A new mincer is needed

Sadly my mincer died today. It seized completely attempting to grind pork belly for my Chinese style sausages. I am left with a mincer that won't turn and can't be dismantled and a small bowl of ground pork, grey from the metal shavings of the grinding disk.

So while I am on the hunt for something more suitable without having to buy commercial equipment I recommend you avoid those cheap counter top hand crank grinders, they are next to useless if you are grinding meat with any fat content at all.

Scotch Eggs

I've been wanting to make scotch eggs ever since buying the mincer, a good quality scotch egg is a beautiful thing and a world away from most of the convenience food horrors sold by supermarkets and petrol stations.

The first attempt was very successful and I'm looking forward to making a range in future.

The core ingredients. One outdoor bred pork chop, 2 free range eggs.

Hard boil , cool and shell the eggs;

Roll out the seasoned (sage, pepper, salt) mincemeat thinly onto clingfilm:

Wrap the meaty jacket around the egg;

Dip in an eggwash and breadcrumb, then repeat:

Deep fry your eggs (i cooked them at ~ 170 degrees for 8 minutes)

Dry off the excess oil and cool a little

The finished delicious eggs:

I have many plans for varieties of scotch eggs including smoky paprika eggs, chilli eggs, chorizo eggs and lots more.

Minced Kebabs (Indian style)

A quick Indian style meal from the mincer - Garam Masala & coriander chicken kebabs.

2 Free range chicken breasts:

Coarsely minced:

Mixed with Garam Masala and fresh coriander:

Moulded into patty shapes using a round:

The finished kebabs - dusted with gram flour to crisp up when fried and placed in the fridge to firm up

Fried and served with mango & ginger chutney, rice and a naan.

2011 - The Year of Mincing

Happy New Year sausage lovers!

This year will bring many new sausages from both the sausage making book and our own creations. I will also be expanding into other foods too, so expect more burgers, home made pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs too.

I am now equipped with a deep fryer, so multiple varieties of scotch eggs are on my to-do list including one based on a chorizo scotch egg I tried a food fair.

Ol' Porky II

Our second attempt at the basic pork and herb sausage was much more successful than the first.

Recipe: 1 kilo pork loin

60g breadcrumbs

few tablespoons of water

1.5 tsps salt

1.5 tsps black pepper

2 tsps sage, 2 tsps thyme

1/2 tsp sugar

Hog intestine

1 Kilo of pork loin with enough fat for a good moist sausage.

Diced into smaller cubes than last time for easier mincing, about 2cm cubes.

Here's the coarse mince.

The last batch was very over seasoned and we didn't try it before filling the skins. A little of the sausage mixture is fried up for tasting so seasoning can be adjusted. We added more salt and sage after tasting the tester.

The adjusted mixture is passed through the second mincing plate for a fine mixture.

The sausage skin is coiled up on the sausage filling tube.

The final sausages! We decided to leave these as coils rather than link them.

After 36 hours of forming and resting in the fridge - here is the finished product

This is not a huge sausage! It's just a small plate.

The sausage was not as moist as the last batch which is most likely due to not enough fat in the mixture but the seasoning was considerably better than last time. The sausage skins also seem a little tougher this time, I'm not sure if this is due to natural variation or the breed of pig or some other reason. It's something I'll look into.

Tips, Sources and upcoming sausages.

Hello Mincing Fans,

I have read the first few chapters of the sausage making book i received as a secret Santa gift and have picked up a few tips like freezing the meat for 30 minutes before mincing and making the sausage in one big tube and linking at the end.

I have acquired some sausage casings to make a new batch tonight to try out on my colleagues, I found the Bath Sausage Shop also sell skins direct to the public as well as the Green St Butchers (Bath) and Source in St Nicholas' market (Bristol) so i have plenty of sources for future use, who would have thought they would be so widely available?

Tonight's sausage is likely to be another attempt at Ol' Porky - a plain pork and sage - as the last batch were far too over seasoned.

Update!

Good Morning Sausage Fans!

Today we held the office Secret Santa and I have a new shiny copy of 'Home Sausage Making'. Expect some special Christmas sausages and plenty more mincing goodness in the new year.