choosing the right cut of meat for fat percentage

[jimmyb]

As usual, I started making something new and have a million questions. I'm trying to keep each question in its own thread. This one is about choosing the right cut of meat for your sausage.

Each recipe will tell you to use a certain percentage of fat (e.g 80/20) in a particular cut of meat. So how would I gauge that? Is it just assumed that certain cuts have certain percentage of fat? Like a bone in pork butt would have about 80/20? Same with beef?

My first attempt I used one of those prepackaged boneless pork butts weighing about 4 lbs. No fat cap on it but some marbling. I'm wondering if I was too lean on that. Is it better to use a bone in pork butt with a nice fat cap?

Again, this question also applies to beef either for making sausage or hamburger meat.   

[viper125]

Well Sausage needs fat. Myself don't like it low fat but some do. I always grind my meat and if i feel it needs more I but fatback or beef fat at butchers. Always try to keep some in freezer. I've been told pork butt is considered 80/20 but wonder. Some just don't look like enough fat.

[Sailor]

The sausage that you buy in the store is going to have more fat than what you make.  I buy my butts from Costco that have 2 butts in a vac pack.  I grind it up and don't add any fat.  For my taste it has about the right fat content however some may like more fat.  That is what is so nice about making your own is you can make it the way you like.

For my snake sticks I try to get 80/20 ground beef.  Some like a bit more fat and some want less fat.  When you get a packer brisket and you trim it up, keep the fat so you will have fat to add to your sausage if you need more fat content.

Yep I think we can set the hook on you with sausage making.   ;D

[GusRobin]

When you get a packer brisket and you trim it up, keep the fat so you will have fat to add to your sausage if you need more fat content.

Another source:I go to my local Publix supermarket and ask the butcher for any fat trimmings. They will usually give me 2-3 lbs for free and have told me to ask an time I want more.

[love the smoke]

I usually keep all my trimmings from the pork bellies for sausage and also keep the trimmings from the whole beef ribeye loin, I usually have around 5-10 pounds of fat in the freezer and if you start to make sausage more often you kinda get a "feel" for how much fat to put in

The last batch of brats I made I cleaned out the freezer had a lot of pig fat, some beef fat, even had a couple peices of homemade bacon ends thrown in, and 2 pork butts they were delicious

LTS