It takes a bit of money to make your own sausage.The sausage stuffing machine and meat grinder are worth the time and effort.It will be tailored to your taste buds.You'll have a lot of sausage to eat.Five pounds of sausage can be made from each recipe.
Step 1: Pick out your ingredients.
Pick the ingredients that you will use to make your sausage.The recipe doesn't have to be followed exactly.You can choose which spices you like and which you don't.You can blend your own mix.
Step 2: A meat grinder is needed.
It's worth getting a meat grinder if you want to make sausage from scratch more than once.It allows you to grind the sausage to the exact specifications dictated by your recipe, and it also makes sure that the meat is ground up properly.It saves time.It is possible to make sausage with a meat grinder attachment.You can get a grinder with both coarse and fine settings.If you don't want to grind your own meat, you can ask the butcher to do it for you.
Step 3: You can buy a sausage stuffer.
If you plan on making sausage more than once, this is a vital piece of equipment.It is possible to improve the taste of your sausage by stuffing it into pork casings.This doesn't happen as much when the meat is in a container.If you are an expert stuffer, you can stuff sausages by hand.The results probably won't be as good.The meat grinder has a sausage stuffing apparatus.Sausage meat can be formed into patties if you prefer not to buy a sausage stuffer.
Step 4: Be sure to choose the right sausages.
The salted pork intestines are used to make the most common casings.They are sold by the foot at many butcher shops and online.1 pound is roughly equivalent to 15 feet of pork casings.If you don't want to use traditional pork casings, you can use synthetic ones.If you want to avoid using pork, blanched savoy cabbage leaves can be used.
Step 5: Take care of the meat and sausage-making equipment.
Clear out your freezer to make room for the meat, fat, and equipment you'll be using.It's important to keep everything cold while you're making sausage.If the fat gets soft, it won't be good for the meat.The fat will separate from the meat when it's time to cook the sausage.The sausage will be ruined.This can't happen if everything is kept cold.Before you get to work, make sure you freeze the meat and fat.Even though it thaws, it will still remain cool.Before you start making sausage, put the equipment in the freezer.Make sure everything is cold when you're ready to start.It's uncomfortable to work with cold equipment.If your meat starts to warm up during the sausage-making process, you should put it back in the freezer.When they are cool enough to work with again, take them out.
Step 6: You can make an ice bath.
Place a smaller bowl inside a large bowl of ice.Put your meat in the smaller bowl.You can keep your meat cool while you work.If the meat gets too warm, put it back in the freezer to cool it off.
Step 7: Cut the fat.
Cut the frozen meat and fat into small pieces.As you chop the meat and fat, place it in the small iced bowl.This is to make sure the meat is not too hot.
Step 8: The spices should be mixed with the meat and fat.
While it is on the ice bath, use a clean spoon to mix the meat and fat.Add salt, pepper, herbs and spices.The meat won't warm up if you work quickly.Remove the bowl from the ice bath and cover it with plastic wrap when the ingredients are completely mixed.
Step 9: The meat mixture should be frozen for 30 minutes.
If you want to grind the meat, don't freeze it for more than an hour.It will be hard to grind if you freeze it for too long.It should be soft in the middle and frozen on the outside to grind.Put the wet ingredients in the refrigerator for later if you're making a recipe with them.Remove sausages from the freezer and place them in a bowl of water to cure them.
Step 10: Take the meat and grind it.
Set your grinder up according to the manufacturer's instructions after removing it from the freezer.Place a bowl under the grinder's spout to catch the ground meat.If you prefer a coarse setting, take the meat out of the freezer and run it through the grinder.Many recipes leave it up to the individual to use a specific grinding setting.A rough chop is similar to the coarse setting.The fine setting makes the meat grind into thick chunks.If the meat seems to be getting warm during the grinding process, put it back in the freezer for a few minutes.Continue when it is cool enough.
Step 11: The ground meat can be frozen.
When you're done grinding, put the meat in the freezer.Don't let it get cold on the outside.Take the meat away from the grinder while you wait for it to freeze.
Step 12: Put in the wet ingredients.
Remove the bowl from the freezer and add the wet ingredients.The sausage meat becomes sticky and holds together if you mix it with a standard mixer, spoon or hands.Sausage is ready to cook or store if you don't plan on stuffing it.You can either cook it in a skillet for five minutes on each side or form it into patties and freeze it.If you're making sausage links, put the mixed sausage in the freezer and prepare the sausage stuffer.
Step 13: Sausage stuffing equipment needs to be prepared.
Take the sausage stuffer out of the freezer and set it up.Run warm water through the sausages and then drape one end over the rim of the bowl to get them ready to stuff.Place the stuffed sausages on the platter.The sausage meat needs to be removed from the freezer.Check to see if there's a leak when you run water through the casings.If you find one, discard it.If you have to untangle them, try to keep them from getting twisted.
Step 14: There is a stuffing tube.
Each one is several feet long.The entire tube should be hung off the end with a tail of 8 inches.The meat in the sausage will fill the shell.You don't need to use more than one case for a lot of sausage.
Step 15: Stuff it.
The meat needs to be put into the sausage stuffer.The meat begins to emerge from the stuffing tube when you crank down the stuffer.As the sausage meat fills the tube, use one hand to help it slip off, and the other to guide it into a coil shape.Getting the hang of how fast to crank the stuffer and fill the case takes some practice.Since you don't want the case to rip, go slowly.If you have sausage meat that won't fit in the stuffer, keep it in an ice cold bowl.Then, fill the stuffer again.Remove the stuffer, tie off the end, and resume with a new casing if you run out.You should keep stuffing until you run out of meat.
Step 16: Form the links.
If you have more than one coil of sausage, you should be able to open it at the other end.Form the links by measuring six inches from the knot, pinching the sausage with your thumb and forefinger, and using your hands to twist the two pieces toward yourself.If you want to twist away from yourself three times, you have to measure another six inches down the coil.Continue down the coil until you run out of room to make more links.Wrap the end of the coil around the meat.You should twist one link toward yourself and the other away from yourself.It is important that the links don't fall apart.
Step 17: The sausage should be hung to dry.
The sausages should be hung up to dry on a wooden drying rack.To keep the links from touching, drape them over the rack at every other twist.They should be dry for an hour and a half.
Step 18: Pop the air bubbles.
You can pierce each sausage with a needle by heating it over a flame.This flattens the meat against the air that is trapped inside.
Step 19: Store the sausages.
The flavors will meld if the sausages are placed in a container in the refrigerator overnight.The sausages are ready to eat.You can cook them within a week or freeze them for several months.