cross-shaped cutter blade that sits just behind the mincing plate must be cutting through the mince as it's pushed through the holes, and maybe the meat is coming through a bit too slowly, so the cutter blade ends up "slicing" through the little worms of mince quite often as they're forced through. Should I try feeding in the meat more quickly? From memory I feed it in about as fast as it is taken in...

I was interested in other people's experience of this mincer or other hand mincers, especially regarding texture. Has anyone had this problem where, even using coarse plates, the mince is rather fine textured in the final (cooked) sausage?

thanks,

Howard
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Postby Oddwookiee » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:08 pm

I googled it, and if it's a worm-fed hand crank grinder, then the meat will only feed as fast as it can be carried by the auger. Feed the meat in as fast as the auger will take it without really jamming it in.

It sounds like if it's coming out too fine, you might try having the temperature of the meat and grinder be as cold as possible. Warm meat (especially pork) will smear acrosa the surface of the plate the star rides on, instead of being cut cleanly and forced out. This will translate into a smeared look & feel in the ground product.

Try keeping the whole apparatus in the freezer for a few hours and keep your meat either just above freezing, or let it freeze to the point where it gets firm to the touch and see if that helps.
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Postby vagreys » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:43 pm

I used a Porkert #10 manual grinder for years, and didn't have the problem you seem to have. Sometimes, it is a matter of personal taste - you're talking about texture, after all. Also, we don't know what your normal process for grinding is (like whether you grind once or make multiple passes through the grinder, whether you par-freeze the meat, etc.).

If you think about it, since the knife and the auger work as one assembly, the faster you grind, the faster the knives move, and you end up with the same texture, only ground faster. At some point, the resistance of the plate will become a factor and you will find that the meat is getting minced finer before it has a chance to pass into the plate; but, I think that is more of a theoretical issue than a practical one. One thing that does impact the texture is the thickness of the plate. Some plates are a little thicker than others, and the thicker plates make for a slightly coarser texture, regardless of the diameter of the holes.

Perhaps if you described your grinding process, in detail?
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Postby Howard » Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:01 pm

Thanks for the helpful replies.

The last couple of times I've just passed the meat once through the mincer, on the coarse plate. I had originally planned to pass it through again after mixing in spices etc, but it looked fine enough at that point so I didn't.

It sounds like focussing on the meat temperature may be the key. I've usually had the meat well chilled, but generally thawed or close to thawed, so it's soft rather than firm. Maybe a short spell in the freezer after getting the meat roughly diced, and before mincing, is the best thing for me to try next?

Howard
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Postby vagreys » Wed Apr 11, 2012 11:31 pm

Howard wrote:...It sounds like focussing on the meat temperature may be the key. I've usually had the meat well chilled, but generally thawed or close to thawed, so it's soft rather than firm. Maybe a short spell in the freezer after getting the meat roughly diced, and before mincing, is the best thing for me to try next?

Howard

Par-frozen - the meat is getting stiff but not frozen - so around 32-34°F is a good temperature for grinding. I leave my cubed pork in my 0°F freezer for about 20 minutes before grinding. It is stiff on the outside, but not hard and not frozen through. Definitely improves the grind. I also chill the entire Porkert grinder, except for the handle for a half hour or so before grinding, so everthing stays good and cold.
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