A close up of a piece of meat on a plate
I taught garde manger for years at the CIA... it was one of my favorite classes. I love caviar, foie gras, preparing  hors d' oeuvres, decorative platters and especially forcemeats. And yes... I love making watermelon carvings too!

Sausages

Winter is the perfect season for practicing—and enjoying—garde manger and charcuterie. I especially love preparing gravlax for the holidays, along with terrines, pâtés, and galantines for friends and family gatherings.


After finally purchasing a meat grinder, I was reminded just how much juicier and more flavorful homemade sausages can be.


The first batches I made—sweet Italian, chorizo, and breakfast sausage patties—were a revelation: deeply seasoned, succulent, and far superior to anything store-bought.


Note: always poach off a sample of the forcemeat and evaluate for flavor and texture before assembling!


Prep Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 30 minutes


Ingredients

 Yield: 4 portions                                       

2 lb.                 usable, Pork butt; cubed

(I like 75% pork meat to 25% pork fat) pork butt is very close to that percentage.

I like to take out the bone and cut the pork myself,

                         trimming pieces of bone, connective tissue and the outer skin.


Breakfast Sausage

1/8 oz              White pepper, ground

2 Tbsp            Kosher salt

1 Tbsp            Poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp            Sage, ground

2 oz                 Cold water


Sweet Italian Sausage

1/8 oz              BlackWhite pepper, ground

2 Tbsp            Kosher salt

1 Tbsp            Paprika, sweet Spanish

3 Tbsp            Fennel seeds, whole

2 tsp                Garlic powder

2 oz                 Cold water

2 Tbsp           Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)


Hot Italian Sausage

1/8 oz              Cayenne pepper, ground

2 Tbsp            Kosher salt

1 Tbsp            Paprika, sweet Spanish

1 Tbsp            Pimenton powder

2 Tbsp            Red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp           Fennel seeds, whole

2 tsp               Garlic powder

2 oz                Cold water
2 Tbsp           Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Chorizo Sausage

1/8 oz              White pepper, ground

2 Tbsp            Cumin, ground

3 Tbsp            Coriander seeds

1 tsp                Paprika, sweet Spanish

2 Tbsp            Kosher salt

1 Tbsp            Garlic powder

2 oz                 Cold water


How to prepare Sausages

A bowl of ground chicken is sitting on a table.

Step 1 Fabricating & Marinating

Always chill the ingredients and equipment you will be working with!

Cold! Cold! Cold!









Mix the salt and seasonings for the sausage style you plan to prepare with pork butt cubes and refrigerate for 2 hour.


A close up of a bowl of food with a spoon in it.
A person is holding a ladle over a pot of soup

Step 2  Preparing the forcemeat
Grind the meat seasoned meat one time through through 3/8" coarse plate on meat grinder. Cool the meat and clean the coarse plate to avoid clogging or fat smears. Chill the grinding equipment if necessary. Repeat or grind through a smaller die (8" fine plate).











Add additional seasonings or garnishes (whole seeds, macerated & dried fruit, cold, sauteed mushrooms, etc..). Place ground meat in mixer, add cold water and mix on speed #1, pulsing for 1 minute.

A pair of scissors is sitting next to a plastic bag.
A row of sausages wrapped in plastic next to a pair of scissors
A white plate topped with slices of meat and jelly

Step 3 Assembling the Sausages

Make a taste test, poach in water; taste, adjust seasonings if necessary.





Rinse sausage casings in cold water, soak for 20 minutes and place the casing onto the sausage stuffer.





Place a sheet pan with cool water under the area the sausages will come out of the grinder, add the seasoned, ground meat into stuffer without air pockets and plunge into grinder (no blade) steadily to fill the sausage casings.

Stuff into prepared sheep casings, measure and pinch into 5-inch lengths, twist links and cut apart at twists.



If making patties, use a scale and portioning tools to quickly prepare the patties.

Refrigerate and store until use






To cook, simply bake, saute or broil until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 165° F.

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