Meat Processing:Tips and Tricks

[pikestabber]

Most of us develop our processing habits over many years, tweaking things here and there to refine our craft. Sometimes I think we might make the assumption that "everyone knows that" and we may not share what is seemingly simple advice that someone else, both new or experienced, might not know. Also, I think we are a pretty level-headed and curious bunch here in the Cooking Forum (well, that's maybe open for debate ), and as a group we believe that you can teach an old dog new tricks... So let's share some general hints we've picked up along the way.

I can start with something very simple, but something very useful. When you are all done grinding and you need to clean up your equipment (blades, heads, meat tray, etc.), the temptation is to drop everything in hot, soapy water. Use cold water first! Meat, fatty tissue, sinew, etc., will rinse right out with cold water (especially in tight spaces, stuffing tubes, etc.), and even more so if you use the spray head on your faucet. Once all the big stuff is out, then switch to hot water and suds and brushes. Using cold water first prevents fat and meat from "cooking" and adhering to your tools--anyone who has given their gear a hot water batch can testify to the cement it makes out of the proteins.

In that same vein, sometimes I will stop grinding mid-batch and do a quick cold water spray down to both cool my components down and prevent making "meat cement" on the auger and blades (only if I am doing 25# batches or more). These two simples steps can save hours of soaking time and make clean up much more manageable.

[delcecchi]

I have a few ebooks on charcuterie, sausage, etc, that I could share. PM me if interested, and tell me epub or mobi. 

Incude an email address if you dare 

Edited April 26, 2016 by delcecchi