How to Make Homemade Sausage

The recipe How to Make Homemade Sausage can be made in approximately 45 minutes. For $4.04 per serving, this recipe covers 39% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. This recipe makes 5 servings with 1291 calories, 54g of protein, and 109g of fat each. 2251 person have tried and liked this recipe. Head to the store and pick up casings - hog casings, sugar, sausages, and a few other things to make it today. It is brought to you by Simply Recipes. It is a good option if you're following a gluten free and dairy free diet. Taking all factors into account, this recipe earns a spoonacular score of 93%, which is super. If you like this recipe, you might also like recipes such as How to make homemade chorizo sausage, Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches with Homemade Maple Sausage, Egg and Cheese, and How to Make Sausage Gravy.

Servings: 5

 

Ingredients:

4 pounds pork shoulder

1 pound pork fat

40 grams kosher salt

35 grams sugar

20 grams toasted fennel seeds

6 grams cracked black pepper

4 grams ground nutmeg

1 cup minced fresh parsley

1 head garlic, peeled and chopped

¾ cup dry sherry

¼ cup sherry vinegar

Meat grinder with coarse and fine dies - either KitchenAid with grinder attachment, a stand-alone grinder, or an old fashioned hand-cranked meat grinder

Sausage stuffer

Wooden rack to hang sausages to dry

Casings - hog casings

Equipment:

bowl

plastic wrap

wooden spoon

stand mixer

frying pan

kitchen twine

paper towels

Cooking instruction summary:

Method Making Bulk Sausage 1 Start with very cold ingredients and equipment: Make sure your ingredients are laid out, and the meat and fat are very cold (fat can be completely frozen), before you begin (put meat and fat in freezer for 2 hours). Put bowls and grinder in freezer or refrigerator for an hour before using them. 2 Cut fat and meat into chunks, keep cold in bowl over ice: Prepare a large bowl of ice and put a medium metal bowl on top of it. Slice your meat and fat into chunks between an inch and two inches across. Cut your fat a little smaller than your meat. To keep your ingredients cold, put your cut meat and fat into the bowl set into a larger bowl filled with ice. 3 Quickly mix meat and fat, add most of your spices, then chill: When the meat and fat are cut, mix them quickly. Pour in most of your spices; I leave out a tablespoon or two of fennel seeds and a tablespoon of black pepper for later. Mix quickly. Add the salt and the sugar and mix one more time. Put into a covered container or top the bowl with plastic wrap and put the sausage mixture into the freezer for at least 30 minutes and no more than an hour. Now you can call back whoever might have bothered you when you started this process. 4 Meanwhile, mix ¼ cup of sherry vinegar and ¾ cup of dry sherry and put it in the fridge. I know sherry is not traditional in Italian sausage. You can use white wine and white wine vinegar if you’d rather (I save red wine and red wine vinegar for the hot sausages). 5 Immerse casings in warm water: If you plan on stuffing your sausage, take out some of the casings (you need about 15-18 feet for a 5-pound batch of links) and immerse them in warm water. (If you are not planning on stuffing your sausage, you can skip this step.) 6 Set up your grinder: After your sausage mixture has chilled, remove your grinder from the freezer and set it up. I use the coarse die for Italian sausage, but you could use either. Do not use a very fine die, because to do this properly you typically need to grind the meat coarse first, then re-chill it, then grind again with the fine die. Besides, an Italian sausage is supposed to be rustic. 7 Quickly push mixture through grinder, then chill: Push the sausage mixture though the grinder, working quickly. If you use the KitchenAid attachment, use it on level 4. Make sure the ground meat falls into a cold bowl. When all the meat is ground, put it back in the freezer and clean up the grinder and work area. 8 Mix in remaining spices and sherry mixture: When you’ve cleaned up, take the mixture back out and add the remaining spices and the sherry-sherry vinegar mixture. Using the paddle attachment to a stand mixer (or a stout wooden spoon, or your VERY clean hands), mix the sausage well. With a stand mixer set on level 1, let this go for 90 seconds. It might take a little longer with the spoon or hands. You want the mixture to get a little sticky and begin to bind to itself – it is a lot like what happens when you knead bread. When this is done, you have sausage. You are done if you are not making links. To cook, take a scoop and form into a ball with your hands. Flatten out a bit. Cook on medium low heat in a skillet for 5-10 minutes each side until browned and cooked through. Additional Steps for Making Links 9 Run warm water through casings and set up sausage stuffer: If you are making links, put the mixture back in the freezer and clean up again. Bring out your sausage stuffer, which should have been in the freezer or refrigerator. Run warm water through your sausage casings. This makes them easier to put on the stuffer tube and lets you know if there are any holes in the casings. Be sure to lay one edge of the flushed casings over the edge of the bowl of warm water they were in; this helps you grab them easily when you need them. 10 Slip a casing onto the stuffing tube (And yes, it is exactly like what you think it is). Leave a “tail” of at least 6 inches off the end of the tube: You need this to tie off later. 11 Add meat to the stuffer and start cranking the stuffer: Take the meat from the freezer one last time and stuff it into the stuffer. If all the meat will not fit, keep it in a bowl over another bowl filled with ice, or in the fridge while you stuff in batches. Start cranking the stuffer down. Air should be the first thing that emerges – this is why you do not tie off the casing right off the bat. 12 Let the sausage come out in one long coil, then tie-off: When the meat starts to come out, use one hand to regulate how fast the casing slips off the tube; it’s a little tricky at first, but you will get the hang of it. Let the sausage come out in one long coil; you will make links later. Remember to leave 6-10 inches of “tail” at the other end of the casing. Sometimes one really long hog casing is all you need for a 5-pound batch. When the sausage is all in the casings, tie off the one end in a double knot. You could also use fine butcher’s twine. 13 Pinch and spin links: With two hands, pinch off what will become two links. Work the links so they are pretty tight: You want any air bubbles to force their way to the edge of the sausage. Then spin the link you have between your fingers away from you several times. Repeat this process down the coil, only on this next link, spin it towards you several times. Continue this way, alternating, until you get to the end of the coil. Tie off the other end. 14 Hang the sausages, and prick air bubbles with sterilized needle: Almost done. Time to hang your sausages. Hang them on the rack so they don’t touch (too much), and find yourself a needle. Sterilize it by putting into a gas flame or somesuch, then look for air bubbles in the links. Prick them with the needle, and in most cases the casing will flatten itself against the link. 15 Let dry an hour or two then chill: Let these dry for an hour or two, then put them in a large container in the fridge overnight, with paper towels underneath. Package them up or eat them the next day. They will keep for a week, but freeze those that will not be used by then.

