Stuff Your Own

It is said that the two processes no one wants to see are the making of sausage and the making of legislation. While making legislation appears to be truly gruesome and watching sausage being made at a factory may very well be almost as horrible, this article will try to demystify sausage-making for the home chef. When you are finished reading this, you either will be excited to make sausage at home or will never want to eat sausage again.
Authentic sausage starts with two basic ingredients: seasoned ground pork and a natural casing. Given that many people use ground pork as part of their meatloaf recipes, it may be the casing that turns people off. Yes, it is true that the sausage casing, which holds the ground meat together, is a layer of collagen from a hog or sheep’s intestine. But now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s simply call it the casing and think no further on it. Needless to say, it is as important to buy clean, high-quality casing from a reputable distributor as it is to buy clean, high-quality meat.
If you happen to have a meat grinder, you can grind you own pork. Because it is important that sausage have a relatively high fat content, most sausage makers recommend using the shoulder (as opposed to the very lean loin, for example). If you buy ground pork from your butcher, be sure to specify that it has at least a 20% to 25% fat content. The pork should be coarsely ground, like hamburger meat.
Meat grinders can be hand-cranked or electric, and broadly range in prices and sizes. A professional-like stainless steel electric grinder can cost more than $500, but a largely plastic electric grinder for the home can cost as little as $130. A hand-cranked grinder can cost less than $100. Some hand-cranked grinders can be bolted down, but for the occasional sausage maker, it would make more sense to buy one that attaches to the counter with a clamp (sort of like home pasta makers).
Whether or not you grind your own pork, you will need a sausage stuffer. The cost will depend upon the amount of pork that can fit into the stuffer at one time. A home chef will probably be happy with a small stuffer holding about five or six pounds, costing about $150. Much larger, and therefore more expensive, stuffers can hold as much as 30 pounds of meat. Basically, once the ground pork is seasoned (more on that shortly), the meat is put in one end of the stuffer and is pressed through the other end, where the casing is waiting to receive the meat. Each end of the casing is tied off, in whatever lengths you want. That’s sausage. All that remains is cooking the meat through, ideally on the grill.
Sausage appeals to so many people because of the relatively high fat content (so it is juicy) and the spices. The pork meat can be spiced with just about anything. Kosher salt and pepper are generally a must, and then use whatever herbs tickle your fancy. Parsley, thyme, fennel, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, rosemary, garlic, Chile pepper – the list goes on and on. You can also add other types of ingredients, such as apples bits or raisins (for a sweeter sausage) or sun-dried tomatoes.
Two particularly well-known types of sausage are Andouille and Chorizo. The pork in Andouille sausage is seasoned with salt and black pepper, plus cayenne pepper, thyme leaves, crushed garlic, bay leaf and sage, and ground cloves, mace, and allspice. The pork in Chorizo is seasoned with salt, chopped garlic, nutmeg, brown sugar and paprika. Andouille, properly made, is smoked, while Chorizo can be smoked, but need not be when smoked paprika is used.
Of course, sausage can be made with other meats, from poultry to fish to wild game. Plus, if the thought of natural casings bothers you, there are other types of casings on the market, some edible others not, and some natural, others artificial. Also, if you are buying pre-made sausage from someplace other than a gourmet market (not to mention a street vendor), check the list of ingredients, as the meat probably includes many parts other than pork shoulder.
–David Stoll