Grinding Standard-Grind Forcemeats

To achieve the proper texture when grinding, both the meat and the fat must be very cold. Always start the grinding process with the coarse die. If a finer grind is desired, regrind the coarse-ground meat through progressively smaller dies until it is ground to the desired texture. If you try to force large pieces of meat through a fine die without first grinding them through the coarser dies, the meat’s fibers will be squashed rather than cleanly cut. In addition, the power necessary to push the large pieces of meat through the small die can cause the grinder mechanism to heat up. The higher temperature can begin to break down some of the meat’s collagen and melt the liquid fat out of the solid fat. Both squashing and heating produce ground meat that has a greasy, puréed texture, a condition called smear. Smear can also be caused by a dull grinder blade or by excessive connective tissue clogging the worm or the blade and interfering with the grinding process.