• Grind from large to small die If you need an extra-fine grind for certain types of sausages, make sure to grind your meat twice, chilling it between batches: once through a ¼-inch die, then a second time through the smaller die This will help prevent smearing and will give you a more even grind and a better textured sausage in the end If it starts to smear, stop immediately The meat should come out in clean, • discrete pieces If it starts to come out as a solid mass or extrude unevenly, you’ve got some sinews or other gunk stuck in the blade Stop, remove the blade, clean it carefully, and start again • Use a paper towel to get the last bits of meat out Once you’re almost done with your batch of meat, you’ll find that the last few cubes will have trouble getting through the die on their own To push them through, crumple up a paper towel and feed it into the tube It’ll push the meat out but will not get pushed through the grinder itself As an added bonus, it’ll clean your tube as it goes HOW TO GRIND IN A FOOD PROCESSOR Here are the basic steps: • Chill your processor bowl and blade Place the bowl and blade in the freezer for at least 15 minutes before grinding • Trim your meat Start with whole cuts, carefully trimmed of any excess sinew A certain amount of fat is OK—even desirable—but make sure your ratio of fat to lean is on point I generally aim for around 20 percent fat to 80 percent lean, plus or minus to 10 percentage points, depending on the application Cut your meat into 1- to 2-inch cubes and partially freeze them You • want your meat to be as close to frozen as it can possibly be without actually making it so hard that the processor will not be able to cut through it I cut the meat into cubes, ... batch of meat, you’ll find that the last few cubes will have trouble getting through the die on their own To push them through, crumple up a paper towel and feed it into the tube It’ll push the meat out but... pushed through the grinder itself As an added bonus, it’ll clean your tube as it goes HOW TO GRIND IN A FOOD PROCESSOR Here are the basic steps: • Chill your processor bowl and blade Place the bowl... points, depending on the application Cut your meat into 1- to 2-inch cubes and partially freeze them You • want your meat to be as close to frozen as it can possibly be without actually making it so hard that the