The Grind

The grind of the meat determines the texture of the sausage. We can divide sausage meat into two categories based on grind. Most common sausages are made simply of meat and fat ground to varying degrees of fineness or coarseness, mixed with seasonings, and stuffed into casings. We refer to these as basic grind sausages. Other sausages, including familiar ones like frankfurters, mortadella, and bologna, are made with meat and fat ground to a smooth purée and blended with a little liquid, such as water or milk. We refer to these as emulsified or emulsion grind sausages because of the added liquid content and the emulsion of the fat with the meat and liquid.