# Course or fine?



## oleolson (Dec 9, 2013)

I've been making my own deer sausage (country style) for a few years now and have always ground the meat through a course plate then again through a fine plate.  I recently had tried some sausage that someone else made but they must have just ran it through a course plate because the consistency was looser than mine.  I kinda liked it that way more and was wondering how everyone else grinds their meat.  Do you prefer course or fine?


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## chef willie (Dec 9, 2013)

I lean towards liking it on the coarse side. Some sausages traditionally are a fine grind so I go with that. I'm not a fan of loose consistency sausage...perhaps they didn't add any binder so the coarse grind was crumbly? But then, I use a Kitchen Aid grinder attachment and the coarse plate is still fairly small.....Willie


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## reinhard (Dec 9, 2013)

This is a fun topic.  Everybody has different taste's of course. Can i say i like it both ways 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






?  Like Willi says that a binder sure helps especialy with course grind. When i do course grind my sausage {kielbasa for example] i grind it once course [then put in all my stuff and mix it] and then grind it through the course plate again.  This may eliminate any crumbly texture you may run into [dont forget the idea of a binder like dry powdered milk--1 cup per 5 pounds of meat mix] [when using this binder i also add 1 3/4 cups of water per 5 pounds].  Most of my sausage however i run through a medium plate as my final grind.  My family and friends like it that way more. Reinhard


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## disco (Dec 9, 2013)

I don't have Willie's experience but I'll give my preference. If I am making a cured sausage like andouille or summer sausage, I prefer a medium grind. For breakfast sausage, I bow to She Who Must Be Obeyed who prefers a fine grind.

I think it depends a lot on personal taste.

Disco


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## papap (Dec 9, 2013)

I just grind mine once through 1/4" plate.    Just made 120 pounds this weekend with 3/8" plate.  But I love andouille.


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## oleolson (Dec 9, 2013)

I think my next batch I'll just run through a course plate and see how it is.


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## boykjo (Dec 10, 2013)

When making cured smoked sausages I grind mostly through my 7mm (1/4) plate but I use my 4mm (1/8) plate for summer sausages and snack sticks. When making fresh sausages I like the smaller 4mm plate as I don't like to use binders....


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## chef jimmyj (Dec 10, 2013)

I make more Kielbasa than anything else. This is ground through a 1/4 plate and mixed until very sticky. It's a bit time consuming but eliminates the need to use binders...JJ


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## daveomak (Dec 10, 2013)

For breakfast sausage patties, I like the coarse grind, for texture...  use soy protein as a binder (1/2 of recommended)....  for taco meat, coarse grind, no filler....  Andouille, coarse grind on half the meat, fine grind the other half... and mix the two....  I usually fine grind the fat that goes into any sausage, while frozen....


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