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What is in your Hamburger?

If you really want to know what is in your hamburger, grind your own. This way you can control the fat content as well as the cut of meat.www.wassis.com
You can also SAVE MONEY by using a meat grinder. Buying a chuck roast is less per pound than store bought ground beef. Ground chuck is great for meatballs, burgers, or a pot of chili!
Don’t stop at beef!  Grind up chicken, turkey, veal, pork or venison for your favorite recipes!
First, slice the roast into pieces that will fit easily into the grinder.
Then, trim the fat, leaving only the portion that you want. The amount of fat you add is up to you, but for best results, use at least 10 percent fat to meat ratio. Just remember that the fat is where the flavor is, and it also adds moisture for a juicier end result.
For burgers, a coarse grind is preferred. For meatloaf and meatballs, a finer grind helps the meat compact, blend with other ingredients, and hold its shape.
 A Little History of Ground Beef
Chopped or minced beef is certainly not a new innovation. Beef tartare, consisting of finely chopped raw steak or high-quality beef mixed with various herbs and spices, dates back to Russian medieval times. The Tartars were known to shred their meat and eat it raw.
The term hamburger is derived from the city in Germany, the original Hamburg steak was a piece of meat which was pounded until tender, not chopped or ground.
By 1902, hamburger had evolved to the meat being put twice through a grinder and mixed with onion and pepper, much closer to the hamburger we know and love today. By 1912, the hamburger as ground beef on a yeast roll had caught on, and the term burger soon stretched to include other meat and seafood cooked meat sandwiches. Cheese as a topper shows up in print at least as far back as 1938. The distinction of being the first hamburger stand belongs to White Castle whose first store opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1921.

Making homemade sausage is easy with our seasonings. Need help? Questions on sausage making? We are always here for you. Just call

SALT FREE Breakfast Sausage Seasonings

Are you on a salt restricted diet.
Wish there was some way that you could still be able to eat your favorite sausage?Now you can make really great tasting, salt free, preservative free sausage at home:
http://www.wassis.com/salt-freebreakfastsausageseasoning.aspx

Grinders

How do I know which size grinder I have?

Measure the diameter of your grinder plates and the center hole:

      #8 Grinder:  Plate measures 2-7/16” in diameter with a 3/8” center hole
     #10 Grinder:  Plate measures 2-3/4” in diameter with a 3/8” center hole
     #22 Grinder:  Plate measures 3-1/4” in diameter with a 7/16” center hole
     #32 Grinder:  Plate measures 3-15/16” in diameter with a 1/2” center hole

            Why does the meat grind mushy?

There are several reasons why you may be having this problem:

1. The locking ring is not on tight.
2. The knife is on backwards.  Make sure the flat part of the knife is against the grinder plate.
3. The meat is too warm, so instead of cutting the meat the grinder is ripping the meat.  Before you start grinding, put the meat in the freezer to form ice crystals.  Do not take out more than you can grind at one time.

            How do I clean my grinder before using it?

Before using, wash the hand operated grinders thoroughly with hot water and dish detergent.  After washing, rinse with cold water to bring the temperature of the plates down.  With our electric grinders, wash only the grinder head.

            How do I clean my grinder after using it?

Wash the grinder in hot water with dish detergent, making sure to get rid of all of the grease. Rinse thoroughly in hot water. Make sure the plates are completely dry, then coat with a food grade silicone lubricant.

            Why is the meat not grinding through the grinder plate?

Your meat is too warm.  Instead of cutting the meat, the grinder is ripping the meat and it's getting caught on the grinder plate causing a blockage.  Before you start grinding, put the meat in the freezer to form ice crystals.  Do not take out more meat than you can grind at one time.

PROCEDURES FOR SMOKING THE PERFECT SAUSAGE

Start with a stuffed casing at room temperature.

DRYING THE SAUSAGE

You can achieve the drying by placing the sausage in your smokehouse with the damper open at about 140-150° for one hour. Reasons for drying the sausage: Drying the sausage brings all the sausages to about the same temperature for an even smoke color. Drying conditions the surface of the sausage to ready it to accept smoke. Drying causes a “skin” to form on the outside surface of the sausage. Drying also attaches the casing to the sausage so as to avoid forming a fat layer between the sausage and the casing. Drying gives the collagen casing strength to hold up during cooking.

SMOKING THE SAUSAGE

Smoking can be achieved by placing a pan of sawdust/chips in the smoker on the burner. The sawdust/chips must be soaked in water at least one hour. Soak in half the volume of water that you have sawdust/chips. (4 cups sawdust/2 cups water) Heat the smoker to approximately 170⁰ to ignite the sawdust/chips to achieve smoke. Close the damper to half open at this point.

COOKING

As the sawdust/chips burn, the water will evaporate and a dry heat will set in. The dry smoke will set the smoke in the sausage. After most of the sawdust/chips have burned, remove the pan from the smoker and let the pan cool for 5-10 minutes. After this time, fill the pan half full of water and return to the burner. Close the damper and turn the temperature to approximately 180-190⁰, this will cause a high humidity to cook the sausage. High humidity will cook the sausage very quickly as well as tenderize the casings; especially natural casings. High humidity also helps to cook the sausage without drying it out too much. Cook sausage until the internal temperature of 165⁰ is reached.

COOLING

Proper cooling is important for the safety of the product as well as the desired look of the finished product. Remove the sausage from the smoker and place in cold water to stop the cooking process. The cold water will start the sausage cooling and keep the casing tender. After cooling in the water bath place the sausage in the refrigerator. If product will not be consumed within 2 weeks, properly wrap and put in the freezer.

A little time and patience can give excellent results.