Sausage

Sausage

Sausage

For those who like to stuff their own meat

Ingredients

  • Base
  • 2-3 lb pork shoulder

  • 2 % salt, by weight of meat

  • pork fatback, optional, if you want juicier sausage or are using a leaner cut than the pork shoulder

  • sausage casings

  • Italian
  • 1 tbsp coriander, crushed

  • 1 tbsp fennel, crushed

  • 1 tbsp black pepper, crushed

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

  • 1 tsp paprika, or to taste

  • 2 tsp parsley, fresh or dried

  • 2 tsp oregano, fresh or dried

  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • Brats
  • 1 tsp black pepper, ground

  • 0.5 tsp allspice, ground

  • 0.25 tsp coriander, ground

  • 0.25 tsp cardamom, ground

  • 2 tsp dried mustard, ground

  • 1 tsp white pepper, ground

  • 1 tsp nutmeg, grated

  • 1 tsp ginger, dried, ground

  • 1 tsp marjoram, dried

  • 1 tsp sage, fresh or dried

  • Smoked Jalapeno Cheddar
  • Jalapenos

  • Cheddar cheese

  • Black pepper

  • Granulated garlic

  • Mustard powder

  • Sage

  • 0.5-1 tsp liquid smoke

Directions

  • Soak the casings in water for ~15 minutes (or according to directions) and rinse off the salt cure
  • Cut meat (and other ingredients if applicable) into strips that will fit through the meat grinder. Toast and grind the herbs and spices as needed, then mix into the meat along with salt. The spice mixtures above are designed to be used for 2-3 lb of meat, but can be scaled up or down. Precise measurement not required
  • Grind in a meat grinder with the fine setting. If using Kitchenaid attachment, speed 4 works well
  • After meat is ground, massage it well (with gloved hands, if desired) to emulsify the fats and promote good binding
  • Lubricate the sausage stuffer with some oil, then load the casing over the stuffer. Excess casings can be re-packed in salt
  • Feed the ground meat through the stuffer until all your sausage is stuffed
  • Twist into links of the desired length. Think twisting a balloon dog. Poke a tiny hole through the casings to relieve any air pockets
  • Dry the sausage exterior by letting it rest on a wire rack or hang in the fridge overnight, then it’s ready to be frozen or cooked

Notes

  • You can experiment with other meats such as beef, turkey, etc. Try to target about 20-30% fat for ideal juiciness, or less if you want a reduced fat sausage.
  • I got these casings, hog casings are for larger sausages such as Brats, sheep casings are the perfect size for breakfast sausage. Hog casings are surprisingly strong, sheep casings are a little more prone to breaking if you’re not careful.
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