That is sausage meat that was ground in a warm meat grinder Appetizing, right? The problem is with the fat As fat gets warmer, it gets softer Rather than cutting cleanly through the grinder, warm fat will smear, turning your fine grind into a mushy paste Try cooking up this paste, and rather than staying in your sausage in nice juicy little pockets like good fat should, the smeared fat will flow out of your meat in vast rivulets, leaving nothing behind but dry, mealy, lean meat To prevent this from happening, it is vitally important that both the meat and the grinder be cold If the meat for my sausage has not come straight out of the coldest part of my fridge, I spread it on a rimmed baking sheet and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes before attempting to grind it Equally important is the proper mixing of fat, meat, and seasoning Because well-ground meat is chopped, the tiny individual pieces of meat don’t actually get much of a chance to rub up against one another and develop strong protein bonds through the dissolved myosin So, after your meat is ground, it needs to be kneaded, precisely like a ball of dough The metaphor is especially apt: the purpose of kneading dough is to build up bonds between flour proteins to create better structure, while the purpose of blending sausage meat is to build up bonds between meat proteins to create better structure That it also helps the flavorings to become more evenly distributed is an added bonus The absolute easiest way to this is in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, though a large metal bowl and bare hands are much more fun However you it, just make sure to work quickly You’ll need to mix the sausage meat for at least a minute or two, until it is sticky and tacky instead of loose or crumbly, but if it threatens to get too warm, throw it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it off —you’ve come too far to ruin your sausage now! Flavoring For the simplest sausages, all you need is pork shoulder and salt But the beauty of a sausage is that, unlike a solid piece of meat, you can build your flavorings directly into it And now that you know the keys to good texture and moisture, you are free to flavor your sausages however the heck you’d like You can even make them with whatever meat you’d like, though here’s a word of warning: pork fat is the best fat to use for sausages, even when using other meats ... develop strong protein bonds through the dissolved myosin So, after your meat is ground, it needs to be kneaded, precisely like a ball of dough The metaphor is especially apt: the purpose of kneading dough is to build up bonds between flour proteins... kneading dough is to build up bonds between flour proteins to create better structure, while the purpose of blending sausage meat is to build up bonds between meat proteins to create better structure That it also helps the flavorings to become more evenly distributed is an added bonus... important is the proper mixing of fat, meat, and seasoning Because well-ground meat is chopped, the tiny individual pieces of meat don’t actually get much of a chance to rub up against one another and