Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (46 page)

2. 
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients, and mix well again. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. 
Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is well mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and sausage casings are being prepared.

4. 
Stuff the sausage into the casings, and twist into the size of links you prefer. Weigh one of the links, record the weight, and mark it with a colored string, or the like. This weight is called the
green weight
. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use an uncovered container, but cover the sausage with a paper towel.

5. 
The next morning, dry the stuffed sausage in front of an electric fan until the surface is dry to the touch. Alternatively, dry the surface of the casings in a 140° F (60° C) smoker with no smoke.

6. 
Smoke at the lowest possible temperature for at least two hours. Make sure that the smoke vents are fully open; this will facilitate the required drying of the sausage.

7. 
Raise the smoker temperature to between 170° F (77° C) and 175° F (79° C) slowly—over the period of one hour or so—and continue cooking, with or without smoke, until the internal temperature of the thickest link reaches 160° F (71° C). Weigh the link marked with the colored string to determine if this link has lost at least 15 percent of its green weight. If it has, the smoking and cooking are finished. Proceed to step 9. If not, go to step 8.

8. 
If the link marked with colored string has not lost at least 15 percent of its green weight, reduce the smoker temperature to between 160° F (71° C) and 165° F (74° C) and continue cooking. Check the loss of weight every hour or so. When 15 percent of the weight has been lost, proceed to step 9.

9. 
When the sausage has lost at least 15 percent of the green weight, remove the links from the smoker, and cool the sausage in front of an electric fan for one hour.

10. 
Refrigerate the sausages, uncovered, overnight. The next morning, cut them to single-portion lengths, and then wrap them in plastic food wrap. Sausages that will not be eaten within a few days should be individually wrapped in plastic food wrap, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Pepperoni for Pizza

Pepperoni is the most popular meat topping for pizza; it is more popular than Italian sausage. With this homemade pepperoni, you can make your own pizza, or your can fortify a bake-at-home pizza that was originally made with not quite enough pepperoni to suit your taste.

CASINGS

Large-diameter hog casings will produce a diameter similar to commercially produced pepperoni, but small hog casings will make a daintier product. If you wish to use the small casing, rinse 7 feet (210 cm) of casing, and refrigerate it overnight in water. Rinse again, and soak in warm water for 30 minutes before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF PEPPERONI

Prepare the meats listed below; cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes and refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

• 1 lb. (450 g) of lean pork and ½ lb. (225 g) of back fat—or 1½ lbs. (680 g) of fatty pork shoulder
  
• 1 lb. (450 g) of lean beef
  

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients

1¾ tsp. (8.75 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) paprika

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) cayenne

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic granules

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) anise

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) allspice

¹
⁄
2
cup (120 ml) finely powdered skim milk

¼ cup (60 ml) Fermento

Wet ingredients

2 
Tbsp. (30 ml) light corn syrup

¼ cup (60 ml) red wine

6 Tbsp. (90 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
Grind the chilled meats together with a
-inch (4.8 mm) or smaller plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. 
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients, and mix well again. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. 
Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is well mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and hog casings are being prepared.

4. 
Stuff the sausage into the hog casings, and twist into 10-inch (25 cm) links. Weigh one of the links, record the weight, and mark it with a colored string, or the like. This weight is called the
green weight
. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use an uncovered container, but cover the sausage with a paper towel.

5. 
The next morning, dry the stuffed sausage in front of an electric fan until the surface is dry to the touch. Alternatively, dry the surface of the casings in a 140° F (60° C) smoker with no smoke.

6. 
Smoke at the lowest possible temperature for at least two hours. Make sure that the smoke chimney damper is fully open.

7. 
Raise the smoker temperature to between 170° F (77° C) and 175° F (79° C) slowly—over the period of one hour or so—and continue cooking, with or without smoke, until the internal temperature of the thickest link reaches 160° F (71° C). Weigh the link marked with the colored string to determine if this link has lost at least 15 percent of its green weight. If it has, the smoking and cooking are finished. Proceed to step 9. If not, go to step 8.

8. 
If the link marked with colored string has not lost at least 15 percent of its green weight, reduce the smoker temperature to between 160° F (71° C) and 165° F (74° C) and continue cooking. Check the loss of weight every hour or so. When 15 percent of the weight has been lost, proceed to step 9.

9. 
When the sausage has lost at least 15 percent of the green weight, remove the links from the smoker, and cool the sausage in front of an electric fan for one hour.

10. 
Refrigerate the sausages, uncovered, overnight. The next morning, wrap them in plastic food wrap. Sausages that will not be eaten within a few days should be individually wrapped in plastic food wrap, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Pepperoni Sticks

Pepperoni sticks are a great tasting snack food, and they are surprisingly easy to make. The instructions given below will result in a sausage weight loss of about 15 percent; it is a semi-dried, fermented-style sausage. If the drying proceeds until 20 or 25 percent of the weight has been lost, they will be even less perishable, and the flavor will be more concentrated.

CASINGS

Any size of casing from a small-diameter sheep casing to a medium-diameter hog casing may be used. However, please keep in mind that the required drying time increases as the diameter of the casing increases. If you wish to use the small hog casing, rinse 7 feet (210 cm), and refrigerate it overnight in about a cup of water. If 24 to 26 mm (1 in. to 1
in.) sheep casing is to be used, prepare about 14 feet (420 cm). Rinse the casing again, and soak it in warm water for a few minutes before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF PEPPERONI STICKS

Traditionally, beef is used for pepperoni, but pork can be used. A mixture of about 50 percent pork and 50 percent beef is suggested. Some or all of the beef may be in the form of beef heart, or wild game can be used. The meat, no matter what kind is selected, should contain about 25 percent fat, and the total weight should be 2½ lbs. (1,150 g). Cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes and refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

Dry ingredients

1¾ tsp. (8.75 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) paprika 1

½ tsp. (7.5 ml) cayenne

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic granules

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) allspice

¼ cup (60 ml) Fermento

Wet ingredients

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) light corn syrup

¼ cup (60 ml) red wine

3 Tbsp. (45 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
Grind the meats together with a
-inch (4.8 mm) or smaller plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. 
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Add the liquid ingredients, and mix well again. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. 
Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is well mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and casings are being prepared.

4. 
Stuff the sausage into the casings, and twist into long links. Weigh one of the links, record the weight, and mark it with a colored string, or the like. This weight is called the
green weight
. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use an uncovered container, but cover the sausage with a paper towel.

5. 
The next morning, dry the stuffed sausage for one or two hours in front of an electric fan. The drying is finished when the surface is dry to the touch and the fingertips slide smoothly on the casing. Alternatively, dry the surface of the casings in a 140° F (60° C) smoker with no smoke, and with the chimney vents fully open.

6. 
Smoke at the lowest possible temperature for 2 to 4 hours. The temperature should be held below 120° F (50° C), if possible. From this point, until the smoking, cooking, and drying are finished, the chimney vents should remain fully open to encourage maximum drying of the sausage.

7. 
Raise the smoker temperature to between 170° F (77° C) and 175° F (79° C) slowly—over the period of one hour or so—and continue cooking, with or without smoke, until the internal temperature of the thickest link reaches 160° F (71° C). Weigh the link marked with the colored string to determine if this link has lost at least 15 percent of its green weight. If it has, the smoking and cooking are finished. Proceed to step 9. If not, go to step 8.

8. 
If the link marked with colored string has not lost at least 15 percent of its green weight, reduce the smoker temperature to between 160° F (71° C) and 165° F (74° C) and continue cooking. Check the loss of weight every hour or so. When 15 percent of the weight has been lost, proceed to step 9.