Chicago Italian Sausage with Fennel

[novawaly]

Here is what a 1/4 plate looks like and measured, a good idea to check yours, if its a quarter inch then thats good, then you need meat with less fat.

1 grind, not 2.

You are spot on here. I got home last night and measured each attachment. I assumed the 1/4th inch would be the smaller one which was wrong. I used the 1/8th inch.

Will have to try it again and see how the 1/4in holds up. As far as the meat, Im not sure how many more options Im going to have haha - I've hit a large percentage of the butchers in NYC.

One question I had though is what would the 1/8th plate be used for? Is it normal for that size plate to have gotten clogged with the fat like that? I'm trying to decide if i should return this grinder I bought or if I was just simply grinding the wrong type of meat through the wrong plate

Also wanted to say a quick thank for all the help to everyone. Wll try and get some more meat and give it another whirl sometime either this week  or next

[PizzaGarage]

The smaller 1/8 would be good for hamburger as an example which is much leaner, 10-15% fast as opposed to 25% in our sausage.  Gristle and other tough skins like silver skin do a great job at clogging holes of most sizes, fat is a problem more so when it gets warm, begins to smear (gets sticky) and eventually clogs the holes regardless of plate size.  Cold fat isn't too much of an issue.  A 1/8th would clog faster with sticky fat as opposed to a 1/4.

[wotavidone]

I ended up going out to a few butchers and found one open at 9pm that had some berkshire pork butt (mind you at 10.99 a pound)

Holy cow (pig)! That is about 32 aussie dollars per kilo. Same price as high-end restaurant quality scotch fillet steak here in Oz.

[novawaly]

By the way,

Forgot to post the conclusion to this. It turns out the grinder I was using was just horrible and the blade wasn't nearly sharp enough. I ordered 2 more grinders on amazon and tried them both out. Both did much much better than in my first runs and was using the same meat.

Ended up keeping this one and returning the others:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z7LPF8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1\

Attached pics below:

[vtsteve]

Nice butt!   


Did you post a review of the grinder? (ATM it has only one review - brave!)

I'm considering a purchase... which did you send back?

[novawaly]

Nice butt!   


Did you post a review of the grinder? (ATM it has only one review - brave!)

I'm considering a purchase... which did you send back?

What the hell? That's so weird - it had 600-700 hundred reviews on amazon when i ordered it and many included videos of it in action. I'd never order something with only 1 review. Not sure what happened there.

Here are the 3 i ordered:
1. STX
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005F55EUQ/?tag=pmak-20

2. Homegeek
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z7LPF8/?tag=pmak-20

3. Gourmia
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077JGQ7N7/?tag=pmak-20

The one i was using originally was #3(Gourmia) (Didn't work well at all...way too much smearing as you can see from some of my original pics). I ended up keeping #2. I cut that butt in half and did a pound in #1 and a pound in #2. STX def was more widely known in my online research. Came with way more pieces, you could buy a juicer attachment down the line which I kinda liked but I was very surprised with how well #2 ground the meet. Def has fewer frills but I ultimately chose it b/c I thought it did just as good a job grinding as the STX at nearly half the cost. Also, I live in NYC so I have limited space and only plan to use it exclusively for grinding sausage for pizzas. Much smaller/easier to store unit than the STX but you can't go wrong with either depending on your intent.

[Jackitup]

https://youtu.be/PT2uHuyKVRU

[Chicago Bob]

   Don't think fancy $ is better... You need the cheap pork butts... You know, like $ 1.49 a lb. !!
Mucho fat cap...🤗

[PizzAmateur]

"Italian sausage/meat" at least for me, is defined by the Fennel/Anise taste.   I prefer Fennel, but I understand that some like the Anise touch.   Don't ask me how to pronounce Anise.  (chuckle) (grin)

[Chicago Bob]

"Italian sausage/meat" at least for me, is defined by the Fennel/Anise taste.   I prefer Fennel, but I understand that some like the Anise touch.   Don't ask me how to pronounce Anise.  (chuckle) (grin)

I agree... But also, just as important is the grind/texture. Chunky monkey. 😉

[Chicago Bob]

To aid in cleaning the grinder....I always finish by tossing a piece or two of bread in the grinder. Stale bagette works the best. 

[PizzaGarage]

Since posting this recipe I've made changes in the ingredients and process to improve flavor and make a better overall sausage.

For each 1 lb of Pork Butt:

Kosher Salt 1% (check the butt, if it has a saline solution added use 1%, if not then 1.5%)
Ground Fennel 1.5 tsp
Fennel Seed 2 tsp
Course Ground black pepper .5 tsp
Sugar - 10% of Salt weight


Do not brown the Fennel seed, to me it adds a caramel flavor that takes away from fennel flavor

Cut the butt in to 1" slices then cube
Prepare the spice mix in a bowel - all of it
Add a small amount of water into the spice mix to create a spice slurry (mix it up with a whisk or spoon to dissolve all the salt and sugar) and let sit for 5 min
Pour the slurry over the cubes and mix in well so all cubes are coated
Put in fridge covered for 24 hours, this process enables the pork to absorb the spices better, any remaining slurry in the bottom of the pan will be absorbed by then.  I think this made a huge difference in the flavor

Make sure to put the blades, cork screw, plate and attachment into the freezer for about 20 min so it's very cold.  Do the same for the meat cubes as well, you want the meat to be semi firm but not frozen.  It all needs to be very cold so you get the right texture and not mush.  Assemble the mixer quickly with the cold parts and grind the meat right away.

Once the meat is ground, I use now 10 grams water per 1 lb and kneed the meat by hand for 1 minute.  You want the meat to be sticky and do not over kneed or the texture changes and becomes more spongy after cooking.  Less is better. Any remaining water will get re-absorbed.