There is nothing like a good home made sausage......

Acording to legislation there has to be a minimum of 42% meat to call it a sausage. The question to ask is what is the other 58% made up from?

I make sausages with a minimum of 75% pork shoulder because I like mine to have added flavours and a bit of rusk to keep all the juices intact.

My basic recipe which is below is the one I was given by my supplier weschenfelder although I make larger quantities in kilo's now where their recipe is in pounds. All it means is i have 2.2 times the quantity at every sausage making session.

5 kilos of lean Pork
2.5 kilo's Fat Pork (i.e. Belly Pork)
0.75 kilo's of Dried Pinhead Rusk
1.5 kilo's Water (cold or iced) I used iced.
0.25 kilo's Seasoning

Method
Cut the meat into cubes or thin strips and mince ensuring the Lean Pork and Belly Pork are well mixed. My butcher takes off the rind and cubes the meat for me at no extra cost and this is an amazing help.

Then add the seasonings & mix well. I scrunch the seasoning and meat together through clean hands.

Add the water gradually and mix thoroughly into the meat using clean hands. Finally add the rusk & again mix .

There is a lot of mixing but this does really help make a wonderful sausage, trust me.
At this point you can fill directly into the casings…..or alternatively put through the mincer a second time. This really mixes all the products together & produces a slightly thinner chop. Use a coarse plate (8mm or10mm ) if you want the texture to remain fairly coarse.

Of course this is only the start. Once you have made your own sausages for the first time you will never ever go back to shop bought ones. I was in my suppliers one day getting suplies and a very well to do gentleman drove his new rolls royce into the car park. 

He came into the shop and bought sausage making supplies and being a people person I asked what his favourite seasoning was and why he was buying sausage making products if he was wealthy enough to drive a new RR. his reply was

" I know what goes in them and how good they taste".

Simples really.