Sausage Making (13 page)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1.00 lb
  
• GRAMS: 469
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 34.42
  

Rabbit liver and heart

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.20 lb
  
• GRAMS: 101
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 7.40
  

Pork shoulder (or a combination of cuts, about 75% lean, 25% fat), cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1.00 lb
  
• GRAMS: 469
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 34.42
  

Boiled pork skin
(see page 19)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.20 lb
  
• GRAMS: 94
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 6.90
  

Green olives, such as Picholine or Lucques, pitted and finely chopped

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 70
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 5.16
  

Ice water

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 26
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.89
  

Finely chopped green onions, both green and white parts

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 26
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.89
  

Finely diced red onion

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 23
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.73
  

Finely diced fennel bulb

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 23
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):1.73
  

White wine

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 20
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.44
  

Spicy brown mustard

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 10
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.72
  

Finely chopped fresh parsley

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 14
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.02
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 14
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.02
  

Coarsely ground black pepper

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 4
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.26
  

Caul fat, soaked
(see page 13)

A crepinette is a small, disk-shaped sausage that is wrapped in caul fat instead of stuffed into a casing. These rabbit “meat pillows” are some of my favorites; green olives and mustard complement the mild meat. I like to include the rabbit liver and heart, but if you don't have access to those cuts, you can just increase the amount of rabbit meat in the recipe.

1.   
   1.
   Place the rabbit, rabbit liver and heart, pork shoulder, and pork skin on a rimmed baking sheet; transfer to the freezer; and chill until crunchy on the exterior but not frozen solid
   (see page 23)
   .
   
2.   
   2.
   In a medium bowl add the olives, ice water, green onions, red onion, fennel, wine, mustard, parsley, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine.
   
3.   
   3.
   Nest a large mixing bowl in a bowl filled with ice. Grind the meat through the small die of the grinder into the bowl set in ice
   (see page 24)
   .
   
4.   
   4.
   Add the spice mixture to the meat and stir with your hands until well incorporated; the mixture will look homogenous and will begin sticking to the bowl
   (see page 25)
   .
   
5.   
   5.
   Spoon 2 tbsp of the meat mixture into a nonstick frying pan and spread into a thin patty. Cook the test patty over low heat until cooked through but not browned. Taste the sausage for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
   
6.   
   6.
   Press a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the meat to prevent oxidation, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Alternatively, you can vacuum-seal the farce.
   
7.   
   7.
   Form the meat mixture into 4-oz/115-g patties, about
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   in/12 mm thick, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Position the caul fat on your work surface and, with a sharp knife, cut the caul into 12-in-/30.5-cm-in-diameter circles. Wrap each patty in caul fat. The crepinettes are best grilled over indirect heat
   (see page 38)
   or cooked in an oiled pan over medium heat
   (see page 45)
   ; start the crepinettes seam-side down, turning once midway through cooking, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145°F/63°C.
   

The sausages in this chapter are tight, solid links, such as kielbasa and summer sausage, that contain little water in comparison to the amount of protein. This ratio is almost the reverse of that in soft sausages, and they typically contain very little other than meat, which accounts for the texture.

Because of the texture, these types of sausage take well to smoking, and because the fat is well incorporated into the meat, very little fat pools out from a cooked firm sausage, which is one of the things that distinguishes a firm sausage from a coarse one. In addition, a firm sausage holds its shape when sliced (think pepperoni), rather than crumbling (think Italian sausage). They typically contain no vegetables or fillers, so they hold their shape well. A firm sausage doesn't always require a casing, either, as the farce can be formed around a metal or bamboo skewer and grilled, or formed into a patty and wrapped in caul fat to create a crepinette
(see page 67)
.

Lean meat
(about 75% lean, 25% fat)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  1.90 lb
  
• GRAMS:
  858
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  63.00
  

Extra-lean meat
(about 95% lean, 5% fat)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  0.80 lb
  
• GRAMS:
  381
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  28.00
  

Fatty meat
(such as bacon or pork belly)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₃
  cup
  
• GRAMS:
  61
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  4.50
  

Ice water

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS:
  40
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  2.90
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  2
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS:
  22
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  1.60
  

YIELD: 3 LB/1.4 KG

Boneless pork shoulder (or a combination of pork cuts, about 75% lean, 25% fat), cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1.90 lb
  
• GRAMS: 844
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 62.02
  

Boneless veal shoulder or breast, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.80 lb
  
• GRAMS: 362
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 26.61
  

Pale ale

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 121
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 8.87
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 22
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.60
  

Sugar

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 4
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.31
  

Caraway seeds

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 2
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.18
  

Dry mustard powder

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 1
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.10
  

Fresh thyme leaves

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 1
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.09
  

Ground ginger

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 1
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.08
  

Freshly grated nutmeg

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 0.46
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.03
  

Cure No. 1
(see page 15)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 1
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.11
  

Hog casings, rinsed

When I was a kid growing up in the Midwest, my friends and I would always pick up big packages of bratwurst to grill while watching sporting events. I wanted to re-create the sausage of my youth, and I think these bratwurst come pretty close. This is a simple, classic sausage; serve it on a crunchy roll with mustard and sauerkraut.

1.   
   1.
   Place the pork and veal on a rimmed baking sheet, transfer to the freezer, and chill until crunchy on the exterior but not frozen solid
   (see page 23)
   .
   
2.   
   2.
   Pour the ale into a shallow baking dish, transfer to the freezer, and chill until the ale is semi-frozen.
   
3.   
   3.
   In a small bowl, add the salt, sugar, caraway seeds, mustard powder, thyme, ginger, nutmeg, and Cure No. 1 and stir to combine.
   
4.   
   4.
   Nest a large mixing bowl in a bowl filled with ice. Grind the meat through the small die of the grinder into the bowl set in ice
   (see page 24)
   .
   
5.   
   5.
   Add the spice mixture to the meat and stir with your hands until well incorporated; the mixture will look homogenous and will begin sticking to the bowl
   (see page 25)
   .
   
6.   
   6.
   Spoon 2 tbsp of the meat mixture into a nonstick frying pan and spread into a thin patty. Cook the test patty over low heat until cooked through but not browned. Taste the sausage for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
   
7.   
   7.
   Press a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap directly on the surface of the meat to prevent oxidation, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Alternatively, you can vacuum-seal the farce.
   
8.   
   8.
   Stuff the sausage into the hog casings
   (see page 31)
   and twist into links
   (see page 36)
   .
   
9.   
   9.
   Poach the links
   (see page 41)
   in water or lager-style beer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the sausage registers 145°F/63°C. The poached sausages can be grilled
   (see page 38)
   and then eaten immediately, or chilled fully in an ice bath and refrigerated, or frozen for longer storage
   (see page 46)
   . When you're ready to eat them, grill again or cook in a pan over medium heat until browned and heated through
   (see page 45)
   .
   

YIELD: 3 LB/1.4 KG

Boneless pork shoulder (or a combination of cuts, about 75% lean, 25% fat), cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes