Making fresh sausages daily has been a mainstay of The Flora Butcher since we started. As a whole animal butcher shop, there are always meaty trim and pristine fat left over from creating the wide variety of both common and specialty cuts that we offer. We do sell things like ground pork, wagyu beef, lamb, goat etc. but it’s way more fun to take the time to make original sausages for our clientele to try.
We make about 25 different kinds of sausages each week. Some fresh, some cooked and then the ones that fall in between like Cajun boudin.(one of my childhood favorites) People develop their favorites but we do get people that buy one of each fresh sausage because they just can’t decide. Our fermented, then smoked, summer sausage has surpassed expectation and our andouille is not only a favorite but a common ingredient is my restaurants. I have also been surprised at the size of our international clientele. I have lived in many of the countries that they are originally from so it makes it easier to identify what they want. We have done dozens of custom sausages for customers representing every continent but one.
(Sorry, no penguin sausage yet)
If you want to make sausage at home then you need to start with the best and freshest ingredients. Of course, the “priced for quick sale” section is your enemy for meats but your other ingredients can make or break you as well. I have had the good fortune to have lived and worked all over the world and I have learned what the best of each region has to offer.
The amazing chefs that shared their considerable knowledge with me, all had that one thing in common. Use the best ingredients to make the best food. Sausage making is no different.
Everything from salts, produce, fresh herbs, quality spices, dried fruits, oils and even wine are a part of that. For example; In Italy near Ancona, I used to drive an hour, both ways into the Frasassi National Park on my day off to buy a truffle boar sausage from a little old man sold it out of the back his truck at a certain exit off of the autostrada(highway) I tried forever to recreate it but never wanted to waste an expense truffle oil on it and it never wowed me.
One day I bit the bullet and used a very expensive white truffle oil. The instant I tasted the end result, I was back there in that parking lot. Standing in the rain, my other chef friends and I using pocket knives to cut sausage and tear up fresh bread on the trunk of the car.
Collect all of your ingredients before you start. You want to cool off everything you will use from in your sausage but also the equipment that you need. In my own small kitchen, I would freeze the bowls for 30 minutes while I got the ingredients ready. I wouldn’t take out the ground meat until the last second.(if you are grinding your own, I recommend doing the same with the grinder parts)
Mix all or your ingredients together and keep working the mixture until it is smooth and even.
You want to see small strands for that seem to be helping the mixture bind well. It is possible to over mix but that is much, much less common than under mixing.
Fill your sausage stuffer and slide your casings over the horn. Soaking them in water prior will help them slide on easily. Keep going until the entire casing is on. Pull the end until it is about 2 inches off the horn and start to push the filling out. Put one hand around the casing as it is being filled and apply some pressure. You want it to stay firm enough to fill the casing but not so much that it will burst the casing. It takes practice but it will become easier in a short amount of time. After than it slides off easily.
Linking is not always necessary but is important for us for presentation and for keeping the filing in the casing once cut. You will find sausages that are specifically not linked but coiled like a Toulouse but practice your linking anyway in the beginning. Gently pinch the sausage about 6 inches apart to push the meat out of those spots. Then flick your wrists like you are doing a one man jump rope and it will tighten up the sausage. (Note: If you have excessive air pockets, use a clean sewing needle to prick those spots and release the air)
This Moroccan lamb sausage is considered one of their culinary gifts to the world. Recipes range from spicy to mild and from simple to complex. The simplest recipes are nothing more than Harissa, which is a Tunisian chili sauce, mixed with ground fatty lamb and stuffed into a casing. Because the Harissa can come in a varieties of styles and spice, many use some and then their own additions. Still others avoid it by basically using all of the classic ingredients but controlling their ratios. We are of this school of thought and enjoy making our own variations of this classic sausage
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl until very evenly mixed. Stuff into sheep casings
and then twist to make 4” little sausages.
4 Pounds Ground Lamb
1 Pound Ground Lamb Fat
2 T. Salt
1 teas. Granulated Sugar
1.5 teas. Dried Calabrian chilies, minced
2 T. Granulated Garlic
. Cup Roasted Red Peppers, diced
. Serrano Peppers, diced
1 T. Black Pepper
2 T. Smoked Spanish Paprika
. teas. Ground Coriander
. teas. Ground Cumin
. teas. Ground Fennel
1 teas. Dried Oregano
. TCup Dry Red Wine
. Cup Cold Water
Sheep Casings for stuffing
