After doing my first batch of Italian sausage with my new Kitchenaid mixer/grinder, I was hooked. I had about 4.5 lbs of Boston butt and some pork belly that was too thin for bacon, and an itch to do something else. We love breakfast around here, and with deer season around the corner, it becomes more of a tradition than a routine.
So, against my norm, I did a VERY brief study of what recipes were out there, and what methods, etc., and settled on a combo of pops & discos methods. I really liked the idea of a simple salt, pepper, sage recipe with additional red pepper for heat. I also loved discos idea of the sizzler style, I grew up on those and we love em. I remembered seeing the small collagen casings at academy, so the night I started this, I picked up a pack on the way home. Well, I didn’t realize my Kitchenaid stuffer was too large for the casings I bought (21mm), so I was stuck. I decided to cube up my pork and add my seasonings, at least get the sausage made.
I had equal parts pork belly and shoulder. It was about 4x discos recipe, just short of 10 lbs of meat. So I took his measurements, tweaked them a bit and multiplied by 4. I used salt, pepper, sage, thyme & red pepper instead of chipotle, and I left out the ginger. I mixed the seasoning in with the meat and ran in thru the grinder with course plate. Then I put the meat into the freezer for about 45 minutes, and back thru with the medium grind.
I fried some up and it tasted really good. I didn’t think there was enough heat, but I decided to leave it alone as sometimes I get in trouble for making things too hot. As late as it was, and with my being unsure of how I would package, I put the meat in the fridge and let it sit over night.
Well, today on my way home, I decided to make a stop at academy again. I had remembered seeing the jerkey stuffers, and though, maybe, those casings I bought may work with that. Well, for $29 it was worth the gamble. I picked one up, brought it home, washed it and set it all up. The casings fit, but not perfectly. I had to modify slightly by putting a small amount of casing on and just filling it up, and then repeating. Here’s how it looked:
Basically, I could only get so much casing onto the little horn, but it was good enough, and the whole process was actually simple, quick and clean. I stuffed 10lbs in about 45 minutes, not too bad.
Then I was off to the races, the 4” and pinch method worked well, and I currently have a nice batch of sizzlers in the freezer, ready to be packaged!
Note, as soon as I get to a computer, I will edit with links and amounts.
So, against my norm, I did a VERY brief study of what recipes were out there, and what methods, etc., and settled on a combo of pops & discos methods. I really liked the idea of a simple salt, pepper, sage recipe with additional red pepper for heat. I also loved discos idea of the sizzler style, I grew up on those and we love em. I remembered seeing the small collagen casings at academy, so the night I started this, I picked up a pack on the way home. Well, I didn’t realize my Kitchenaid stuffer was too large for the casings I bought (21mm), so I was stuck. I decided to cube up my pork and add my seasonings, at least get the sausage made.
I had equal parts pork belly and shoulder. It was about 4x discos recipe, just short of 10 lbs of meat. So I took his measurements, tweaked them a bit and multiplied by 4. I used salt, pepper, sage, thyme & red pepper instead of chipotle, and I left out the ginger. I mixed the seasoning in with the meat and ran in thru the grinder with course plate. Then I put the meat into the freezer for about 45 minutes, and back thru with the medium grind.
I fried some up and it tasted really good. I didn’t think there was enough heat, but I decided to leave it alone as sometimes I get in trouble for making things too hot. As late as it was, and with my being unsure of how I would package, I put the meat in the fridge and let it sit over night.
Well, today on my way home, I decided to make a stop at academy again. I had remembered seeing the jerkey stuffers, and though, maybe, those casings I bought may work with that. Well, for $29 it was worth the gamble. I picked one up, brought it home, washed it and set it all up. The casings fit, but not perfectly. I had to modify slightly by putting a small amount of casing on and just filling it up, and then repeating. Here’s how it looked:
Basically, I could only get so much casing onto the little horn, but it was good enough, and the whole process was actually simple, quick and clean. I stuffed 10lbs in about 45 minutes, not too bad.
Then I was off to the races, the 4” and pinch method worked well, and I currently have a nice batch of sizzlers in the freezer, ready to be packaged!
Note, as soon as I get to a computer, I will edit with links and amounts.
