Did I ruin my chorizo?

[worktogthr]

So I began stuffing my chorizo into natural casings and about halfway through... Red liquid/paste that I assume was a mix of the liquid and spices, sure smelled like it... started seeping out near the part of the stuffer where the tube meats the canister. I stopped and I have to say the sausage inside the stuffer seemed a little dry and crumbly and didn't have that tacky feeling. What might have caused this and can I hope that the first half of the stuff will be salvageable? Afraid all my flavor and moIsture seeped out. Thanks all!

 

[crazymoon]

WT, did you mix the meat and spice to a sticky  mass? If so you should be fine, maybe a bit too much water which let some juices out ? Was the stuffing tube nut tight on the stuffer body ? Cook it up, even mistakes in sausage making usually taste good !

 

[worktogthr]

WT, did you mix the meat and spice to a sticky  mass? If so you should be fine, maybe a bit too much water which let some juices out ? Was the stuffing tube nut tight on the stuffer body ? Cook it up, even mistakes in sausage making usually taste good !:icon_biggrin:

Perhaps the stuffer but was loose. The one that I didn't stuff tastes good but just got a little crumbly. Should be fine for tacos and what not. Too much water could also be the culprit as I made a batch of hot Italian right before the chorizo and I washed and rinsed the stuffer but perhaps didn't dry the canister well enough. We will see tomorrow when I try one! Chorizo and eggs for breakfast I guess haha

 

[DanMcG]

Crumbly sausage is usually a sign of not enough mixing.

 

[worktogthr]

Crumbly sausage is usually a sign of not enough mixing.

I agree but the mix seemed good. Sticking to the side of the bowl. Stuck to my palm, etc. maybe the moisture loss unmixed it. I'll taste a link for lunch today and hope for the best. Otherwise, can I uncase it and remix?

 

[crazymoon]

WT, I'm sure you kept it cold and you could unstuff and remix  but you aren't sure if that is the problem. I would eat as is  if it tastes alright .

 

[worktogthr]

WT, I'm sure you kept it cold and you could unstuff and remix  but you aren't sure if that is the problem. I would eat as is  if it tastes alright .

I tried to unstuff, add some liquid, and remix. But it killed the taste. Probably added too much liquid. Think the problem may have been one of two things. The moisture loss during stuffing or the neat got too warm during the grind. Looking back those are the two things that might have caused it. Thanks so much for your help. Ended up wasting about 3 lbs that I cased. $5 lesson I guess but I just hate wasting food. Trying again soon. Butts are cheap lately around here. The texture of the batch I made of hot Italian came out perfect...and that was the first batch I ran through the grinder which leads me to believe that the chorizo meat was too warm when I ground it.

 

[DanMcG]

Did your chorizo have vinegar in the recipe? that to could break the bind and cause it to be crumbly too. you can still use the meat in stews or soup, it's not a total waste.

 

[worktogthr]

Did your chorizo have vinegar in the recipe? that to could break the bind and cause it to be crumbly too. you can still use the meat in stews or soup, it's not a total waste.

You know that could be it. It had vinegar as the liquid and the only other sausage recipe I ever made that had that texture also had vinegar and hot sauce (contained vinegar). Would you avoid vinegar all together in sausage recipes?

 

[crazymoon]

WT, Not sure at this end as I have never used vinegar in any sausage recipe .

 

[smokin phil]

I make a caseless breakfast sausage that has 1.5 tablespoons per pound of sriacha sauce. I have no problems with crumbly texture. For meat I just grind up whole pork butts. Don't take any fat off, don't add any more. The fat ratio is right for us. Good, juicy sausage without swimming in fat as it gets cooked. Not sure exactly how much vinegar is in it, but there is some.