Intro

Thanks to all for your patience. I guess I am too easily distracted from the responsibility (an enjoyable one) of posting on a regular basis.... I promised, not long ago, to talk about making homemade sausage. It was around the time I discussed the uses of a Kitchen Aid mixer and all the attachments that were available. It is possible to do any number of things with all the toys Kitchen Aid makes available and specifically, sausage making is really easy with the meat grinder attachment.

Now having said that, you could take this discussion a step further and get into the actual stuffing of the bulk sausage into casings. The casings are made from the intestines of animals....doesn't sound very appetizing, but if you have eaten any sausage or hot dog, you  know that the casing is what holds it all together, and gives it that distinctive snap!! It allows you to take a ground up mixture of meats(with plenty of fat for flavor and moisture), season it well, stuff it in the casing, cook it and have it hold the distinctive sausage shape. For the home cook (count me in that group), we will not get into that activity for several reasons. One, hank (that is what the casings are called) is not readily available. Two, it is an acquired skill to properly stuff the meat into the casings without air bubbles, in uniform size links, and to wrap the links into good-looking ropes!!

So, we will discuss making great sausage in bulk form; which can then be sautéed as patties, cooked and broken into a ground meat-like consistency. Assuming that you have the means to grind your own meat, or that you can get extremely freshly ground meats at your grocery store.....you are good to go. This is so ridiculously easy that the fun is in the grinding of the meat. You feel like you are actually creating something. Taking a boneless cut of meat and jamming it into a food grinder, is a very primal activity. I know, I am a little off kilter...just go with it!!!

So let’s start with a recipe that I had forwarded to me from a gentleman named Jim Wylie. He had a friend who used this recipe for over 30 years in an Italian restaurant. I know, more information than you wanted, but hey, credit to those who did it. This is not my creation, but I have used it numerous times with great success.

HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE

• 10 lbs. Ppork (Use a shoulder or other roast. You want at LEAST 20% fat content)
• 1 Tbsp. Salt
• 1/8 C. Garlic salt
• 1-1/2 Tsp Ground Pepper (Use a course grind if you like, but increase the amount a bit to compensate)
• 1/4 C. Ground Paprika (You could use a smoked product if you want that effect)
• 1/2 C. Veggie Oil
• 1-1/2 Tsp Anise Seed
• 1-1/2 Tsp Fennel Seed
• 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (This will have a nice amount of heat....but this is HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE!!!)

Make sure the meat and all equipment that you are using is well chilled. You do not want the growth of bacteria to be an issue. In fact, place the parts to your grinder in the freezer for about 30 minutes before using. Also, chill the meat (cubed, small 3/4-1 inch chunks) in the freezer for a like amount of time, or until just firm and partially frozen. Process the meat using the larger of the two grinder plates.  Place the meat into a well chilled stainless steel bowl. Season with salt, garlic salt, black pepper and paprika. In a blender or food processor, blend together the oil, and the rest of the spices. Don't pulverize, but grind a bit. Mix everything into the ground pork until well blended. Refrigerate for 24 hours to let the flavors blend. At this point, you can bag the sausage into portions that you will use and freeze until ready to use.

KIELBASSA - FRESH POLISH SAUSAGE

• 9-1/2 Lbs Pork (shoulder or other roast...at least 20% fat content)
• 1/2 Lb Beef Chuck
• 2 oz Ice
• 2-1/2 Tbsp Salt
• 2-1/2 Tbsp Dextrose
• 2 tsp Mustard Seed (ground, not too fine)
• 1 Tbsp Ground White Pepper
• 1 tsp MSG  (optional)
• 2 tsp Marjoram
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

Cut the pork and beef into small chunks and freeze until just partially frozen. Freeze both the grinder parts and a stainless steel bowl. Grind the meat as described above, using the grinder plate with the larger holes. Grind all the dry ingredients to almost a fine powder using a spice grinder. Add the seasonings and mix thoroughly until the meat paste is well blended. Refrigerate for 24 hours to let flavors blend. You are ready to stuff into casings, or use in any other way.

SONOMA STYLE- BRATWURST.

• <7 lbs Pork(shoulder/butt)
• 3 lbs Veal Breast--boneless
• 1/4 C. Dry White Wine
• 2 Tbsp Salt
• 4 tsp Ground Coriander
• 3 tsp Ground White Pepper
• 3 tsp Garlic Powder
• 3 tsp Course Ground Black Pepper
• >1 tsp Ground Mace
• 1/2 tsp Ground Allspice

Cut the pork and veal into small chunks and freeze until partially frozen.  Freeze both the grinder parts and a stainless steel bowl. Grind the meat through the larger of the two grinding plates. Grind all the spices except the black pepper until almost powdered. Mix the spices and the black pepper into the meat until well mixed. Let the mixture sit over night for the flavors to blend. Either stuff into hog casings or use as a bulk sausage.

As luck would have it.... as I am putting together the recipes for this installment of the blog, two publications have come out with articles on sausage making. I think it would be good to check both sources, as they are both very reputable. The Los Angeles Times just yesterday (9/30/2009) had a big spread discussing the ease with which the home cook can prepare homemade sausage. I have not yet checked it out, but if you go to www.latimes.com/food you will have a step-by-step guide to making sausage as well as resources for buying everything you would need to make your own sausage.....from casing to pork fat back (makes me drool just to think of pork fat!!!)

A second source turns out to be one of my favorite online sources for foodie-type information. It is www.chow.com If you have not been to the site, check it out. I could describe it to you, but no matter where you live, this site will be pertinent to you....and it happens that they have a feature on sausage making. If you go to www.chow.com/stories/11855 you will see their version of sausage making. Both sources are excellent and provide a good insight into sausage making.

One final thought...... The recipes that I have provided are in good size quantities. If you are going to go to the effort to get the necessary ingredients together to take this on (which is not that big a deal, if you have the equipment) make sufficient quantities that you can freeze some for a later time. This stuff is good, as good as any commercially produced.....and as in anything, there are many variations of recipes for any given item. So, feel free to fine tune, adjust seasonings once you have made a recipe, until you get it just to your liking.

I hope you have fun with this....half the fun of eating great food is in the making and knowing that you can take on a project like this and do a great job.

Cheers,Joe