Sausage Making 101: Mixing
Sausage Making 101: Step 2 - Mixing
Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part series taking you through the basics of sausage making.
Check out the other installments:
Whether you’ve just finished grinding the meat yourself or you’ve purchased it pre-ground from a butcher, the next step to making great sausage from home is to mix that protein with seasonings and other ingredients.
To the inexperienced, it may seem redundant to mix meat that was already ground. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Even if you don’t plan on introducing seasonings to boost your sausage’s flavor, mixing your sausage filling is crucial for achieving the best texture and flavor. Meat and fat contain salt-soluble proteins that help the sausage bind together.
Mixing ensures that the sausage filling has the right distribution of meat, fat, seasonings, and other ingredients.
Mixing Your Own Sausage: What Do You Need?
Once the meat has left the grinder, it’s time to mix, but not so fast. Before you get started, be sure you have everything you need for a moist, flavorful result.
Here’s everything you need to mix a great sausage filling
- Protein of Choice
- Mixing Bowl
- Food Grade Gloves
- Non-iodized Salt (purified salt, kosher salt, or non-iodized sea salt)
- Seasonings (Optional, but a great way to enhance the flavor)
- Water
As for the act of mixing, that can be done using a stand mixer, but your hands are also a fine option. Regardless of how you mix, remember to wear food-grade gloves.
Mixing the Sausage
Mixing your own sausage starts by gathering up the ground meat you want to use, and weighing it on a scale. Determining how much the meat weighs is important if you’re planning on introducing seasonings to the mix, this way you can be certain not to over- or under-season the sausage.
If you’re following a recipe, make sure the salt you’re using gets weighed too. Salt is an important ingredient to enhance the flavor of any sausage, but iodized salt should be avoided. Iodized salt can taste bitter and unnatural. For sausage, purified, kosher, or non-iodized sea salt is the way to go.
After weighing, it’s time to add the meat, along with any salt or seasonings, to a mixing bowl. At this point, it’s also a good idea to add a little water to the mixture. Water promotes the extraction of a protein called myosin. Myosin helps the meat, fat, and other ingredients bind together better. A little water also results in a juicier sausage with a moist inner texture, which is always a good thing.
When mixing, either with a stand mixer or your hands, make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Once you can form a ball with the mixture that sticks to your open palm, you’ve achieved the perfect consistency. Now you’re ready to stuff the sausage filling into the casing, which we’ll cover in our next piece.
The Sausage Maker - Great Sausage Starts With Great Equipment
At The Sausage Maker, we believe anyone can make great sausage from home if they have the right supplies. That is why we offer high-quality ingredients and equipment that are accessible to newcomers and meet the demands of the pros. From essential equipment like grinders and stuffers to seasonings that’ll boost the flavor of any sausage, The Sausage Maker has you covered. Contact us for more information.
