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Simple Pork Sausage

Source of Recipe

From "Real Cajun" by Donald Link


Recipe Introduction

"This simple 'green' sausage (that is, uncooked and unsmoked) is for making Bolognese sauce, soups, or simply to grill. Meat grinders and sausage stuffers are available at most good food-supply stores, and they are easy to use. If you own a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, the sausage attachment works just fine. If you don't feel like making that commitment, form this sausage into patties for burgers or breakfast. It is also great in pastas with tomato- and cream-based sauces."

List of Ingredients

◦� 6 pounds boneless pork butt
◦� 1 � pounds pork fat back
◦� 4 tablespoons kosher salt
◦� 1 tablespoon sugar
◦� 2 teaspoons ground fennel
◦� 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
◦� 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
◦� 2 teaspoons paprika
◦� 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
◦� 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
◦� 1 tablespoon dried oregano
◦� 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
◦� 1 tablespoon minced garlic
◦� 6 to 8 feet of sausage casings, rinsed



Recipe

Cut the pork and fat back into 2-inch squares.

Whisk together the salt, sugar, spices, Worcestershire, and garlic in a large bowl, add the pork and fat, and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate the meat, covered, overnight.

Using a mixer fitted with a grinding attachment, grind the pork meat into the casings, twisting the casings (see Stuffing Casings) into links of the desired lengths. This sausage can then be gently poached in water or beer, grilled, or smoked.

Makes about 6 pounds




❧ Stuffing Casings:

To stuff sausage into casings, slide the appropriate length of the rinsed casings onto the feeder nozzle. Tie a knot on the opposite end of the casing before you begin extruding the meat. Guide the sausage onto a baking sheet that has been moistened with a small amount of water to keep the casings from drying out. Twist the sausage into the desired lengths.

In Louisiana, sausage casings are generally sold in "hanks," which should be enough for 100 pounds of sausage. They come packed in salt, so they last a long time. You might try to buy them from a local butcher or grocery store that makes their own sausages. If your sausage endeavors will be on a smaller scale, you can usually find smaller packages of casings in the meat section at most supermarkets.

A 6-inch link of sausage weighs about 6 ounces. Ten pounds of meat should yield about 26 links. You should count on 8 inches of casing per 6-inch link, so for 10 pounds you would need about 12 feet of casings.


❧ Note:
To create sausage with a finer, more emulsified texture (think hot dogs), pur�e half the ground sausage in a food processor, then pass the finely ground meat through the grinder a second time, with the remaining meat.