Basic Grind

The fineness or coarseness of the grind is an important characteristic of any sausage. For example, one identifying feature of Toulouse Sausages is their coarse texture. The meat is chopped by hand rather than ground. On the other hand, typical breakfast sausages have a fairly fine grind.

To grind meat, cut it into pieces small enough to fit easily into the feed tube of the grinder, then chill it well. For the best texture, start with the largest die, no matter what final grind is needed. Then grind with the next smaller die, until the desired texture is achieved. This process is called progressive grinding. Control the coarseness of the grind by selecting the proper die for the final grind, as indicated in the recipe. As indicated in the following procedure, the meat, fat, and seasonings are mixed until uniformly blended after the meat is ground.