Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (21 page)

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) white pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cayenne

1 egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil (optional—see above) ¼ cup (60 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND MAKING PATTIES OR STUFFING

1. Grind the poultry with a medium plate, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

2. Mix the seasoning and other ingredients (except for the meat) in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. Blend the meat and the seasoning well by kneading for about three minutes. Shape the mixture into
-inch (10 mm) thick patties, and wrap them in plastic food wrap. Alternatively, stuff the sausage into sheep casings.

4. Refrigerate the sausage that will be eaten within the next two days, and freeze the remainder.

Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions.

Chinese-Style BBQ Pork Sausage

Almost everyone has eaten
cha shu
—flavorful Chinese-style barbecued pork that originated in the Hong Kong area of China. This delicacy is usually colored red on the outside. As an appetizer, it is thinly sliced and served in Chinese restaurants with a small dish of hot mustard and toasted sesame seeds. A small amount of hot Chinese mustard is smeared on the pork, and then it is dipped in toasted sesame seeds.
Cha shu
is also used in fried rice, or in other dishes, as a seasoning ingredient.

This sausage is based on a recipe for Chinese barbecued pork that appeared in a cookbook published in China. However, instead of barbecuing the marinated pork, we will grind it coarsely, stuff it in synthetic fibrous casing, and cook it by steaming or poaching.

The pork is marinated for a rather long time before it is ground and stuffed. This marinating imparts the unique flavor of Chinese barbecued pork. If you like pork, this product will probably become one of your favorites. My friends appreciate the taste imparted by the ingredients listed below.

Cha shu
is traditionally used as an appetizer, but this sausage can also be used for gourmet sandwiches, or it can be used to season stir-fried vegetables. Cooks with an active imagination will use it as an ingredient in other dishes.

In China, red-orange powdered food color is used in the marinade. However, the red food color liquid available anywhere in the United States works perfectly. Large bottles of this food color can be obtained at restaurant-supply food stores inexpensively. Chinese cooks here in the United States usually use the American liquid food color.

Below, you will see that
clear
honey is required. If your honey has crystallized, it may be clarified quickly in a microwave. Put the required amount of honey in a small bowl, and zap it for 15 seconds at a time repeatedly in the microwave oven until it is clear.

CASINGS

The casings should not be prepared until the marinating is finished and the marinated meat is ground. Fibrous casings 2½-inch (6.35 cm) in diameter are recommended. For 2½ pounds (1,150 g) of sausage, two fibrous casings—12 inches (30 cm) long—will be required. Prepare the fibrous casings by soaking them in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Be sure to put warm water inside the casings.

MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork shoulder butt that contains about 20 percent fat. Cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the pork while the marinade is being prepared.

THE MARINADE FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

cup (80 ml) honey (clear)

¼ cup (60 ml) sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) sherry, or
shao hsing
wine

3 Tbsp. (45 ml) soy sauce

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) grated fresh ginger, or 1 tsp. (5 ml) powdered ginger 1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) red food color (liquid)

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) white pepper, finely ground

2 cloves garlic, minced, or ¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) garlic powder

MARINATING, MIXING AND STUFFING

Day 1, morning

Prepare the marinade. Marinate the cubes of pork until the morning of Day 3. Stir the pork cubes or shake the container several times a day.

Day 3, morning

1. Remove the meat from the marinade and drain. Do not rinse. Discard the marinade. Grind the well-chilled pork with a coarse plate. A coarse plate will give the sausage a country-style bite texture. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. Stuff the sausage into fibrous casings. Insert the cable probe of an electronic thermometer in the open end of one of the sausages. Close the casing around the probe with butcher’s twine.

3. This sausage is a type of fresh sausage, so it should not be smoked. Steaming is recommended. Steaming and other cooking options are explained in Chapter 6.

Chipolata Sausage

Because this sausage has a Spanish-sounding name, I was surprised to learn that chipolata has been made in England for such a long time that the English consider it a British sausage. In fact, many people believe that the famous English banger is based on this sausage. The chipolata sausage, it seems, originated in Mexico, and somehow found its way to England; hence the Spanish-sounding name.

These mild, unassertive sausages are stuffed into sheep casings and twisted into short links—2 inches (5 cm) or less. The links have the nickname “little fingers.” They are often used as cocktail sausages.

Powdered skim milk is not used in this formula. It is not required because the breadcrumbs function to retain moisture and plump the sausage links.

THE CASINGS

Sheep casing must be used if the sausages are to have the proper appearance. If 24 to 26 mm (1 in. to 1
in.) sheep casing is to be used, prepare at least 14 feet (420 cm) of casing. Rinse the casings, and soak them in water overnight. Rinse them again, and soak in warm water a few minutes before using.

MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork shoulder butt that contains about 20 percent fat. Cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat, and chill the meat grinder and the sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

OTHER INGREDIENTS AND SEASONINGS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) onion granules

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) white pepper, finely ground

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) ground coriander—packed in the spoon

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) paprika

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) nutmeg

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) thyme

⅛ tsp. (0.625 ml) cayenne

¼ cup (60 ml) dry breadcrumbs,
not
packed in the cup

cup (80 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the well-chilled pork with a fine plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the seasoning and other ingredients except for the ground pork. Place this mixture in the freezer to cool rapidly.

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

4. Stuff the sausage paste into the casings, and twist into 2-inch (5 cm) links. (Because the sausage rope will be twisted into many short links, it is best to stuff the casings a little more loosely than normal to prevent ruptures.) Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use a covered container.

5. Sausages that will not be eaten within one day should be wrapped in plastic food wrap, placed in a plastic bag, and frozen.

Sauté or grill the links. Please see Chapter 6 for cooking suggestions.

Classic Breakfast Sausage

This is not a clone of the popular Jimmy Dean brand breakfast sausage, but the taste is similar. It is good made into patties or stuffed into sheep casings.

THE CASING

If 24 to 26 mm (1 in. to 1
¹
⁄16 in.) sheep casing is to be used, prepare at least 14 feet (420 cm) of casing. Soak it in water, in the refrigerator, overnight. Rinse again, and soak it in warm water before using.

MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE

Prepare 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of pork shoulder butt that contains about 20 percent fat, or use 2 lbs. (910 g) of lean pork and ½ lb. (225 g) of back fat; cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat, and put the meat grinder in the refrigerator. If the sausage stuffer will be used, refrigerate it as well.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2½ tsp. (12.5 ml) salt

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) sage, rubbed—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) parsley, dried, crushed

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) coriander, ground—packed in the spoon

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) MSG (optional)

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) black pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) thyme

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) cayenne

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) water

¼ cup (60 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. Grind the pork with a 
³
⁄16-inch (4.8 mm) or smaller plate, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

2. Mix the seasoning, powdered skim milk, and water in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. Blend the meat and the seasoning well by kneading for about three minutes. Shape the mixture into 
-inch (10 mm) thick patties, and wrap them in plastic food wrap. Alternatively, stuff the sausage into sheep casings.