Mincing twice

[wallie]

I would like to know if there is any advantage to mincing the meat twice, once through the 8mm plate then through the 5mm.
I normaly only mince once through the small plate then mix in the Kenwood for about 1 minute next adding rusk and water and mixing for a further mintute.
I am asking because I notice quite a few recipes say mince twice.

Thanks
wallie

[scotty]

i believe it depends on what type of sausages you are making. Personal taste should really dictate in the end.

[Bad Flynch]

> would like to know if there is any advantage to mincing the meat twice, once through the 8mm plate then through the 5mm. <

A number of the older recipes in my posession call for this technique and never, is there any explanation for it.

Perhaps is is carryover from another day when meat was ground by hand and the job would have been difficult to accomplish all in one grinding. Well, that's one guess anyway.

If you follow this technique, be certain to cool the meat between grindings/mincings. I think that otherwise the head buildup would allow bacterial growth.

[welsh wizard]

Mincing twice is often done by butchers who are not too sure of getting a gristle free sausage when mincing once. Mincing once should give a more chunky texture, which personally I prefer.

Cheers WW

[Fallow Buck]

The double mincing also helps the sausage hold together. Personally I like a bit of a meaty texture so I double mince the pork that goes into my venison sausages and only single mince the venison.

It also helps the fat emulsify better (IMHO) and the end result ends up being a bit more succulent. The sausages I make that are single minced I found had a tendancy to finish a little dry once cooked.

Rgds,
FB

[wheels]

A previous discussion on this topic mentions that it is so that the meat does not 'overheat'. There is also a table for achieving the texture you require. See:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=156

Hope this helps

Phil

[Vernon Smith]

FWIW I always mince by hand twice through a 3/16" plate for various reasons touched on above. I raise my own pigs and culled breeders (200+ kg live weight) usually go for sausage so the meat is usually much tougher and more gristly than a prime porker would provide. If you have a bowl cutter or blender that's ideal but I don't. The shoulder is best although the most gristly by far but two mincings does the trick. Mince once then add the flavourings, rusk and stock then overnight in the fridge before the second pass, then into the hog casings whilst still chilled. The extra mincing also releases proteins that help hold the sausage together. Sausage texture, like most things in life, is subjective so make the texture of your own choice. BTW a touch of KNO3, say 200ppm, in the finished fresh sausage will certainly not do any harm, especially in my climate.
All the best
Vernon