Making sausage, hints

4 servings

Ingredients

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Directions

Sausages are basic mixtures of meat, fat, spices and liquid. You can utilize cheaper and tougher cuts ++ beef round, chuck or brisket, pork shoulder, or rib (blade) end of the loin, lamb shoulder and veal shoulder or breast, because they will be tenderized by grinding Unless I am making fish sausage, or fine-grained 'boudin', I prefer a grinder with a sharp knife to a food processor. Quick as the processor is, it chops unevenly and heats up the meat, giving the sausage a pasty texture. Preground meat is not recommended.

Depending on the leanness of the meat, an additional 30-50% fat - pork fatback, or leaf lard, beef or lamb suet, and on occasion, poultry fat - is added to moisten, tenderize and bind the sausage. Every herb or spice finds itself in the middle of these mixtures at one time or another, but a blend of white peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg, giner or cinnamon appears so regularly, that connoisseurs mix up their own secret proportions. Pork casings are the most practical for all but large, country-style sausages, which require the thicker beef casings. Stick with half dolls (7-½ yds). enough for ten pounds of meat. Anything larger is difficult to handle. Packed in salt, natural casings last at least a year in the refrigerator. You can usually obtain casings from your local butcher. Shared by: Bobbie Kopf, Oct/95.

Submitted By SHARON STEVENS On 10-07-95

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