I want to make my own Italian Sausage....

[suziquzie]

My store has Country Style ribs on sale for $1.28 a lb and I am going to stock up.... these are just shoulder cut into strips, correct?
Could I use them to make sausage?

[joec]

Here is a good basic recipe for both hot or mild Italian sausage. All you need is about 2 lbs of ground pork, fennel seeds, garlic, sweet paprika, sugar and red wine vinegar. Sausage is really easy to make be it Italian, or any other type really. The recipe below is easy but you can add or subtract what ever you like as well.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Make_your_own_Italian_sausage_This_recipe_is_so_ea sy

[BamsBBQ]

Fresh Sicilian-Style Sausage
10 lbs ground Pork Butt 60% fat
3 tablespoons Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons fresh Black Pepper,
coarsely ground
4 cloves Garlic finely minced
5 teaspoons Fennel seed
2 teaspoons Anise seed
1 tablespoon crushed Red Pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped Sweet Basil
2 tablespoons Corn Sugar
2 teaspoon Citric Acid
½ teaspoons Coriander, ground
2 cups Water

Chill meat to about 36°F.
Crush fennel, anise, red pepper together in a mortise and pestle.
Combine all ingredients above mix together well, add water and mix well and add to meat.
Stuff in 30 mm casings.
Note: Use Encapsulated Citric Acid and 2 teaspoons Prague Powder #1 to above recipe if
you plan on smoking!


Fresh Hot Italian Sausage


10 lbs ground Pork Butt 60% fat
3 tablespoons Kosher or Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Black Pepper, coarsely ground
4 cloves Garlic finely minced
5 tablespoons Fennel seed
5 tablespoons Anise
1 tablespoon Paprika
2 tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Corn Sugar
2 teaspoons Citric Acid
Chill meat to about 36°F.
Crush fennel, anise, red pepper together in a mortise and pestle.
Combine all ingredients above mix together well, add water and mix well and add to meat.
Stuff in 30 mm casings.
Note: Use Encapsulated Citric Acid and 2 teaspoons Prague Powder #1 to above recipe if you plan on smoking!

[suziquzie]

thanks guys! the cheapskate in me decided making my own at 1.28 a lb plus a couple spices I already have was WAY better than buying it at $4 a lb!!!

[chowhound]

Do you have a sausage grinder, Suzi, with the casing attachment? Or are you going to leave it loose?

[suziquzie]

I do have both but I'm not going to do casings..... I hardly ever use or buy it that way anyway.

[chowhound]

I love loose Italian sausage in spaghetti sauce. Half the time I end up cutting it apart if I can't find any loose.

[suziquzie]

lol, yep, and most of the time my spaghetti is a last minute meal, and getting the casings off half or mostly frozen sausage makes it NOT a fast meal!

[BamsBBQ]

I do have both but I'm not going to do casings..... I hardly ever use or buy it that way anyway.

i have both as well and 9 times out of 10 i just make them into patties

[Adillo303]

Shopping today for Pork to make Kielbasa and Italian Sausage.

Is there another name for pork butt?

[chilefarmer]

Andy, sometimes here it called Boston Butt roast. CF

[Adillo303]

Thank You CF.

[bigjim]

I think it sometimes labelled pork shoulder here.
Generally speaking, any pork with the right amount of fat will work well. Commercial sausage is mostly made from pork trimmings. The country style ribs work well.

[joec]

I like to blanch the sausage in hot water for about 1 minute then remove it. At that point cut it into about 1" pieces then in to hot sauce for about 1 hours. I make my own also pretty much like the hot Italian recipe Bam posted. I tend to make half in casings and have loose that I use to make meat sauces or meatballs mixed with ground beef and veal.

I've also browned them after blanching but not when I sauce cook them which is my preference. But then I like to cook my meat balls in red sauce too.

Some of my other favorite things with Italian sausage are sausage and peppers as well as a dish my grandmother taught me. Take a large can for Chickpeas (Garbanzo) or Catalonia Beans and empty into a sauce pan. Add garlic (to taste), fresh basil, and a cup of good olive oil. Bring up to a boil then cover and let simmer on low. Meanwhile brown up some sausage and make some a pound of ditalin (elbow works too) pasta. Now add the pasta and the sausage cut to bit size. Now serve it with your favorite cheese sprinkled on top. This is also great as left overs.

[QSis]

Whole pork shoulder consists of the butt and the shank sections.

Boneless pork butt is the easiest to use to make sausage, since you don't have to cut around and remove any bone.

Lee

[Adillo303]

Lee - you are a lifesaver. I went to the local grocery store and no one at the meat counter knew what a pork butt. When i asked for a Boston butt, they asked me what the score was in the game.

Anyway, I got a whole shoulder for $.99 a pound and I do not mind trimming at all. Now. I realize that I hit a home run. I got a butt and a good price.

[JoeV]

Lee - you are a lifesaver. I went to the local grocery store and no one at the meat counter knew what a pork butt. When i asked for a Boston butt, they asked me what the score was in the game.

Anyway, I got a whole shoulder for $.99 a pound and I do not mind trimming at all. Now. I realize that I hit a home run. I got a butt and a good price.WOWZER!!! I have not seen butts at that price in over two years. They are usually TWICE that price here, and that is the sale price. If I could buy them for $.99/lb, I would buy a case of them and freeze them.

[QSis]

I went to the local grocery store and no one at the meat counter knew what a pork butt. When i asked for a Boston butt, they asked me what the score was in the game.



Geez, that's hard to believe. It's such a common cut! LOL!

Keep us posted on your progress, Andy!

Lee

[Adillo303]

My local groceey store is a regional store. They serve a lpt of ethnic groups. There are things in the produve depaetment that i can only imagine what theu are. I am sorry to admit that language is a problem.

Joe, I may just go get another.

[JoeV]

Joe, I may just go get another. I checked our local market as well as the rip-off store, Giant Eagle, and the best price this week on butts is $2.39/lb. Sure wish I lived closer to you, because I'd be in sausage heaven. We made these with butts that were $1.99/lb back in January, when pork price used to be their lowest at around $99/lb. You da man, Andy. Show us some pics when you get going.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/flyfishohio/Food/Italiansausage011612.jpg

[chilefarmer]

Nice, sausage photo Joe. I been on this bacon kick but am about to change gears. Sausage is getting low. But do still have a belly in the freezer.
Andy, super buy. If you have the freezer room, me I would load up. That is one great price. pork Butt here on sale (when you can find) 1.97. CF