Sausages

Make Your Own...

What could be more satisfying than tucking into your own homemade sausages? So simple to prepare and produce. You can use any flavouring or seasoning your taste buds desire, you can try different meats, cuts, sizes or shapes. Easy.

1) Take similar quantities of back and shoulder of pork. We have used a kilo of each for this example. It is worth using only the best quality meat, here we are using Tamworth pigs.

3) Select your spicing mix. For a traditional English breakfast style sausage use a savoury blend of sage, allspice and white pepper. You will also need plenty of salt. Grind the spice mix in a pestle and mortar but keep the salt to one side.

5) Pass the meat through the mincer once. Ues a coarse plate for a chunkier sausage but use a fine one or pass the meat twice through if you want something more smooth and shop-bought.

7) Slip the wet casing over the funnel attachment of your grinder.

9) Don't allow the meat to pack too tight but try to avoid allowing air in either. Beginners should fill about a metre of casing at a time then cut it off leaving plenty of spare casing at either end

2) Pre soak hog casings for an hour to remove preserving salt.

4) Remove all skin and any bones from the pork. Slice into cubes small enough to fit into the throat of your grinder. Salt generously then put it into a freezer for half an hour or so. This stiffens the meat and makes mincing easier

6) Add fresh breadcrumbs, 10% by weight, and half of your spice mix and mix thoroughly through the meat with your hands. Fry a teaspoonful of the mix in a hot pan to check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.

8) Remove the blades from the grinder, mount the stuffing funnel and set the machine going on its slowest setting. Keep your fingers around the rolled casing, paying it out as required. Leave a good length of casing empty before starting to fill.

10) Tie off one end of each length of casing then gently squeeze enough space to twist the sausage a few times between each link. Use as required.

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