Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (27 page)

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) mace

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the meat and chopped onions with a 
³
⁄16-inch (4.8 mm) plate. Refrigerate.

2. Drain the cubed potatoes, but do not rinse them. Grind the cubes with a ¼-inch (6.4 mm) plate. Place the minced potatoes on paper towels that have been laid on several sheets of newspaper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (The paper towels and newspaper will absorb the excess moisture.)

3. Mix the seasoning ingredients and water in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. After mixing, the seasoning mixture should be a thick liquid; if it is not liquid, add a little more water. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

4. Blend the meat and onion mixture, the ground potatoes, and the seasoning by kneading for about three minutes. Chill this mixture while the sausage stuffer and hog casings are being prepared.

5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casing and twist the sausage rope into 5-inch (13 cm) links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat and potatoes. (The sausages will darken; this is normal and harmless. The darkening is caused by oxygen passing through the casing and reacting with the potato particles lying just under the casing.)

Refrigerate the sausage that will be eaten within the next two days. (These sausages are very perishable; don’t exceed two days of refrigerator storage.) Wrap the remaining sausages in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped links in a sealed plastic bag and freeze for up to two months.

COOKING

Cooking is accomplished by poaching the links in hot water or chicken broth until the minced potatoes are tender. It is best if the hot liquid is about 180° F

(82° C). The closer the temperature of the liquid comes to the boiling point, the more likely some of the sausage links will explode due to steam being generated in the casing.

Depending on the thickness of the links and the temperature of the water, cooking will require between 45 minutes and 1 ½ hours. To test, cut off a bite-sized hunk of sausage. If the minced potato is still raw, close the cut end with twine and continue to cook.

Oxford Bangers

In addition to the common English banger presented earlier in this chapter, England is noted for another banger known as the Oxford banger. The formulas are considerably different. The Oxford banger is spicier, and has much more sage in it. Another difference is that the common banger is made entirely of pork, whereas the Oxford banger is traditionally made of about half pork and half veal. (The formula below will suggest that chicken or turkey thigh be substituted for the veal.)

THE CASINGS

Prepare 
7
½ 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 2
¹
⁄2 LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Grind the following meats with a 
-inch (9.5 mm) or smaller plate. Refrigerate the meat, and chill the meat grinder and the sausage stuffer in the refrigerator, too.

•
 1¾ lbs. (800 g) fatty pork butt

_• 
 
4
 lb. (340 g) chicken thighs, or turkey thighs—boned, and with the skin and fat attached (veal is traditional)

OTHER INGREDIENTS AND SEASONINGS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

2 tsp. (10 ml) sage—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon juice

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) black pepper, finely ground

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cayenne

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) marjoram

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) mace

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) thyme

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) nutmeg

2 eggs

cup (80 ml) dry breadcrumbs, 
not
 packed in the cup

cold water to make a slurry

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Measure seasoning, eggs, breadcrumbs, and water into a large mixing bowl, and add enough cold water to make a slurry. Mix well. Place in the freezer to cool rapidly.

2. Add the chilled ground meat to the chilled 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Russian Farmer’s Sausage

This is a coarse and hearty sausage with a simple, but strong, seasoning.

THE CASING

This sausage is good made into patties or stuffed into hog casings. If small-diameter hog casing will be used, prepare 7½ feet (225 cm) of casing. Rinse the casing, and refrigerate it in water overnight. 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

1 cup (240 ml) chopped onions

¼ cup (60 ml) parsley, dried

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) caraway seeds

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) dill seeds

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) garlic, minced

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) black pepper, ground

1 tsp. (5 ml) sugar

½ cup (120 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the pork and onions with a coarse plate, and refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

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 ground meat and onion mixture with the seasoning 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 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.

Scandinavian-Style Sausage

Potatoes or potato flour is traditionally used in some of the sausages made in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Certain elements of several Scandinavian sausages were combined to formulate the sausage below.

THE CASING

If hog casing is used, about 7½ feet (225 cm) will be required. Rinse it well, and refrigerate it in water overnight. Rinse again, and soak it in warm water a few minutes before using.

THE MEAT

Mince the following meats with a 
³
⁄16-inch (4.8 mm) plate:

•
 2 lbs. (910 g) of pork butt 
₂
 lb. (225 g) beef chuck

THE SEASONING

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) granulated onion or onion powder

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) white pepper

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) allspice

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) granulated sugar

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) chicken bouillon powder or chicken consommé powder

½ cup (120 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

1 cup (240 ml) boiled and mashed potatoes, unseasoned, chilled

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Blend all the seasoning ingredients, including the water and powdered milk—except for the mashed potatoes. Then add the mashed potatoes and blend again.

2. Blend the ground meat with the seasoning-and-potato mixture. Knead for about three minutes.

3. Stuff the sausage into the hog casing, and twist the sausage rope into 5-inch (13 cm) links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat and potatoes.

4. Refrigerate the sausage that will be eaten the next day. (This sausage is very perishable.) Wrap the remaining sausages in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped links in a sealed plastic bag, and freeze them for up to two months.

Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions and instructions.

Toulouse Sausage

Toulouse is the city in southwest France where this sausage originated. The sausage formula is one of the most simple of all the sausages I have examined. One version of this sausage is seasoned with nothing more than salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The version here is a little more complex—it has six seasonings.

Traditionally, this sausage is coarsely ground, stuffed into hog casing, and twisted into links about 5 inches (13 cm) long.

THE CASING

If small-diameter hog casing will be used, prepare 7 feet (210 cm) of casing. Rinse the casing, and refrigerate it in water overnight. 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

¾ tsp. (3.75 ml) white pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic granules

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) nutmeg

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) light corn syrup

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) good-tasting white wine

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the pork with a coarse plate, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

2. Mix the seasoning, corn syrup, and wine 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. Stuff the sausage into 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.

Turkey Breakfast Sausage

Turkey, chicken, or any kind of wild or domesticated fowl can be used to make sausage. In my opinion, dark meat makes the best sausage, and boned thigh meat is the easiest to use. Chicken drumsticks can be used, but turkey drum-

sticks are troublesome because of the numerous tendons. Below is a very simple but tasty breakfast sausage.