I usta do all that, too.
Any more, I take the back straps, tenderloins and a couple of muscles out of the hams. The rest makes ground meat and kiel basa.
"... Never understood why people add fat to their
burger. ..."
^^^This^^^
I don't want a "beef" burger or a "pork" burger. I like my ground venison just fine, as is!
Now, to make sausage, you gotta add some fat.
Pork fat is the cleanest, easiest way to make sausage.
Beef tallow works VERY well but can add flavor to your sausage and it's yellow.
I have some Jewish friends, so always use beef tallow.
Breakfast sausage and kiel basa both need fat to cook/cure properly.
We add the fat when we get ready to stuff casings. Never added before freezing.
