Greek Loukaniko Sausage

Name: Greek Loukaniko Sausage
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 20 links
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds lamb or venison trimmings; 2 1/2 pounds pork or wild boar; 1 pound pork fat; 32 grams kosher salt; 4 grams Instacure No. 1; 25 grams sugar; 5 tablespoons minced fresh garlic; 1 tablespoon ground coriander seed; 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper; 2 tablespoons fennel seeds; 1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano; 2 teaspoons dried thyme; 3 tablespoons grated fresh orange zest; 1/2 cup white or red wine; Hog casings

User Reviews

4.9

36 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs
Servings
20 links
Calories
340 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Greek

Greek Loukaniko Sausage

Elizabeth Hodge

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Many loukaniko recipes call for smoking the links, or at least drying them for a couple days. If you do this, add a pinch of Instacure No. 1, a nitrite that helps the flavor and protects the sausage from bacterial issues while it smokes at low temperatures: Typically I smoke several pounds of these links for several hours to an internal temperature of about 155ºF before finishing them with a kiss from the grill.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 1/2 pounds lamb or venison trimmings
2 1/2 pounds pork or wild boar
1 pound pork fat
32 grams kosher salt, about 3 tablespoons
4 grams Instacure No. 1, about 1 teaspoon (optional)
25 grams sugar, about 2 rounded tablespoons
5 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons grated fresh orange zest
1/2 cup white or red wine
Hog casings

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Instructions

Chop your pork and lamb into rough chunks. Mix in the salt, curing salt (if using) and sugar and grind through a coarse die on your grinder. Put this in the fridge overnight if possible or for at least an hour. The step helps the sausage bind to itself when you stuff it.
Set aside 1/2 of the coriander, black pepper and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Soak your hog casings in warm water. Put the wine in the fridge. Make sure all your grinding gear is cold.
Mix the remaining spices with the meat and fat and grind the meat a second time into a bowl. You can grind coarse again or go fine. Your choice. I do half-and-half. Set the bowl for the meat into another bowl full of ice if your room is warmer than 70ºF. Once it's ground, put the meat in the freezer and clean up.
Get out your stand mixer and find the heavy paddle to it (not the dough hook). If you don’t have one, put the meat mixture in a large bin so you can mix it by hand. Add the orange zest, reserved spices and the wine and mix the sausage well for 2 minutes, or until it forms a sticky, cohesive paste. If you are doing this with your hands, they should ache from the cold.
Get out your sausage stuffer, which if you’ve been smart has been living in your fridge or freezer for the past few hours. Fit it with the appropriate tube and stuff the sausage. Do it all at once before you twist it into links.
To twist into links, start at one end and compress the meat into the casing, then tie off the casing. Measure out a good-sized link, then pinch with your fingers. Do the same another good-sized link down the coil. Once you have them both pinched, twist several times to tighten the link well. Repeat on down the line of the coil, then tie off the final link after compressing it, too. (Here is a quick video on twisting sausage links.)
Once you’ve finished, hang the links so your twisting does not come undone, or tie off each link with string. Use the needle to prick any air pockets, and compress the meat in the casing to fill those pockets; be careful or you can rupture the casing if you do this too roughly.
Hang your sausages to dry for about 2 hours in a normal room, only 1 hour if the room is warmer than 75ºF. Ideally, you hang the links overnight at about 40ºF.

Nutrition Information

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Calories 340kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 20g (40%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Cholesterol 78mg (26%) Sodium 674mg (28%) Potassium 341mg (10%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 12IU (0%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 28mg (3%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20links

Amount Per Serving

Calories 340 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	340kcal	17%
Carbohydrates	3g	1%
Protein	20g	40%
Fat	27g	42%
Saturated Fat	10g	50%
Cholesterol	78mg	26%
Sodium	674mg	28%
Potassium	341mg	7%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	1g	2%
Vitamin A	12IU	0%
Vitamin C	2mg	2%
Calcium	28mg	3%
Iron	2mg	11%