how fine to grind your venison for sausage or snack sticks?

[Fair-chase]

 It seems to be several opinions on this. Some just run it through a medium plate and go. Others run it through a coarse plate then mix in the seasonings and then regrind through a fine plate. While others grind through  a coarse plate then a fine then mix and go.

Is one process better than the other , or is it just a preference?

[Caribou]

Hi Fairchase,
I get my venison ground from the processor and he uses a medium plate.  I never regrind it when I make it into sausage and snack sticks and the texture is just fine.
Carolyn

[pensrock]

I tend to do lean meats with a medium grind and fatty meats, course grind then medium grind.

[watchdog56]

I did mine with a coarse then fine. Thought it was to much. Next time going to try just medium.

[drano]

My Cabelas .5 HP commercial grinder came w/ a 4.5, 7 and 10 mm plates (called fine, medium, course on their web site).  I felt the 4.5 was too fine and the 7 too course.  So I got a 6 mm from Weston, and really like it.
I cut my meat into about 3/4 x 3/4 x about 5 inch strips, mix it w/ the spices and enough water to make it slimy, and run it thru the grinder, letting it do the mixing. 
So 6 mm is what I vote for.  I've used it for snack sticks, summer sausage, brats and kielbasa. 

get smokin
drano

[mikeradio]

I grind first with the 7mm, then mix everything in and do a second grind with 4.5.


Mike

[OU812]

I proses my own deer (and the sons and the neighbour's) and all the trimings (about 80 lb) I grind through the course plate and straight into 5 lb freezer bags tie and freeze. Then just stack them like fire would in the freezer. When I make sausage then grind through the med plate.

[NePaSmoKer]

If you grind with the fine plate your emulsifying the meat, Good for hot dogs. I use my med plate for 90% of the sausage and sticks i make.


nepas

[Fair-chase]

 I only tried the fine plate once . I also found that it made my venison the consistancy of baby food. So I just grind mine once through a 3/16 and go.

Thanks for the replies.

[Tenpoint5]

I am in the Course then Medium group. Either way you go put your seasonings on the meat before you grind then the grinder does the mixing for you.