 

Step by step:


1. Making Bulk Sausage

2. 1 Start with very cold ingredients and equipment: Make sure your ingredients are laid out, and the meat and fat are very cold (fat can be completely frozen), before you begin (put meat and fat in freezer for 2 hours). Put bowls and grinder in freezer or refrigerator for an hour before using them.

3. Cut fat and meat into chunks, keep cold in bowl over ice: Prepare a large bowl of ice and put a medium metal bowl on top of it. Slice your meat and fat into chunks between an inch and two inches across.

4. Cut your fat a little smaller than your meat.

5. To keep your ingredients cold, put your cut meat and fat into the bowl set into a larger bowl filled with ice.

6. 3 Quickly mix meat and fat, add most of your spices, then chill: When the meat and fat are cut, mix them quickly.

7. Pour in most of your spices; I leave out a tablespoon or two of fennel seeds and a tablespoon of black pepper for later.

8. Mix quickly.

9. Add the salt and the sugar and mix one more time.

10. Put into a covered container or top the bowl with plastic wrap and put the sausage mixture into the freezer for at least 30 minutes and no more than an hour. Now you can call back whoever might have bothered you when you started this process.

11. 4 Meanwhile, mix ¼ cup of sherry vinegar and ¾ cup of dry sherry and put it in the fridge. I know sherry is not traditional in Italian sausage. You can use white wine and white wine vinegar if you’d rather (I save red wine and red wine vinegar for the hot sausages).

12. 5 Immerse casings in warm water: If you plan on stuffing your sausage, take out some of the casings (you need about 15-18 feet for a 5-pound batch of links) and immerse them in warm water. (If you are not planning on stuffing your sausage, you can skip this step.)

13. 6 Set up your grinder: After your sausage mixture has chilled, remove your grinder from the freezer and set it up. I use the coarse die for Italian sausage, but you could use either.

14. Do not use a very fine die, because to do this properly you typically need to grind the meat coarse first, then re-chill it, then grind again with the fine die. Besides, an Italian sausage is supposed to be rustic.

15. 7 Quickly push mixture through grinder, then chill: Push the sausage mixture though the grinder, working quickly. If you use the Kitchen

16. Aid attachment, use it on level

17. Make sure the ground meat falls into a cold bowl.

18. When all the meat is ground, put it back in the freezer and clean up the grinder and work area.

19. Mix in remaining spices and sherry mixture: When you’ve cleaned up, take the mixture back out and add the remaining spices and the sherry-sherry vinegar mixture.

20. Using the paddle attachment to a stand mixer (or a stout wooden spoon, or your VERY clean hands), mix the sausage well.

21. With a stand mixer set on level 1, let this go for 90 seconds. It might take a little longer with the spoon or hands. You want the mixture to get a little sticky and begin to bind to itself – it is a lot like what happens when you knead bread.

22. When this is done, you have sausage. You are done if you are not making links. To cook, take a scoop and form into a ball with your hands. Flatten out a bit. Cook on medium low heat in a skillet for 5-10 minutes each side until browned and cooked through.

23. Additional Steps for Making Links

24. 9 Run warm water through casings and set up sausage stuffer: If you are making links, put the mixture back in the freezer and clean up again. Bring out your sausage stuffer, which should have been in the freezer or refrigerator.

