Mary Ann's Blog
How To Make Italian Sausage Without A Machine. Really!
April 24, 2009
My outdoor grill has been begging me to light her fire after a long hibernation in the garage, and I can think of no better way to kick off the grilling season than with some homemade Italian sausage!
I know what you’re thinking. That’s great for anyone with a sausage making machine. But no! You don’t need a meat grinder and loads of other equipment to do this. All you need is a good pair of hands, a good recipe, a good pork butt, and a funnel.
So if you want to try your hand at making it, here is what you need to do.
Get a good pork butt, one that has a good ratio of fat to meat, otherwise the sausage will be dry. Go to your favorite market and ask the butcher to show you a bunch of pork butts; they usually weigh in the five pound range. Then ask him to coarse grind the one you choose.
Next, buy a box of natural hog casings. They are usually in the meat case and come packed in salt, but if you don’t see them, ask your butcher. You will have to rinse them well several times in cold water to get rid of the salt and you may need to cut them into manageable lengths with scissors because they can be very long. (You can store unused casings in the freezer.)
Once you’ve gotten these two items, you’re ready to make sausage.
First, make sure you have ready some fine sea salt, coarse black pepper, fennel seeds, and hot red pepper flakes.
Put the meat in a big bowl and season it with:
1 1/2 tablespoons salt,
1 teaspoon black pepper,
4 tablespoons fennel seeds,
As much hot red pepper flakes as you like/can handle.
Make sure to mix everything well with clean hands. Then make sure you take an extra moment to fry up a spoonful in a pan to be sure you like the flavor. Add more seasonings if you need to.
Next, slip one open end of a casing over your kitchen faucet and turn on the cold water. Allow the water to run through the casing. This will make it easy to slip over the end of the funnel. Place the open end of the casing over the nozzle part of the funnel and push most of the casing up onto the nozzle, but leave about a two inch tail and knot it.
But you could just head right to the grill and when it is hot, throw on your homemade sausage. One taste and you’ll know that homemade Italian sausage rules! Happy Grilling!
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