I've found a recipe I think I like, I have all the ingredients. I now have a small digital scale that I got for $20, so that I can measure out the pork to the recipe better. I'm mostly set.
I've already ground chuck at this point, so I have some idea of what it's like, how difficult cleanup will be. But there are a few finer points I'm missing... so if you guys could help out, I'd appreciate it.
I only have the 3/16" grinding plate. Ideally, I might grind the meat first through 1/2" or something like that, before grinding it smaller a second time. But that's not available now. Is there any harm (or any reason) in grinding it a second time through the same plate?
Is it mostly an act of grinding the meat, and then just thoroughly mixing the spices, or once mixed should it be ground once more? The recipe I like for the spices it uses, but its directions don't make much sense. It seems that if I grind those through with the meat, they'll just gum up the works and pool at the outer edge of the plate, or maybe inside towards the axle.
On the other hand, it also occurs to me that this might mix the stuff much better than I ever could kneading it in by hand. So what's the proper procedure here?
Another question, totally unrelated to the first: in what size batches would you freeze this? When I make lasagna in our big casserole dish, I generally use a pound bought at the store. So I think I'll put a few 1lbers away. Usually we've just done pepperoni on pizza, but now that I'll have plenty of this I think I'll like to add that. How much do you guys usually use for a large pizza? 1lb just seems like overkill, even if you're doing the meat lover's heart attack special.
Finally, I'd like to say that at some point I have to get some good knives. Cutting up a 10lb boston butt with dull cheap knives is a chore. I mean, I've never sharpened (or had sharpened) any that I own, never grew up near anyone that cooked enough to know anything about them and I've only ever bought one cheap Walmart blade after another. Ugh.
Anyway, wish me luck. I'll check back in here before I start... and if it's not a humiliating disaster that I want to forget afterward, I'll stop back in with some pictures even if it will look pretty lame. Eventually I'll get around to making something that looks as good as what the rest of you guys do. That's a promise.
I've already ground chuck at this point, so I have some idea of what it's like, how difficult cleanup will be. But there are a few finer points I'm missing... so if you guys could help out, I'd appreciate it.
I only have the 3/16" grinding plate. Ideally, I might grind the meat first through 1/2" or something like that, before grinding it smaller a second time. But that's not available now. Is there any harm (or any reason) in grinding it a second time through the same plate?
Is it mostly an act of grinding the meat, and then just thoroughly mixing the spices, or once mixed should it be ground once more? The recipe I like for the spices it uses, but its directions don't make much sense. It seems that if I grind those through with the meat, they'll just gum up the works and pool at the outer edge of the plate, or maybe inside towards the axle.
On the other hand, it also occurs to me that this might mix the stuff much better than I ever could kneading it in by hand. So what's the proper procedure here?
Another question, totally unrelated to the first: in what size batches would you freeze this? When I make lasagna in our big casserole dish, I generally use a pound bought at the store. So I think I'll put a few 1lbers away. Usually we've just done pepperoni on pizza, but now that I'll have plenty of this I think I'll like to add that. How much do you guys usually use for a large pizza? 1lb just seems like overkill, even if you're doing the meat lover's heart attack special.
Finally, I'd like to say that at some point I have to get some good knives. Cutting up a 10lb boston butt with dull cheap knives is a chore. I mean, I've never sharpened (or had sharpened) any that I own, never grew up near anyone that cooked enough to know anything about them and I've only ever bought one cheap Walmart blade after another. Ugh.
Anyway, wish me luck. I'll check back in here before I start... and if it's not a humiliating disaster that I want to forget afterward, I'll stop back in with some pictures even if it will look pretty lame. Eventually I'll get around to making something that looks as good as what the rest of you guys do. That's a promise.