25. Run warm water through your sausage casings. This makes them easier to put on the stuffer tube and lets you know if there are any holes in the casings. Be sure to lay one edge of the flushed casings over the edge of the bowl of warm water they were in; this helps you grab them easily when you need them.

26. 10 Slip a casing onto the stuffing tube (And yes, it is exactly like what you think it is). Leave a “tail” of at least 6 inches off the end of the tube: You need this to tie off later.

27. Add meat to the stuffer and start cranking the stuffer: Take the meat from the freezer one last time and stuff it into the stuffer. If all the meat will not fit, keep it in a bowl over another bowl filled with ice, or in the fridge while you stuff in batches. Start cranking the stuffer down. Air should be the first thing that emerges – this is why you do not tie off the casing right off the bat.

28. Let the sausage come out in one long coil, then tie-off: When the meat starts to come out, use one hand to regulate how fast the casing slips off the tube; it’s a little tricky at first, but you will get the hang of it.

29. Let the sausage come out in one long coil; you will make links later.

30. Remember to leave 6-10 inches of “tail” at the other end of the casing. Sometimes one really long hog casing is all you need for a 5-pound batch.

31. When the sausage is all in the casings, tie off the one end in a double knot. You could also use fine butcher’s twine.

32. 13 Pinch and spin links: With two hands, pinch off what will become two links. Work the links so they are pretty tight: You want any air bubbles to force their way to the edge of the sausage. Then spin the link you have between your fingers away from you several times.

33. Repeat this process down the coil, only on this next link, spin it towards you several times. Continue this way, alternating, until you get to the end of the coil. Tie off the other end.

34. 14 Hang the sausages, and prick air bubbles with sterilized needle: Almost done. Time to hang your sausages. Hang them on the rack so they don’t touch (too much), and find yourself a needle. Sterilize it by putting into a gas flame or somesuch, then look for air bubbles in the links. Prick them with the needle, and in most cases the casing will flatten itself against the link.

35. Let dry an hour or two then chill: 

36. Let these dry for an hour or two, then put them in a large container in the fridge overnight, with paper towels underneath. Package them up or eat them the next day. They will keep for a week, but freeze those that will not be used by then.


Nutrition Information:

Quickview
1291k Calories
54g Protein
108g Total Fat
13g Carbs
32% Health Score
Limit These
Calories
1291k
65%

Fat
108g
167%

  Saturated Fat
41g
260%

Carbohydrates
13g
5%

  Sugar
7g
9%

Cholesterol
263mg
88%

Sodium
3338mg
145%

Alcohol
3g
21%

Get Enough Of These
Protein
54g
109%

Vitamin K
199µg
190%

Vitamin B1
2mg
135%

Selenium
80µg
116%

Vitamin B3
14mg
73%

Vitamin B6
1mg
69%

Phosphorus
588mg
59%

Zinc
7mg
52%

Vitamin B2
0.78mg
46%

Vitamin B12
1µg
33%

Potassium
1129mg
32%

Manganese
0.64mg
32%

Iron
4mg
27%

Vitamin B5
2mg
26%

Vitamin C
20mg
25%

Magnesium
88mg
22%

Vitamin A
1051IU
21%

Copper
0.33mg
17%

Vitamin D
2µg
15%

Calcium
120mg
12%

Fiber
2g
10%

Folate
32µg
8%

Vitamin E
0.74mg
5%

covered percent of daily need
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Related Videos:

How to Make Homemade Pork Sausage Sandwiches with Anne Burrell | Worst Cooks in America

 

How to Make Homemade Pork Sausage Sandwiches with Alex Guarnaschelli | Worst Cooks in America

 

Dinner: How To Make Homemade Sausage - Natasha's Kitchen

 

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Food Trivia

The fig is also a fertility symbol and the Arab association with male genitals is so strong that the original word 'fig' is considered improper.

Food Joke

The Passover test [My thanks to Jeff G for the following] Sean is waiting for a bus when another man joins him at the bus stop. After 20 minutes of waiting, Sean takes out a sandwich from his lunch box and starts to eat. But noticing the other man watching, Sean asks, "Would you like one? My wife has made me plenty." "Thank you very much, but I must decline your kind offer," says the other man, "I’m Rabbi Levy." "Nice to meet you, Rabbi," says Sean, "but my sandwiches are alright for you to eat. They only contain cheese. There’s no meat in them." "It’s very kind of you," says Rabbi Levy, "but today we Jews are celebrating Passover. It would be a great sin to eat a sandwich because during the 8 days of Passover, we cannot eat bread. In fact it would be a sin comparable to the sin of adultery." "OK," says Sean, "but it’s difficult for me to understand the significance of what you’ve just said." Many weeks later, Sean and Rabbi Levy meet again. Sean says, "Do you remember, Rabbi, that when we last met, I offered you a sandwich which you refused because you said eating bread on Passover would be as great a sin as that of adultery?" Rabbi Levy replies, "Yes, I remember saying that." "Well, Rabbi," says Sean, "that day, I went over to my mistress’s apartment and told her what you said. We then tried out both the sins, but I must admit, we just couldn’t see the comparison."

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