Basic Sausage

I like making sausages. I am definitely still learning about what’s needed to make a great sausage. This post is a gathering of what I have read and learned. I always use this reference when I am starting a batch.

Equipment :

• Meat Grinder
  • Meat grinder is a must for making sausage. A hand or power grinder (table top or attachment for stand mixer) will work. I have both types.
  • It is important to have the meat as cold as possible but careful if the meat is frozen since you could burn up your power grinder.
  • Make sure to have a few different plate sizes. I have a set with 3 mm to 10 mm plate holes.
  • Make sure your blade is sharp, this will help improve the grind. I run mine across a fine sharpening stone.
  • Before using the grinder, parts should be clean in hot soapy water and rinsed. I like soaking mine in a solution of Iodophor to sanitize.
• Mixing bowl / bind
  • Good size mix bowl or bind which can fit in your refrigerator. I like stainless steel since it is easy to clean and sanitize
  • A set of steam table pans are nice, can be covered and will fit in the refrigerator
• Cleaning Supplies
  • Hot soapy water is a good place to start. Make sure to rinse with hot water to remove any soap residue.
  • Solution of Iodophor for soaking parts or in a spray bottle helps with sanitizing. Only need to add enough Iodophor to water to give is a very slight tint. No need to rinse after applying or soaking.
• Tools
  • Good sharp knife is important for trimming and cutting meat.
  • Couple large cutting boards. I like wood. It is easier on the knife edge, cleanable and easily discarded in your firepit when it is time to replace.
  • Solid surface work area is nice to have. A surface you can clean and sanitize is useful especially when stuffing the casing. I have a Cambria surface which I will washing with hot soapy water, rinse and spray with sanitizer. Stainless steel is great and most common in commercial kitchens.
  • Food safety gloves, I use Nitrile. I will dip my gloved hands in a Iodophor solution before handling the meat or sausage mixture.
• Sausage Stuffer
  • A dedicated stuffer is nice to have. I use a standalone from Avantco, like this one which can hold about 7 lbs of mix. It is nice to have someone crank while you stuff but with some practice you can get it done by yourself.
  • Amount stuffed into the casing is important. I can over stuff which causing breaks in the casing. I usually under stuff then tighten the sausages when tying.

Basic Ingredients:

• Meat
  • Depends on sausage type but it is up to you. Pork, beef and chicken are commonly used. Game meat is a great source, venison, elk, wild boar, etc.
  • I do a lot of upland game hunting so will make a pheasant brat instead of using pork. For game meats, honestfood has come nice recipes.
• Fat
  • It is important to mix in fat for flavor, juiciness and texture. Usually about 30% of the sausage should be fat.
  • Some cuts will have enough but other like pheasant, chicken will need some added fat.
  • Pork Back Fat is commonly added. If I can’t get Back Fat, I will cut up a piece of pork belly.
  • For beef, using the fat from a brisket is nice to add flavor and keep your beef sausage, all beef.
• Salt
  • Flavoring salt is used in the spice mixture. I commonly use Diamond Kosher Salt. I like to keep the % of salt to meat at less than 2% e.g. 1 kg meat with 20 g of salt.
  • Curing salt is used to help protect against bacterial growth. This is known as pink salt or Sodium Nitrate. It is important to use this salt in the correct amount which is 0.25% of meat weight e.g. 1 kg of meat would need 2.5 g pink salt.
• Casing
  • Casing can be natural from animal intestines, made from collagen, cellulose, etc.
  • Natural casing from Pork or sheep are the most commonly used. Casings come is variety of types and diameters. I prefer using tubed casing which are ready to be loaded on your stuffer tube after rinsing.
• Water/Liquid
  • Can be water to wine.
  • Helps to bind the meat and spices.
  • It is important to use a good balance of liquid to meat. Here is one reference.
• Spices
  • There are spice mixes for common sausages you can buy from many different sites / stores.
  • With some research, there are a number of recipe sites you can use to mix up your own. One I reference the most is 2guysandacooler.
  • Try making your own which is what I like. I usually start with a good reference then modify from there. Important is to find fresh herbs and spices.
  • Dried herbs are commonly used except parsley, chives and basil which, in my opinion, are tasteless when dried.

Process

• Prepare your meat for grinding. Trim fat and separate. Cut into chunks which are best for you grinder. Keep cold before grinder. I usually keep the fat and meat separate.
• Clean and prepare grinder, Fit with the disk size you want for your sausage. I usually start with a course or medium disk then small one, if needed, for a second grind.
• Grind meat, make sure it is cold before grinding. Grind into a clean container and return ground meat to refrig to keep cold. Depending on the recipe, you might need to grind the meat and fat separately. Make sure to keep the fat very cold.
• Measure spice mixture and salt.
• Using gloved hands or a stand mixer with paddle, bend in spices to the ground meat. For some sausages, I will let the mixture rest over night in the refrigerator.
• If fat and meat have been separated, fold in the cold fat.
• Mix in your liquid and knead to meat mixture to create the desired texture or stickiness. Put back into refrigerator to keep cold for stuffing.
• Rinse your casing. Natural casings are usually coated in salt which needs to be rinsed. Let casing sit in warm water for 30 min.
• Clean and prepare your stuffer. Fit it withe the tube size for the casing.
• Load the stuffer with meat, load the casing on the tube and tie a knot in the end of the casing before stuffing. Make sure to prick the tied casing to allow air to escape when you start stuffing.
• Stuff the casing. Make sure to not over stuff to avoid blowouts. If the casings is not filled enough, you can tighten the sausages when tying. When a casing is filled and tied on, prick along the sausage rope/link prick to allow air pocket to escape. Here is a video chatting about pricking.
• Tying your sausages is usually done measuring your links and twisting each link either clockwise or counter clockwise make sure to alternate between each link. Other methods are to tie the sausages into bundles which are nice for hanging. You can use string to chain the links together by using a butcher tie and each link.
• With sausage linked/tied, hang to dry then package or cook.