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| Well marbled pork shoulder |
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| Diced back fat |
Sausages are at their best when you have the opportunity to make them yourself. With home made sausages you can control the quality of the meats used, and specially the amount of fat you add. But yes, you will need to add fat to ensure your sausages are juicy and pumped when grilled. Home made sausages do have a lower fat ratio than commercial links, but they still need fat. You can accomplish this by either using well marbled meats or by adding back fat. This should not be of concern, since the amounts to be used are still very low when compared to commercial sausages. I would not recommend to remove the fat from your sausages, as this will make the dry, grainy and just yukky.
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| Spices |
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| Smoked sausage cut to reveals spices |
High quality spices will go a long way to give your sausages a rainbow of flavor, not to forget that they will look great when you cut them, and you can see them perfectly arranged inside the meat. Mustard and coriander seeds are perfect, they stay whole when mixed and look great on your links.
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| meat & spices |
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| Well mixed ingredients |
Add the spices to your meats prior grinding, and if possible let them marinate overnight prior grinding. Thorough mixture of your spices with your meats and back fat is critical to ensure even taste for all your links. If you plan to smoke your sausages adding a binder, such as soy powder, helps ensure the links will retain their moisture when grilled. Small portions of liquid are essential, and any liquid will do from water to rum.
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| Stuffing machine |
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| Stuffing the tripe |
The use of the right equipment is essential. From the grinder and the mixer to the stuffing machine, you want to make sure you are using the right tools when making home made sausages. Keeping the stuffing machine and your meats very cold throughout the process will make the grinding and stuffing processes easier, and will maintain the integrity of the food. A little water on the receiving tray will go a long way to help the tripe slide.
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| Hot smoked links |
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| Sausages in the smoker |
Stuff all your tripe first, then you can make the links by either twisting them, or tying them with cords. The length is up to you. We prefer animal tripe (fresh or dry) to synthetic casings.
Whether you are making fresh sausages or you will smoke them, home made sausages are the best you can have. Smoking sausages gives them a very nice color, not to mention the added flavor. Apple & cherry wood are the best for these links, and remember to spray them with apple juice every now and then while in the smoker.
When your links are ready give the a quick bath in icy water, this will stop the cooking process and ensure your links are not overcooked.
Enjoy!
