Description

Discover how to make delicious homemade sausages with this comprehensive, step-by-step guide. Using fresh ingredients, traditional techniques, and a few handy kitchen tools, you’ll craft rustic, flavorful sausages perfect for grilling, frying, or chilling for later use. A great project for sausage enthusiasts and home cooks alike!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Meat and Fat

4 pounds (1.8kg) pork shoulder
1 pound (.45kg) pork fat

Spices and Flavorings

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

Liquids

3/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar

Optional and Special Equipment

Meat grinder with coarse and fine dies
Kitchen scale
Hog casings (about 15-18 feet for 5 pounds)
Sausage stuffer

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Instructions

Prepare ingredients and equipment: Make sure your meat, fat, and equipment are very cold; freeze them for at least 2 hours prior to starting. Chill bowls and grinder in freezer for an hour.
Cut meat and fat: Slice the pork shoulder and fat into chunks 1-2 inches across. Keep everything on ice in a bowl set over a larger bowl filled with ice to stay cold.
Mix and chill the meat mixture: Combine the meat and fat quickly, then add most of the spices—reserving a small amount of fennel seeds and black pepper. Mix thoroughly, then add salt and sugar. Cover and freeze the mixture for 30-60 minutes.
Prepare liquids: Mix the dry sherry and sherry vinegar, then chill until ready to use.
Immerse casings: Soak hog casings in warm water for about 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly to remove impurities.
Set up grinder and grind meat: Remove the grinder from the freezer, attach your selected die, and grind the chilled meat mixture quickly into a cold bowl. Freeze the ground meat briefly.
Add remaining spices and liquids: When ready to finalize the sausage, incorporate remaining spices and the sherry mixture. Mix with a paddle attachment or by hand until slightly sticky, about 90 seconds.
Prepare for stuffing: Keep sausage mixture cold in the freezer. Rinse casings, slide them onto the stuffing tube leaving a 6-inch tail, and secure.
Stuff the sausages: Fill the casings with the sausage mixture, forming a long coil. Tie off the end, and pinch off and spin the links, alternating directions for a uniform shape.
Prick air bubbles and hang: Use a sterilized needle to prick air bubbles in the links, then hang on a rack for drying about 1-2 hours. Chill in the fridge overnight or cook immediately.

Notes

Ensure all ingredients and tools are kept very cold to maintain sausage texture and safety.
Use a coarse grind to keep the sausage rustic and authentic.
Test the seasoning by cooking a small sample before stuffing all.
Pricking air bubbles prevents splits and improves sausage texture.
Wrap and refrigerate or freeze sausages within 24 hours for best freshness.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 sausage (~85g)
Calories: 220 kcal
Sugar: 0.7 g
Sodium: 600 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Fiber: 0.3 g
Protein: 12 g
Cholesterol: 60 mg