Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (26 page)

We never hear about, or see, Lincolnshire sausage here in the United States, but it is impossible to live in England without being introduced to it. Hardcore Lincolnshire sausage connoisseurs in the UK insist that Lincolnshire sausages must be made in Lincolnshire County, and must be made with pork from English pigs—and there are more requirements in addition to these!

This sausage is a very simple and conventional fresh sausage. Sage and black pepper are the predominant seasonings, and there is a bit of ginger and a hint of mace and allspice. That’s about it. Nothing special. From the American standpoint, the only thing of special interest is that it has breadcrumbs in it, but this is common with United Kingdom sausages. Nevertheless, some of the most simple sausage formulations make excellent tasting sausages that you will want to eat repeatedly. You may find, as the Brits have found, that this is one of them.

THE CASINGS

Prepare 7½ feet (225 cm) of hog casings. Rinse the casings, and soak them in water overnight. Rinse them again, and soak in warm water for a few minutes before using.

MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork shoulder butt that contains about 25 percent fat. Cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat, and chill the meat grinder and the sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

OTHER INGREDIENTS AND SEASONINGS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) sage—packed in the spoon

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) black pepper, finely ground

1 tsp. (5 ml) ginger powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) mace

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) allspice

¼ cup (60 ml) dry breadcrumbs—
not
 packed in the cup

½ cup (120 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the well-chilled pork with a coarse plate. A coarse plate will give the sausage a traditional country-style bite texture. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the seasoning and other ingredients except for the meat. Place this seasoning blend in the freezer to cool rapidly.

3. Add the chilled ground meat to the mixture, and knead until it is thoroughly mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this sausage paste while the sausage stuffer and casings are being prepared.

4. Stuff the sausage paste into the casings, and twist into 5-inch (13 cm) links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use a covered container.

5. Sausages that will not be eaten within one day should be wrapped in plastic food wrap individually, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Sauté or grill the links. Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions.

Merquez—Lamb Sausage

This sausage is popular in northern African countries such as Tunisia and Libya. The name is often spelled 
Merguez
, and there are, of course, variations in the formula.

This sausage is best stuffed into sheep casings and twisted into 3- to 5-inch (7.6 to 12.7 cm) links.

CASINGS

If 24 to 26 mm (1 in. to 1
¹
⁄16 in.) sheep casing is to be used, prepare about 14 feet (420 cm) of casing. Rinse the casing, and refrigerate it in water overnight. Rinse again, and soak in warm water about 30 minutes before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of lamb, or 2 lbs. (910 g) of lamb and ½ lb. (230 g) of beef. In either case, the total fat content should be about 20 percent. Cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) paprika

2 tsp. (10 ml) onion granules

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) parsley, dried

1 tsp. (5 ml) garlic granules

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) black pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) oregano

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) ground coriander seed—packed in the spoon

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cayenne

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cumin

6 Tbsp. (90 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the well-chilled meat cubes with a fine plate—
¹
⁄8 inch (3.2 mm), if available. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. Measure the seasoning and water into a large mixing bowl, and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

3. Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is thoroughly mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this sausage paste while the sausage stuffer and casings are being prepared.

4. Stuff the sausage paste into the casings, and twist into links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use a covered container.

5.Sausages that will not be eaten within two days should be wrapped in plastic food wrap individually, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Sauté the links in a small amount of olive oil, or grill them. Please see Chapter 6 for cooking instructions.

Midwest-Style Breakfast Sausage

In the Midwestern part of the United States, breakfast sausage seasoned as indicated below was made on small farms. In the towns, small butcher shops made it themselves and sold it in bulk.

THE CASING

If natural casing will be used, rinse it well and soak it in water overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse again, and soak in warm water a few minutes before using.

MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork shoulder butt that contains about 20 percent fat, or use 2 lbs. (910 g) of lean pork and ½ lb. (225 g) of back fat; cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat, and put the meat grinder in the refrigerator. If the sausage stuffer will be used, refrigerate it, as well.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

¼ cup (60 ml) minced onion

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) dried parsley flakes

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) rubbed sage—packed in the spoon

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) dried ginger powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) black pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) thyme

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) marjoram

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cayenne

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) garlic granules

¼ cup (60 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) finely powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the pork with a ¼-inch (6.4 mm) or smaller plate. Refrigerate.

