Basic Homemade Sausage

Name: Basic Homemade Sausage
Prep time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 3 1/2 pounds lean meat; 1 1/2 pounds fatty meat; 34 grams kosher or sea salt; 15 grams Freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 cup ice water; Hog casings

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5.0

84 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs
Servings
12 servings
Calories
256 kcal
Course
Main Course, Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine
American

Basic Homemade Sausage

Elizabeth Hodge

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I am including this as a master recipe; this one is super basic. I have dozens and dozens of specific sausage recipes here.

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Ingredients

Servings

3 1/2 pounds lean meat (venison, beef, pork, lamb, etc.)
1 1/2 pounds fatty meat (pork shoulder, belly, fatty beef, etc.)
34 grams kosher or sea salt, about 2 tablespoons
15 grams Freshly ground black pepper, about 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup ice water or white wine
Hog casings

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Instructions

Cut the meat and fat into chunks that will fit into your grinder. Mix well with the salt and set in the fridge overnight.
The next day, put your auger, blade, and dies - I prefer a 10 mm coarse die to start, then a 4.5 mm die afterwards - into the freezer for 1 hour before you grind. If you are making links, soak about 15 feet of casings in warm water. Mix the black pepper with the meat chunks and grind through the coarse die.
If the meat is still cold, as in below about 38°F, go ahead and grind a second time through the fine die. If the meat has gotten warm, freeze it for 20 minutes or so before grinding again. Optional: If you have some bread, add that after the last of the meat has gone into the grinder; this pushes out every bit of meat so you don't waste any.
Put the mixture in the freezer while you clean up. You want the meat mixture to be close to freezing before you mix it. When it's ready, add the ice water and, with your very clean hands, knead and mix the meat for 60 to 90 seconds, until it comes together as one cohesive, sticky ball.
You now have sausage. If you don't want to case it, you are done. If you do want links put the meat into the stuffer. Slip a length of casing on the stuffer all the way, leaving about 4 inches of "tail" hanging off. Crank the stuffer down to remove air. "Milk" the air out of the "tail" of casing, then fill the casing entirely, making a large coil. You want it full, but not overly tight at first. Repeat until you've cased all the meat.
To make links, gently compress one end of a coil and tie off that end of casing. Moving about 6 inches down the coil, pinch off a link with your fingers. Spin that link away from you a few times to form the link. Move down the coil, pinch off another link and, this time, spin it towards you. Repeat until the end, and tie off that last link. (Here is a video of the process.)
Use a needle or somesuch to prick out any air pockets in the links, gently compressing them to fill the gaps. Be careful, as you don't want to burst the link. Hang your sausages as noted in above and, if you can wait, eat the next day.

Notes

Keep in mind these are base instructions for a basic sausage. You can add seasonings as you like, cooked onions, garlic, change the ice water for wine or beer or juice -- have fun with it!

Nutrition Information

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Calories 256kcal (13%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Protein 41g (82%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 116mg (39%) Sodium 1217mg (51%) Potassium 689mg (20%) Fiber 0.3g (1%) Sugar 0.01g (0%) Vitamin A 7IU (0%) Calcium 22mg (2%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	256kcal	13%
Carbohydrates	1g	0%
Protein	41g	82%
Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Polyunsaturated Fat	1g	6%
Monounsaturated Fat	4g	20%
Trans Fat	0.5g	25%
Cholesterol	116mg	39%
Sodium	1217mg	51%
Potassium	689mg	15%
Fiber	0.3g	1%
Sugar	0.01g	0%
Vitamin A	7IU	0%
Calcium	22mg	2%
Iron	4mg	22%