How to make sausage?

Learn how to make sausages at home using the correct equipment and procedures to obtain a result that is far superior to the sausages offered by large slaughterhouses, which generally use raw materials that are not very selected (scraps), emulsifying additives, vegetable proteins, colorings, stabilizers, preservatives and fat too much. You will be able to make the best sausage you have ever eaten in your life.

Equipment

– Meat grinder (disc with wide holes, 10mm or larger);

– Natural pork, sheep or collagen casing;

– Sausage filler (funnel, hand crank or electric);

– Precision scale, ideal for measuring down to the milligram;

Spices

The amount of salt varies greatly according to individual taste, but as a rule of thumb, use between 5 g and 10 g of salt for every 500 grams of meat and fat, that is, between 1% and 2% of the weight of the salt sausage. This amount will vary according to preference, but it is recommended to start the process within this measure to avoid excesses.

Preferably use fresh seasonings, but you will also get a good result using dry seasonings, such as aloe flakes, dehydrated onion, peppers, oregano, powdered ginger, powdered bay leaf... dried herbs and spices, such as oregano, basil, thyme, etc. should be crushed shortly before use to release flavor. Dried herbs and fresh seasonings can contain contaminants, so choose good suppliers to avoid contaminating the product from aromatic herbs.

All the fun of the process lies in the seasoning, as this is where you can use your creativity to create unique recipes that will give personality to the base of your sausage, which is the meat. The choice of meat and seasonings is the soul of this delicious charcuterie art that is sausage production. What would be the fun of making a sausage that is the same or similar to the one in the supermarket? Creative freedom is the driving force that compels us to waste hours on this pleasurable task. Imagining the succulence, color and flavor of a unique mixture, getting your hands dirty and creating alchemy is a challenge and a delight.

Functional natural seasonings

• Garlic – natural bactericide and fungicide;
• Onion – natural bactericide and fungicide;
• Rosemary – natural antioxidant, ideally use rosemary extract or rosemary oil;
• Celery is a natural source of sodium nitrite (preservative and curing agent);
• Beet – source of sodium nitrite and natural dye;
• Lemon – natural acidifying preservative.

Functional additives

• Curing salt: to use or not to use, read the posts Tips for making homemade sausage It is Curing salt what it is and how much to use;
• Healing Accelerator: if you choose to use curing salt, it is recommended to also use an accelerator, which can be ascorbic acid or sodium erythorbate. As a natural alternative, it is possible to use cherry powder as a source of ascorbic acid;
• Antioxidants: rosemary extract is a great all-natural antioxidant agent;
• Connectors: to help with binding, which is the product's potential to retain moisture and fat, use vegetable proteins, such as soy, and/or powdered milk. Furthermore, working the meat after it is cut also helps the protein retain liquid;
• For more information read the post Additives for sausages

Procedures

Cut the meat into cubes, generally 1cm thick or a size suitable for the size of the inlet nozzle of the meat grinder used. It is possible to “grind” the meat with a very sharp knife, but the process will take much longer. If you have a very good grinder, with a wide thread and a mouth with a half-inch hole, use it as the result will probably be very satisfactory. If you have a small grinder, use a knife instead. Small grinders can ruin the texture of the meat.

Before grinding, it is recommended to season the diced meat with salt, pepper, herbs and spices that you will use to flavor the sausage. Leave it in the fridge for a few hours so that all the seasonings, especially the salt, are well absorbed and evenly distributed throughout the meat. If you cut with a knife, season after cutting.

Always keep everything cold

It is important to keep the meat as cold as possible throughout the sausage production process, as if the meat gets too hot during production the fat will separate. And the less the fat comes out, the better, as the final product will be a juicier sausage. It can be left at a temperature close to freezing and then proceed with grinding or cutting.

When cutting the meat, remove as many sinews as possible, as these can become trapped in the discs during grinding and alter the texture of the meat.

Mix well

After grinding, mix the meat vigorously so that the protein is well worked, you can add some very cold liquid at this stage, such as wine, juice or even ice, just don't forget that it is important that everything is well incorporated into the mixture. mixture. Adding liquids increases the moisture of the final product.

The important thing is not to make the meat brittle, you need to obtain a very homogeneous, sticky mixture, as this way the sausage will have a firmer consistency. You can mix by hand or with a mixer with a flat paddle or hook, see which one suits your equipment best. The important thing is to mix well until the mixture becomes sticky.

Filling the gut

Natural casings are salted and need to be soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes. After this period, rinse the inside of the casing well under running water.

If you don't have specific equipment for embedding, no problem, use a funnel and your fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon.

If you have a bagger/cannon for stuffing sausages, insert the entire casing into the filler nozzle and keep stuffing it, trying to avoid the formation of air bubbles.

Once the entire casing is stuffed, squeeze and twist to divide and secure the separate parts. Rotate in alternating directions or tie with string. If you notice air bubbles in the sausages, pierce them with a needle.

Read too Tips for making homemade sausage