Who Doesn't Love Homemade Sausage?
So you want to make sausage but don't know what you need to get started? Well, you've come to the right place. Here is everything you need to start making your own sausages!
How to Make Sausage at Home:
5 Reasons To Make Your Own Sausage:
- Taste: Your sausage will taste better. You can customize your preferred blend of spices and seasonings.
- Quality: You're choosing which cuts of meat you're using. You will never wonder if a nose or ear or another unwanted part is in your sausage!
- Health: You add as little or as much fat and salt to your sausage as you want. Plus, you're not adding chemicals, additives, or preservatives - unless you want to.
- Cost: When you make sausage yourself, your sausage is less expensive than mass-produced sausage.
- Control: If someone else processes your game, then you have zero control over the processes they use.
How to Properly Use Your Meat Stuffer:
LEM Staff Tips & Hints for Great Sausage:
- You need to test the internal temperature of your sausage to make sure it has cooked all the way through, just as you would with other meats. When making sausage, make a shorter sausage of the same width, to use for testing the internal temperature of the meat instead of puncturing a larger one.
- Put a piece of tape on the spot where you plan to stick (test the internal temperature) the sausage, prior to cooking, and this will help keep the casing from tearing.
- Cooking sausage at a too high of temperature will cause "fat out". Faster is not always better.
- Keep notes. Sausage making is trial and error. List the percentage of each meat used and the seasonings. So next time you make sausage again you can adjust...and make more notes.
- Add at least 1 oz. of water per pound of meat to aid in the stuffing process. This aid in mixing the meat with the seasoning and will ease the stress put on the gears of your meat mixer and sausage stuffer.
- Try experimenting with liquids other than water when mixing your next batch of sausage. Try beer with our Bratwurst seasoning or apple juice in our Smoked sausage seasoning. The possibilities are endless.
- Have a helper when you do the stuffing. An extra set of hands sure makes the job easier the first couple of times.
- Don't over stuff the sausage casings, especially if you are filling and then twisting. You need to leave a little slack for the twist. If filled to full sausage may burst upon twisting.
- After mixing the seasoning with meat, fry up a small patty to insure you have the flavor you want. Now is the time to adjust by adding meat to lessen the flavor or adding seasoning to make it more flavorful. Do it now so all your work (and meat) won't be lost on a not so flavorful or too salty sausage.
- When using an electric grinder for stuffing, it might be possible for one person to do the job if you have a foot switch to turn on and off the grinder. With a foot switch, the person doing the job can have both his or her hands free to manipulate the sausage casing as it fills up with ground meat.
- When stuffing sausage, if you alternate the direction of your turns, it will keep the links from unraveling. If you always twist in the same direction, you'll just end up un-doing the first sausage link.
Need More Information About Sausage Making?
Still deciding which Casings to use for your sausage? Download our handy chart on Choosing the Perfect Casing .
Need more information on Casings and why to use them? Learn more about Sausage Casings here.
Smoking the perfect sausage? Click here for Smoking Information.
Need help troubleshooting problems with Casings? View Troubleshooting Casings here.
FAQs
Add Non-Fat Milk Powder
Brad's rule of thumb is 2lbs/100lb batch. Scale accordingly. This means a 5lb batch would get about 1/3 cup of milk powder. The proteins in that milk powder are especially sticky, and as you cook the sausage, the meat will get more closely and closely glued together — you'll see.
Why add water to sausage mix? ›
Water is used in sausage making to add moisture to the meat, to add lubrication to the stuffing process and to help distribute the seasonings through out the meat. This water, called added water, will cook out of the meat before the natural moisture, called bound water, cooks out of the meat.
How much powdered milk per pound of meat for sausage? ›
You can add ¼–½ cup of nonfat dry milk per pound of meat to help hold leaner sausage together.
What is the best binder for sausage? ›
Many sausages use a binder - usually wheat crumb, or for gluten-free - potato starch. We prefer to use only meat and spices but if you want a binder you can use breadcrumbs (about 3 tablespoons/lb meat).
Can you overmix sausage? ›
Making the sausages
Mince (grind) the pork and add the dry ingredients. Add water, if using, and mix well. This can be done by hand if using small quantities. Don't over mix.
How long to mix sausage? ›
During mixing we extract protein through the addition of salt, which solubilizes protein, and the imparting of mechanical energy. The longer you mix a batch of sausage, the more protein you extract. Fresh sausage is typically mixed 1 or 2 minutes, while smoked sausage is often mixed 5 to 7 minutes.
How much water per pound of sausage? ›
Try adding at least 1oz (~30 ml) of water per pound of meat. This will not only help with the mixing process but take the stress put on the gears of your mixer & stuffer.
What makes a high quality sausage? ›
The best sausages are made from good cuts of meat with plenty of fat, which will cook quickly and be tender and juicy inside the usually narrow casing, which is why pure meat sausages with no additives are generally more expensive than cheaper varieties which are laced with preservative and other adulterants.
Why do you put vinegar in sausage? ›
Vinegar is included in the manufacture of many varied sausages and charcuterie. Functions include tenderizing the meat as well as contributing a fermented sour-like taste. Artisans will often soak natural animal casings in a weak vinegar solution, as the vinegar contributes to a more tender eating experience.
What does baking soda do to sausage? ›
Adding baking soda to the meat mixture yields a more cohesive, springier sausage. A small amount of onion, garlic, and paprika enhances but doesn't overpower the flavor of the meat.
To start, drop your sausages into a large pot or saucepan and fill it with enough cold water to just cover the sausages. Put the vessel on the stove, turn the heat to medium-high, and cook just until the water reaches a gentle simmer—that should take about 6-8 minutes.
Should you season sausage? ›
Seasonings are a great way to vary how your sausages taste. Try making your own seasoning with herbs, spices, salt, garlic, and onion. Have fun experimenting with different herbs and spices to vary the flavour of your sausages. If you want a tried and true recipe, use the Italian or Breakfast sausage method below.
What makes sausage moist? ›
Fat: Like water, fat also helps keep sausage moist and adds a buttery flavor.
What does milk powder do in cooking? ›
“Milk powder has an amazing way of adding a terrific baseline flavor,” she explains. “It can make ice creams milkier, denser, silkier—and cookies chewier.” It's the sort of “secret weapon ingredient” that doesn't taste like anything special straight out of the container, but works magic when it's included in a recipe.
What does soaking in milk do to meat? ›
The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.
What is the white powder on sausage? ›
That dusty stuff is a natural, edible mold similar to those found on aged soft cheeses. Its called Penicillium, and we inoculate our salami with it to help the aging process. The mold acts as a natural barrier to protect the salami from any competing mold or bacteria growth during the drying process.
Can powdered milk be used as a thickener? ›
But unless you regularly use powdered milk as an ingredient, you may not know about its culinary applications: It's an important ingredient in various breads and desserts, and you can even use it as a thickening agent in foods with an overly liquid consistency (think homemade yogurt and soups).
