Get your meat cold before you start your grinder. We recommend low 30's. Cut the meat small enough to fit down your grinder throat, then throw them in the freezer. You will want your meat to be hard enough on the outside, that when you push, it won't move. Grind your meat first through a 3/8 plate that has been well oiled. Then you can put the meat back into your freezer for 20 minutes to make the 2nd grind even faster.

Get your meat cold before you start your grinder. We recommend low 30's. Cut the meat small enough to fit down your grinder throat, then throw them in the freezer. You will want your meat to be hard enough on the outside, that when you push, it won't move. Grind your meat first through a 3/8 plate that has been well oiled. Then you can put the meat back into your freezer for 20 minutes to make the 2nd grind even faster.

Today, we will dive into the top 5 meat hacks that help you when making cured sausage. From the basics of keeping meat extremely cold during processing to adding the Walton's Smoker Soaker to your smoker Walton’s and Meatgisitcs do the hard work for you. We promise once you do it this way, you’ll never go back to your old process. Enjoy, and share your thoughts with us through Meatgistics.com.

#1 Keep Your Meat Cold

Get your meat cold before you start your grinder. We recommend low 30's. Cut the meat small enough to fit down your grinder throat, then throw them in the freezer. You will want your meat to be hard enough on the outside, that when you push, it won't move. Grind your meat first through a 3/8 plate that has been well oiled. Then you can put the meat back into your freezer for 20 minutes to make the 2nd grind even faster.

#2 No Stomper Used On The Second Grind

Do not use a stomper when you put your meat through a second load. If you push down with a stomper, you will be creating pressure pushing back down along the length of your auger, which will slow your process and damage your meat. Put just enough meat through the throat so it will grind with no concern, then wait until it clears so you can no longer see the meat, and proceed with another small handful.

#3 Let The Mixer Do The Work

With a 50 lb Walton's Stuffer achieving the correct amount of protein extraction is simple. There is also a feature that can turn your cannister in any direction, so we recommend turning it on its side and turning on the grinder, while holding down the cannister, causing everything to come out into your meat lug. View this process HERE before you attempt this!

#4 Put An Humidity Increaser In Your Smoker

Putting a Smoker Soaker Humidity Towel or some large automotive sponges in your smoker with half of them sticking out of a watering pan will help the the towel absorb and distribute the humidity throughout your smoker.

#5 Finish With Thermal Process

Finish the thermal process in a sous vide. Get the water to 175-179, depending on the size of your casings. Once your meat has reached the 130-degree mark, it will firm up enough that you will not even need to vacuum pack your sausage. The one consideration with this is if you used Encapuslated Citric Acid, you will need to make sure that the sausage stays above 130° F for at least 1 hour to allow the encapsluation to fully melt.