I use a 1/4 inch first then regrind with a 3/16 and mix in beef fat in between that is chunked into 1" cubes....

 

I double grind. Large plate first then small plate. I add pork jowl for fat content during first grind, it mixes in better with the batch.

 

Mine came with 4.5 and 7mm. I use coarse then fine.

 

It seems counter intuitive to me in some ways, but will double grinding it leave the grind a little bigger?

It seems that double grinding would grind it twice, therefore smaller, but on the other hand it may be able to push more through the smaller holes if the pieces are smaller, rather than trying to get the cubes through.

 

I course grind then mix with 50% hamburg i do not like the grainy texture of 100% venison .I also do not like regular hamburg it's tasteless as far as i'm concerned .I get compliments on the flavor of my burgers at BBQs .Some do not know venison is in it .

 

I use the Kitchen Aid course blade and grind it twice. Seems to be the best for us.

 

Same here: KitchenAid attachment, twice through the coarse blade.

 

Even most butchers double grind. It will break the meat down better. Like already said, grind coarse then fine. Good luck.

 

If burger... just coarse plate. You actually don't want your burger to be very dense. It will cook up mealy and tough.

If sausage... cube meat, marinade/season for 24hrs first, add fat, etc, grind coarse, then grind finer. True Salumists would have you grind coarse and then regrind fine to achieve very consistent texture. Most off-the-shelf grinders coarse plate ends up being on the finer side anyway. You would want a 10mm or larger grinding plate for your first coarse grind, then taper down to finer plate.

 

d_rek - if you have access to a larger plate (3/8 or 1/2), then coarse grinding first (instead of simply cubing the meat) produces a much nicer homogeneous/consistent flavoring throughout the sausage. The best sausage I ever made took 5 days to grind and season before I smoked it, but that was when I had access to an entire USDA inspected meat lab with digitally controlled smoker.

I also agree that most grinders made for home use don't have a true 'coarse grind' plate - many only have 1/4 and 3/16 plates, and the 1/4 can be considered fine by some butchers.

 

Depends on what you're using for - large or coarse grind is often referred to in some places as 'chili' grind, and some people prefer the larger size for dishes that require browning the meat (tacos, chili, sloppy joe, etc.).

It's somewhat standard industry practice to double grind when you want the burger for patties or for sausage - the fine grind releases more protein, which helps the meat 'stick' together better. When I make summer sausage, I will coarse grind the venison and the other meat (usually pork, but sometimes beef), mix the large grinds together, then coarse grind the mixture together. I then add the cultures and seasonings and let sit (usually overnight), then fine grind a final time just before stuffing (in essence, my summer sausage is usually ground 3 times). I also have an older grinder with 4 different sized grind plates, which also allows me to tightly control how fine I grind (I almost never get to the smallest plate, it's only useful for making a slurry needed for bologna, etc.).

Unless I'm making sausage (summer or hot sausage), I'm also a proponent of grinding to order - I simply label the cuts as 'fine grind' or 'coarse grind', to clearly identify cuts appropriate for either. Rear primal cuts = coarse, front shoulder = fine...

 

It's only going to be ground as small as the smallest plate used. The double grinding process is just to mix it better or perhaps a first pass with a larger plate followed by a second with a smaller one is best for smaller grinders. I just make one pass with my Cabelas Carnivora using the smallest plate it came with. I don't mix it with anything going into the freezer, however I do mix in some ground chuck if its burgers on the grill, but we mix it then right before cooking.

 

Thanks for the input....I'll run some through a few different ways and fry it up to see how I like it. I never really considered the different ways an applications, so that will be interesting as well.
I didn't separate my trim meat, but if it's not too much work I'll sort it as I go and run the more grisly leg meat through the smaller plates and mix it with the rest through the larger.

 

Thanks for the input....I'll run some through a few different ways and fry it up to see how I like it. I never really considered the different ways an applications, so that will be interesting as well.
I didn't separate my trim meat, but if it's not too much work I'll sort it as I go and run the more grisly leg meat through the smaller plates and mix it with the rest through the larger.

With the lower leg meat I like to take the time to stop and clean the plate and blade. I feel like clean parts helps catch some of it. Whether it does or not is debatable. Just makes me feel better.

