Palace hill wrote: My new grinder has a stuffing atachment, but it seems to smear the meat somewhat, losing the tecture that I'm looking for.
I know exactly what you mean Palace. My Kitchenaid is not producing the texture that I want after stuffing. I have opted for a Grizzly;
http://grizzly.com/products/H6252
I rarely make more than 5 lbs. at a time so it is ideal for me. The reviews are good and the price is right. By the time I land it here in Canada, it will cost about $135 which is very acceptable.
It will be a month or so before I can get my smoker going, (there is still 30" of snow in the yard.) I will be sure to let you all know how it works out. Actually, the day it arrives I will be making Hmong sausage, (doesn't require smoke.) I made a batch 3 weeks ago and it disappeared in two days. I modified the heat components considerably, to suit our tastes. Also substituted Fish Sauce for the salt. The result was a very moist, delicious sausage to include in an Asian meal or as an appetizer.
Hmong Sauasage
Makes 5 pounds, or about 25 sausages
●3 1/2 pounds pork or wild boar
●1 1/4 pound pork fat
●Juice of three limes
●35 grams (about 2 tablespoons plus a teaspoon) Kosher salt
●3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) Instacure No. 1 (optional)
●1 head chopped fresh garlic
●1 teaspoon ground black pepper
●1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
●1/2 cup chopped fresh thai basil
●1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
● chopped fresh chiles to your taste
●hog casings
1.Chop the meat and fat into chunks of about 1-inch across, then mix the garlic, herbs and spices together and toss with the meat and fat.
2.Chill the meat and fat until it is almost frozen by putting it in the freezer for an hour or so.
3.Take out some hog casings and set in a bowl of very warm water.
4.Grind through your meat grinder (you can use a food processor in a pinch, but you will not get a fine texture) using the coarse die. If your room is warmer than 69 degrees, set the bowl for the ground meat into another bowl of ice to keep it cold.
5.Add the lime juice and mix thoroughly either using a Kitchenaid on low for 60-90 seconds or with your (very clean) hands. This is important to get the sausage to bind properly. Once it is mixed well, put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.
6.Stuff the sausage into the casings all at once. Twist off links by pinching the sausage down and twisting it, first in one direction, and then with the next link, the other direction. Or you could tie them off with butcher`s string.
7.Hang the sausages in a cool place for 4-8 hours (the colder it is, the longer you can hang them). If it is warm out, hang for one hour. Once they have dried a bit, put in the fridge until needed. They will keep for at least a week in the fridge.
8.If you are freezing the sausages, wait a day before doing so. This will tighten up the sausages and help them keep their shape in the deep-freeze.
Recipe is coutesy of
http://honest-food.net/