Grinding meat and sausage stuffing question

[Pilger]

If you have never sharpened your plates you’ll be amazed at the difference.
I lay some emery cloth on a mirror or piece of glass. Use a little water for lube and run your plates in a figure 8 pattern. Coarse then fine. Don’t have to do it very often. But it helps tremendously.

 

[roadrunner]

Guys when your grinding the meat a second time and it becomes difficult to push the meat through a 1/2 Ho grinder. Is it ok to add water to the meat to allow the meat to push easier through the grinder ?

Yes. The colder the water, the better. Doesn't take much, a cup per 12#.

 

[Boarmaster]

I only grind once. Best advise is to make sure your meat is very cold when you grind either once or twice.
I dont do it but some guys put the head of their grinder in the freezer and get that ice cold as well.
I would not add water as you want your meat to be as firm as possible to get a good grind. I add water to the sausage when I stuff with my stuffers.

 

[Boarmaster]

I only do one grind, with fine plate if needed, semi frozen. I like to see frozen fat particles in the output, not a pink smeary mishmash which is what the second grind looks like to me.

I tend not to add much if any water even for stuffing since I usually don’t need it, and there’s a lot of water in the meat already.

This.