 

I do a double grind with coarse. My Cabela's 3/4 hp but probably 15 yrs old if not more specifically instructed the fine for sausage or making pate. Tried the fine once and did a double grind, it was definitely not any texture close to burger and resembled pate as far as texture. So that being said it was the first and last time using fine for burger.

 

Using the cabelas grinder we use the course plate. x1 grind for burger.

 

Cabela's grinder, fine plate one time.
Works well for patties and bulk burger.
We also add 10%, 80/20 beef burger. Most of our family and friends can't tell they are eating venison burger.

 

Ground 1 course then another through the fine.

My wife complained it was too mushy - I told her stop beating it to death and move on - put it in the pan and let it go.

....now I usually cook anything ven...

 

Ground 1 course then another through the fine.
My wife complained it was too mushy - I told her stop beating it to death and move on - put it in the pan and let it go.
....now I usually cook anything ven...

Yeah...that's what I'm trying to avoid, as she cooks 95% of the meals, and we end up with a freezer full of 2 year old meat that I worked my tail off to butcher and she refuses to use and we end up eating nasty greasy cow burger in everything (which I don't like).

I fried some through the coarse, fine, and double coarse. Couldn't tell much difference with the double course vs coarse, and we preferred the coarser vs the fine.

I also tried some of the leg meat coarse, and that got a bit grisly, so I sorted and ran that through fine and mixed it all in.

Thanks for the opinions and ideas.

 

I usually only grind once through my course plate. No idea the side but I only have two. I double ground it once course then fine and didn't really care for it.

I like it more chunky anyway for chili, spaghetti, sloppy ho's, tacos or whatever I make with it. I could see the fine making better burger patties though.

IMO, my "course" plate is about the same grind as regular beef burger so I never thought much of it.

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I add 1 pound of beef suet per 20 pounds of venison through the course first. Grind a second time using the fine. This is for regular hamburger only. If I intend to make ground jerky, I only course grind one time.

 

1x course plate for burger, grind again with fine plate for sausage.

 

I'm a bit confused. Usually you grind courser for sausage and finer for burger, yet I'm seeing some do the opposite.

 

I do course for sausages like brats or breakfast. If I am making cured meat like summer sausage or snack sticks I go with fine ground. I find that I get pockets of fat where juices accumulate if I course ground cured sausage.

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I made breakfast sausage this morning. The venison was finely ground and the pork was course. In my opinion, the venison being a bit tougher needs the more intense grind even in sausage other wise you get those tough bits now and then that have to be spit to the dog.

 

I think it's going to boil down to your personal preference and what you are trying accomplish. I like chunkier burger, and couse ground chorizo and snack stick sausage. And finer textures for link type sausage that' going on a bun..

 

The more you get into sausage making youll find that certain sausages are recipe specific. Like how much pork and beef to add, how course the grind is etc. Its fun to experiment with all the different sausage types and their recipes.

 

I vac bag 1.5lb bags of trim. Then I freeze them.
That way, whichever direction it is going in (stew, soup, shredded meat dishes, or ground dishes) I am ready to use it as soon as it's defrosted.

I grind it half frozen through the 1/4" plate and call it good.

But the knife work was done before it was frozen.

I do like some suet or bacon added to venison that will be ground for burgers. But not for dishes that just use ground meat, like spaghetti, lasagna, taco's, burrito's, enchilada's, chili, pasties, etc.

 

I double grind any meat for burgers and that's my secret, but I believe 4mm. is rather good for burgers too. I made such burgers of deer meat using an electric grinder, it was ok and turned tasty!

 

I double grind any meat for burgers and that's my secret, but I believe 4mm. is rather good for burgers too. I made such burgers of deer meat using an electric grinder, it was ok and turned tasty!

I forgot to mention, that after double grind the meat turns dry, so it's better to add something, which will return it fat.

 

Seems like a personal choice based on what your using it for and your personal taste. Me, I grind it once with a coarse plate for burger and everyone whoe eats at my house is happy and well fed.

 

Small plate ground venison acts exactly like ground sirloin. Crumbly, dry, unless some kind of fat is added.
Which plate to use depends on where it's going.

But there is no fat in it. No getting around that.