Making Fresh Sausage at Home
Don't rush the chill. If your fat smears rather than grinds, your sausage will turn into a crumbly mess in the pan.
Keep the metal frozen.
Put your grinder parts in the freezer for an hour before starting. If the meat warms up during the process, the fat will melt and you lose the texture.
- Meat grinder with coarse plate
- Sausage stuffer or grinder attachment
- Large mixing bowl
- Natural hog casings
What goes in.
- 3 lbPork shoulder (butt), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 lbPork back fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 tbspKosher salt
- 2 tbspFreshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbspDried sage
- 1 tspCrushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cupIce water
Mixing until tacky
You must mix the seasoned meat by hand until it looks like a thick, pale paste and sticks to your palm when you turn your hand upside down; this is what keeps the sausage from falling apart.
The method.
Chill the meat
Spread the cubed pork and fat on a rimmed baking sheet and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes until the edges are firm but not frozen solid.
Grind
Run the meat and fat through the coarse plate of your grinder. Keep a bowl of ice beneath the grinding head to catch the meat.
Season and bind
Add the spices and ice water to the ground meat. Mix vigorously by hand for 3-5 minutes until the mixture turns tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Stuff
Rinse the salt off the casings and thread them onto the stuffer tube. Feed the meat into the stuffer, maintaining consistent pressure so the casings fill firmly without air pockets.
Link
Twist the stuffed casing at 6-inch intervals, alternating the direction of the twist for each link to keep them from unraveling.
Other turns to take.
Italian Style
Replace sage with toasted fennel seeds and add 4 cloves of minced garlic.
Chorizo Style
Replace sage and pepper flakes with 3 tablespoons of smoked paprika and a splash of red wine vinegar.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Prick any visible air pockets in the casings with a sterilized needle before cooking.
Let the finished links rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours so the flavors can mingle before you cook them.
If the grinder struggles, your meat isn't cold enough or there is too much sinew.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know if the fat ratio is right?
Aim for a 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio. If you buy a pre-cut pork shoulder, it usually has enough fat already, but adding extra back fat ensures the sausage doesn't dry out.
Can I use a stand mixer to mix?
You can, but do it on the lowest speed for no more than two minutes. The heat from the motor can quickly soften the fat.
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