pork/beef/fat mixer

[MThuntr]

I plan to grind and stuff my own sausages on a much larger scale this year and I am looking for sources of mixings. I've always done small batches so running to the store for a single pork shoulder roast has been the easiest but on a larger scale the math might be in my favor to do some more searching. I'm looking to make somewhere around 100lbs of assorted sausage and pepperoni sticks.

Where are you guys getting your pork/beef meat and fat to mix with your venison when making sausage? What should I expect to pay per pound?

 

[Pinecricker]

My local grocery store sell's beef suet by the pound. I think I paid a little less than a dollar a pound last time. It comes in large pieces, usually frozen. Just slice it up and grind it, then mix it in with your ground meat.

 

[JohnCushman]

I prefer to use pork fast instead of beef. I think it has a better flavor. I usually use 3 pounds of fat to 17 pounds of venison to make 20 pounds of grind for sausage.

 

[Big Foot]

I am with Cushman. I prefer pork over beef fat.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

Its best to call around to butcher shops and specialty meat places to get pork fat trimmings. I found you really need to let them know what you are looking for and wait until a day when they butcher a whole hog. What you pay is going to vary wildly based on the store and location. You might get lucky, but its not something people keep on hand regularly. I've personally seen everything from $2/lb in rural MO to $6/lb at a high end butcher shop in downtown Chicago for pork fat trimmings. I think the fat trimmings are a lot more valuable if the butcher makes their own sausage or cured meat where its pretty much throw away at a supermarket. The real gain with fat trimmings is you are getting 95% fat content vs 40% fat on other cuts. Pork is generally better than beef fat to add to wild game.

 

[MThuntr]

Thanks guys, the advantage is I currently have plenty of time as this will likely be something I do in the dead of winter. We have a couple smaller processors but I think a lot of their trim goes into making their own sausage.

 

[JohnCushman]

I wish you lived closer...I'm butchering a hog today

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I like to mix Beef for burgers, otherwise pork.

 

[flyfishmadison]

My local grocery store sells pork fat for $0.99 per lb. I usually go with 10-15% fat on my sausage. It's usually not a problem if I need a couple pounds. Last time I needed 10lbs and they had it ready for me the next day.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Pork suet is lower in mono-saturated fats and is healthier than beef fat. I prefer the flavor as well. Usually go for a 15% ratio.

Going to try a pork butt this year instead of suet though.

 

[HSi-ESi]

We get pork fat from one of the butchers. When we inquired about it, they just gave us a 10-15 pound bag. They used to be able to sell it - but there's no market for it anymore.

I'll chunk it up - stick it in the freezer for 45-60 minutes then run it through the grinder. I'll bag it for long term freezing. We render all of our lard, use the fat for sausages etc from the bags.

I'm sure we could get more (they always ask if "that's enough"). We hit them up in September after the Fair is done - they always have plenty then.

 

[kenton]

I always get "fatty pork" which is about 50/50 pork and fat. Mix it 1:1 with trimmed venison and it ends up around 20-25% fat. Just a tad greasy for burgers but perfect for sausage. I usually get 100 pounds for about $125 which is good for the amount of pork in it. This is my share after giving away about half:

 

[MThuntr]

I always get "fatty pork" which is about 50/50 pork and fat. Mix it 1:1 with trimmed venison and it ends up around 20-25% fat. Just a tad greasy for burgers but perfect for sausage.

This is what I'm thinking I don't want the sausage to get too dry and everyone like fat...burgers I'd probably go 15% for burger.

 

[JohnCushman]

I like a little more fat for my sausage meat. What I do is coarse grind all of my meat at once with the 3-17 per 20 mix. Then when I decide what sausage I'm going to make I will add an extra pound of fat to 19 pounds of meat to make batches of 20 pounds, so that will give me about a 20 or so percent mix for sausage meat and keep me around 12-15 for burger. Then I will fine grind my burger meat and then mix the various sausages and fine grind them and package everything up. It sounds like a lot of extra work, but the meat comes out awesome. It helps to have a mixer and grinder of my own.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I like beef suet. 3-5% for burger,15- 20% for sausage. Keeps longer frozen than pork fat also. $1 a lb or less, sometimes free.

 

[GAbearclaw]

Planning ahead is the way to go. When I have not done that I have had to pay pork butt prices for the fat caps for the butcher to trim right there.

Good luck!

 

[MThuntr]

I was going to resurrect this post. got some pork trim from a friend in North Dakota that had a hog processed while I was there over Thanksgiving. I picked up a couple boneless boston butts at Costco to increase the final product if I'm short on venison...seeing a few posts about Chorizo and breakfast sausage had me revisit my plans. Even if I don't use the boston butts in the sausage I can smoke them later.

I burned up my little LEM grinder on the first deer so I cashed in the last of my Cabelas points and bought a 1/2hp grinder which should be here just before Christmas.

 

[elkantlers]

I am doing some sausage next week. I went down to the local grocer and bought some pork butts that are on sale for $1.29/lb. I picked out the ones I thought had enough fat for what I want and he even ground it up for me for free.

 

[muledeerjunkie]

We use pork for our sausage, the split is 1/3 pork and 2/3 wild game. We would butcher a pig in the early years, but started buying Boston Butts at the grocery store as we aged.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Don't overlook large boxed Bacon Ends and Pieces. I used to buy 10# boxes for $15. John