Sweet Italian Sausage

  • 5 lbs ground pork
  • 3 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 hank natural pork casing (ask your local butcher or specialty food provider!)

A sausage stuffer is essential for this process. Kitchenaid makes a great attachment for their stand mixer that works well, but a free standing stuffer works best. In a bowl of cold water, soak the casings for 1 hour before making sausage. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except the casings, and mix well. Thread casings onto the appropriate size stuffer tube. Fill stuffer with sausage mixture. Applying very gentle pressure to the crank with one hand and threading the casing off the tube with the other, fill the casings with sausage meat, twisting the casing as you fill about every 6 inches. When all your sausage is stuffed place it in the fridge (unwrapped) to dry overnight. If you can hang it up in the fridge this is best.

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