2. Mix the seasoning, powdered skim milk, and water in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. Blend the meat and the seasoning well by kneading for about three minutes. Shape the mixture into 
-inch (10 mm) thick patties, and wrap them in plastic food wrap. Alternatively, stuff the sausage into sheep or hog casings.

4. Refrigerate the sausage that will be eaten within the next two days, and freeze the remainder.

Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions.

Minnesota Fresh Bratwurst

There are many recipes for bratwurst in North America. In particular, there are many for Sheboygan, Wisconsin style bratwurst. This Minnesota style is not as well known, but this formula is quite good.

CASINGS

Rinse 7 feet (210 cm) of small-diameter hog casing, and refrigerate it, in water, overnight. Rinse again in warm water before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2
¹
⁄2 LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare the meats listed below; cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes and refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

•
 1½ lbs. (680 g) of lean pork and 
¹
⁄
2
 lb. (225 g) of back fat—or 2 lbs. (910 g) of fatty pork shoulder.

^• 
 
1
⁄ 
2
 lb. (225 g) of lean veal (beef, chicken thighs, or turkey thighs may be substituted).

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) marjoram

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) garlic granules

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) ground coriander—packed in the spoon

½ cup (120 ml) finely powdered skim milk

¼ cup (60 ml) milk

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) light corn syrup

1 egg

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the meats together with a 
³
⁄16-inch (4.8 mm) plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. Mix the seasoning and all other ingredients, except for the meat, in a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is thoroughly mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and hog casings are being prepared.

4. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings, and twist into 6-inch (15 cm) links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use a covered container.

5. Sausages that will not be eaten within two days should be wrapped in plastic food wrap individually, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions.

Mr. Mattson’s Potato Sausage

When the Swedes immigrated to the United States, they usually settled in states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, which have climates similar to Sweden. They brought with them their love of potato sausage and the knowledge of how to make it. In those areas of the United States, potato sausage is available in grocery stores, but a few people still make it at home, and the homemade kind is best.

Pam Nordeen, the great granddaughter of an immigrant named John Matt-son, gave the following recipe to me. Her family is still treasuring his recipe; it is written faintly in pencil on paper yellowed with age. Mr. Mattson emigrated from Sweden and became a dairy and root crop farmer in Michigan. When he retired, he sold his farm to Henry Ford, and Mr. Ford built a power plant on it for a nearby motorcar factory. John Mattson passed away in about 1968 but his sausage recipe lives on.

The basic ingredients and the processing of his sausage are the same as for the Swedish 
Potatis Prov,
 but his seasoning is a little different. It is normal for the ratio of meat to potatoes to vary with the source of the recipe. His ratio of meat to potatoes is 1 to 2, and Mr. Mattson was adamant about this ratio. He complained frequently that the commercially prepared potato sausage contained too much meat.

The kind of seasoning in this sausage is clearly indicated in his handwritten recipe: salt, pepper, mace, savory, allspice, and sage. Unfortunately, the amount of each seasoning was not specified, so I made educated guesses, made a test batch, and then made changes according to the advice of Pam Nordeen and her sister.

The traditional version of 
Potatis Prov
 does not use savory and sage, and it usually calls for nutmeg and garlic instead.

Potatis Prov
 is often served for breakfast. It goes well with eggs prepared in any manner.

THE CASING

Hog casing must be used, and about 14 feet (420 cm) of casing will be required. Rinse it well, and soak it in water overnight in the refrigerator. Rinse again, and soak it in warm water for a few minutes before using.

THE MEAT, POTATOES, AND ONION

The meat:
 Prepare ¾ lb. (340 g) of pork shoulder butt and ¼ lb. (115 g) of beef chuck; cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat, and put the meat grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

The potatoes:
 Weigh 2¼ lbs. (1020 g) of unpeeled potatoes, and peel them. After peeling, the weight will be about 2 lbs. (about 910 g)—just right. Cube the potatoes to about the same size as the meat cubes. Place the cubed potatoes in a stainless steel or plastic pan, cover with water, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and refrigerate. (The acid in the lemon juice helps to retard the darkening of the peeled potatoes.)

The onion:
 Peel one medium onion and chop it coarsely. Refrigerate.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

4 tsp. (20 ml) salt

1 tsp. (5 ml) white pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) summer savory

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) allspice

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) sage