Recipe #33 Mike's Italian Sausage

 

This recipe takes a good part of an afternoon to make so give yourself enough buffer time to prep and clean up.  You will need a mincer and sausage extruder for this recipe.

Yield: 16-18 large portions

Ingredients:

2.5 kl [4.5lbs] Pork Shoulder, for meatiness

1 kl [2.205 lbs] Pork Belly or Streaky bacon, for fat [make sure there is a 3:1 ratio of fat]

Large Sausage Casings [ask butcher to give you enough casings to cover the weight/volume of meat bought]

Spices:  

1 tbsp Salt, 

1 tbsp Sugar, 

2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp dried basil, 

1 tbsp dried oregano, 

1 1/2 tbsp toasted ground fennel [toast and grind in mortar and pestle]

1 tbsp chilli pepper or flakes [smoked chipotle is preferable]

2 tsp cayenne pepper [or to taste]

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp olive oil [ for the extruder lube ]

Instructions:

Meat Prep:

Cut meat into segments and trim any skin or grizzle off. 

[ Segments should be small enough to fit in to the mincer so the sinew doesn't clog the blade.]

Spice Prep:

Toast the fennel and mix in other spices to taste.

Grind the meat into a large bowl using the medium chop for a coarse mix [insuring no dark grease enters the mix].

Thoroughly mix in all the dry ingredients by hand until evenly blended.

Testing:

Take a small ball of meat and fry it in a pan until cooked to test the seasoning balance suits your taste.

Add more of what is lacking...to taste. [eg. more cayenne pepper]

Repeat the testing until you reach desired result in flavour.

Sausage Extrusion:

When satisfied with the mix it's time to make the sausage.

Remove the cutter blade from the mincer and add the extruder to the machine. 

Use the olive oil to moisten the extruder and slide the casing onto the nozzle.

Load meat into the hopper and start the machine up and feed and press the meat through.

This is a two person job; one person feeds the machine and another must keep tension on the casing as it fills while also managing the continuous coil of sausage onto a tray or clean tub.

Repeat this process until all the meat is used. 

The last portion of meat will need help to pass all the way through the process by adding a moist slice of bread or two through the machine until it is seen in the casing.; this ensures there is no waste.

TIP: Let the sausage sit in fridge overnight before freezing to allow spice to infuse.