I'm using "Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages". Recipe is as follows (Sheep meat I'm using is very very lean, similar to venison): mutton- 942 G pork fat - 348 salt - 23.2 cure #1 - 3.2 cumin - 1.3 black pepper - 2.6 garlic powder - 5.2 dried cayenne - 11.6 ghost pepper - 1.9 I added no w...

Thermometers checked out. Fat wasn't frozen, but came out in nice strings. (maybe a coarser grind will help?) Meat was partially frozen. To prevent fat smearing it is best to: Partially or semi freeze both the meat and the fat. Grind the meat and fat together , not separately. OK - so I'd want to c...

Like BB just said heat was more than likely the culprit and not fat smearing. 152° F is really the max temp needed for almost all cooked sausage, anything over 160 will cause the fat to break down. I would also poach at a lower temp, even though it takes a bit longer. And also like BB said all ther...

Its hard to say but my guess is you rendered the fat with heat. I had this happen once due to a faulty thermometer. I now try to always use two thermometers. Also, when you ground the meat did it come out in individual strings like spaghetti on both grindings? Sometimes people neglect to re-chill t...

New to the site - I hope y'all can help a floundering newbie. Last week I made some hot links. 27/73 fat/meat ratio. I ground the fat through fine plate, then the meat. Mixed spices and meat/fat together, reground. Stuffed into good quality hog casings. Dried for a couple hours, smoked at 100-120 fo...