As far as homemade delicacies go, homemade sausages are some of the most popular. Although most people would rather buy sausages from the grocer, homemade sausages are still popular in many quarters.
Given the relative simplicity of the recipe- fat, ground meat, flavoring, and salt, one would be forgiven for overlooking this delicacy. The truth is that sausages are great servings for both simple and fancy dinners.
Classical meat preservation techniques
Today, it’s relatively easy to preserve meat for a long time. As such, it is common to buy large quantities of meat, storing them in fat slabs inside of the refrigerator until they’re needed.
The answer? Salt
Salt is great for preserving meats. The more salt you add to a strip of meat, the less likely it is for fungi and bacteria to grow on it. When properly dried, salted, and pickled, there’s zero chance of microbial growth.
Sausages evolved in this way over many years, when animal innards were cleaned, chopped, and salted. The final touch was adding different flavors, which is now the norm with commercial sausages worldwide.
The art of sausage-making
Sausage-making is a blend of art and science and a fine balance of both. Savory and salt must be perfectly balanced, and so must meat and fat.
It’s easy to overdo herbs and spices. With sausages, there’s no room for error, as they have an excellent balance of both herbs and spices. You can’t use any kind of meat, as the fat to salt ratio is rather specific. However, you’ll find that saltiness is relative to different people.
To tighten the sausage bind, you need a certain type of liquid. This liquid is what makes it into a real sausage instead of a hamburger. In addition, you need meat with at least one-fifth fat.
Steps to make a sausage
Many things are involved, from selecting ingredients, meat parts, and casings. All of these combine to give the recipe.
Ingredients
Here are the primary ingredients involved in sausage-making:
4 pounds of pork shoulder
4 pounds of pork fat
35 grams of kosher salt
35 grams of sugar
6 grams of cracked black pepper
20 grams of toasted fennel seeds
One cup of minced, fresh parsley
One head of garlic, chopped and peeled
Three-fourths a cup of dry sherry
One-fourth a cup of sherry vinegar
Recipe
First, mince the meat using a rough plate. Afterward, put it in a mixing bowl and add all of the seasonings, mixing it with iced water. Using a 5mm rough place, mince the meaty broth for a second time, and fill it into the casings.
You can use different flavorings, but it is advisable not to be over-adventurous here. The flavors gain in strength overnight, so it’s best to take this step measuredly.
To fill the casing, it’s ideal to do it with help. Homemade sausages are preferably made in twos- with one person handling the sausages, minding the shape of the casing, and the other person pressing the minced meat into it.