Three things prompted me to try making sausage: economy, convenience and health. Did you know many fresh supermarket sausages, including chicken and turkey sausage, have corn syrup in them? I don’t know why, but I do know I don’t need to ingest it. Factor in the cost — $5 to $8 per pound — and the time I spend removing sausage meat from their casings for recipes and it was an obvious thing to try.
It’s no surprise the taste of fresh homemade sausage surpasses anything in the store. And it’s simple, easier than I imagined. You can start with purchased ground meat, but I have a grinder attachment for my mixer that I’m determined to use more often and used it here with pork. When I was trying various recipes though, I used ground turkey from the market, making up 4-ounce batches as I learned and experimented. The big variable with sausage, I now know, is liquid. Some recipes use broth, others vinegar, wine or cold water and some use none.
I discovered it does need some liquid to keep it from becoming almost a seasoned burger, but the recipe I liked best with respect to seasonings used a large amount of red wine, too large. I switched to red wine vinegar, reduced the amount substantially and had the Goldilocks batch.
If you have a grinder, you’ll only need to grind the meat once with the coarse plate. The original recipe seasoned the meat before grinding, but I found that left most of the seasonings behind, so I season it after. I didn’t try it in the food processor but I think it would work; that’s what I usually use with beef and the chopping is remarkably like grinding. With both machine methods, you’ll want to chill the meat about half an hour before grinding or chopping.
This recipe can be used for either sweet or hot Italian sausage; I discovered during my crash course that red pepper flakes are generally the only significant difference. I now have sausage the way I like it and once the meat’s chilled, it takes no longer than removing sausage meat from those icky casings.
Ella’s Homemade Italian Sausage
Adapted from KitchenAid
1 1/4 pounds, approximately, pork shoulder or skinless, boneless chicken or turkey thighs
OR
1 pound ground pork, chicken or turkey
3/4 tsp fennel seeds*
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder or dried minced onion
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp dried, crushed rosemary
1/8 tsp thyme
1 -2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (for hot sausage)
2 TB red wine vinegar
*You can leave this out, but its presence makes it Italian sausage.
If grinding at home: cut the meat into 1″ cubes, spread on parchment or wax paper and freeze for about 30 minutes, until semi-firm and the tip of a sharp knife meets some resistance.
Use the coarse plate of your grinder and grind into a large bowl.
If using meat already ground: place into a large bowl.
Scatter the seasonings onto the ground meat and toss gently to combine and distribute. Sprinkle on the vinegar and gently mix. Overhandling will toughen the meat.
If desired, taste for seasoning; see tip below.
Cover, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. It can be used immediately, but benefits from the time to let the flavors meld. This can also be frozen.
Ella’s tips: To taste for seasoning, thoroughly cook 1 tablespoon of your sausage in the microwave or a small skillet. Adjust as needed. If you don’t want to cut raw meat, just ask the butcher to do it.
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Thanks for the recipe and the tip about red wine vs red wine vinegar. I’ll have to try it the next time I make Italian sausage. We make our own breakfast sausage using the KA attachment, and it is great!
Besides chilling the meat prior to grinding, I also like to put all the grinder attachments in the freezer, to keep the meat as cold as possible so it doesn’t gum up.
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Ooh, great tip Nate! Next time I grind more than 1 pound I will definitely remember that. So here’s a tip in return: if you have some bread around (going stale is good), when you’re done grinding meat put some of the bread through the grinder. It’ll get out a lot of those little gooky bits.
If you are fortunate to have crushed ice, sprinkle the meat with a small amount of it as you are grinding. This helps keep the meat chilled and slightly more moist. When done grinding you can use the ice to push out the remaining sausage and help clean the grinder and tubes. Do not use to much ice at once as it might bind up the grinder.
Hi, Dan. Boy am I glad to have this information. I saw a couple recipes recommending ice, but without amounts or explanation. I will certainly try it.
In return, here’s a tip I hope you can use. My favorite quick way to clean the grinder before washing it is to run soft bread or a soft roll through it. It picks up a lot of what left inside.
Thanks for the comment!