Making sausage has always been a natural result of the home butchering process. After the prime cuts are made into hams, bacon, chops, and roasts, the leftover trimmings were made into sausage. The average home sausagemaker, however, will need to purchase the meat. Your local meat market can provide the needed meat in pieces, or already ground.
The following basic steps are required to make most types of sausage.
1. Remove the bone and trim all gristle and blood spots from meat/trimmings. Separate the lean meat from the fat and cut the pieces into small cubes or strips.
2. Weigh the fat and lean meat separately and combine them to give a mixture that is approximately 2/3 meat and 1/3 fat. Other ratios (such as 50/50 or 80/20) are used. The ratio may be adjusted to suit your individual taste. Measure out other ingredients called for in the sausage recipe. A scale that measures in ½ ounce increments is often handy when measuring spices.
3. Mix the weighed meat and fat and other ingredients thoroughly. Generally this is accomplished by hand for the home sausagemaker. Grind the mixture through a meat grinder with a coarse (3/8" or 1/4") plate. Hint - Keep knife and plate of grinder sharp and clean. A dull grinder will cause a loss of natural juices, which will reduce the quality of the sausage. Grinding is also made easier if the meat is well chilled (approximately 34 degrees F is ideal). Some sausage recipes call for a second grind and some do not. If a second grind is desired, run through a finer plate, usually about 3/16" or 1/8".
4. Prepare natural sausage casings if you will be stuffing this sausage. Wash casing in cold water to remove salt and check for breaks by running water through them. Slip one end of casing over faucet and flush with cold water. Keep casing in cold water mixed with a little vinegar until ready to use. If a grinder with a stuffing tube is used, sausage may be ground and stuffed at the same time. Otherwise, the sausage must be ground prior to stuffing. To stuff the casing, fit one end over the nozzle, straightening any loops or knots. Tie other end of casing with string. Begin to force sausage mixture into the casing. Support the stuffed portion. The stuffed casing may be twisted or tied to form links. If you will be smoking the sausage, let the stuffed sausage stand for approximately one (1) hour to allow the surface to dry before placing in smokehouse. Wet surfaces on items to be smoked prevent the smoke from adhering to the surface and will limit the dark color or cause streaks on the finished product. After the product is smoked, refrigerate or freeze.
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