Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (34 page)

4. 
 Refrigerate the stuffed sausage overnight so the seasoning and curing powder will blend with the meat.

The next morning, the sausage may be smoked. Please see Chapter 7 for smoking instructions and suggestions. Cold smoking and steam cooking is recommended. If the sausage will not be smoked, steaming or poaching is recommended. Cooking by steaming or poaching is explained in Chapter 6.

Old-Fashioned Frankfurter

The commercially produced frankfurter that we know today is made of emulsified meat. It is the most popular sausage in the United States and in several other countries. The frankfurter is also called wiener, frank, or hot dog. (Please see Chapter 10 for information about emulsified sausage.)

Many people believe that the original frankfurter was made in Frankfurt, Germany, though not all experts agree on this. However, no matter where it

originated, it was not made with emulsified meat; meat emulsifiers did not exist at that time. It is with this fact in mind that the words 
old-fashioned
 are used to name this product; the product below will be much more like the original frankfurters than the ones sold in grocery stores today.

CASING

Prepare 7 feet (210 cm) of hog casing; rinse thoroughly. Refrigerate the casing overnight in a little water. Rinse again, and soak in warm water before using.

MEAT

Prepare 1½ lbs. (680 g) of pork butt and 1 lb. (450 g) of beef chuck; cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes. While the meat is being prepared, refrigerate the meat grinder and stuffer.

Grind the meat with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) plate—or use a plate with smaller holes, if available. Chill the meat again for about 30 minutes, and then grind it one more time if you want the meat ground finer. Return the ground meat to the refrigerator while the seasoning and other ingredients are being prepared.

THE SEASONING AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) coriander, ground—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) onion powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) black pepper, finely ground

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) mustard, ground—packed in the spoon

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) garlic powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) marjoram

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) mace

1 egg, large, well beaten

¹
⁄3 cup (80 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Mix all the seasoning ingredients (including the egg, water, and powdered skim milk) in a 5-quart (5 liter) mixing bowl. Refrigerate this seasoning mixture for about 15 minutes.

2. 
 Blend the meat and the seasoning well by kneading for about three minutes.

3. 
 Stuff the sausage in hog casings, and twist the sausage rope into links.

4. 
 Refrigerate the links overnight in an uncovered container.

5. 
 If you wish to smoke the franks, please see Chapter 7 for suggestions and directions. (Frankfurters are traditionally smoked.) If you wish to omit smoking, please see the cooking suggestions in Chapter 6.

Old-Fashioned Loaf

When I was young, this product could be found in all the large grocery stores, but I have not seen it in recent years. It was not as popular as pressed ham, for example, but it was a good lunchmeat if the processor made it with quality ingredients.

Old-fashioned loaf may be processed in a bread loaf pan and steamed— please see 
Sausage Loaf (Lunchmeat Loaf)
 in Chapter 6. If fibrous casings are preferred, the instructions are given below.

The sausage in this formula is not emulsified. If you prefer emulsified old-fashioned loaf, please read HOW TO EMULSIFY SAUSAGE in Chapter 10 and follow the emulsification instructions given for either Beef Bologna or Bologna in that chapter.

Old-fashioned loaf is not smoked.

CASING

The 2½-inch (6.4 cm) fibrous casings work well for this sausage. For 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of sausage, two fibrous casings—each 12 inches (30 cm) long—will be required. Prepare the fibrous casings by soaking them in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Be sure to put water inside the casings.

THE MEAT

Prepare 1¾ lbs. (800 g) of pork butt and ¾ lbs. (350 g) of beef chuck. Refrigerate. While the meat is being prepared, chill the meat grinder and stuffer.

Cut the meat into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes. Grind with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) or smaller plate.

SEASONINGS

2¼ tsp. (11.25 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) onion powder

¾ tsp. (3.75 ml) white pepper

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) ground celery seed

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) ground coriander—packed in the spoon

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) light corn syrup

¼ cup (60 ml) ice water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Mix all the seasoning ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, including the water and powdered milk.

2. 
 Add the meat to the seasoning mixture. Blend by kneading until it is uniform. This will require about three minutes.

3. 
 Stuff the sausage into casings. Insert the cable probe of an electronic thermometer in the open end of one of the sausages, and close the casing around the probe with butcher’s twine.

4. 
 Refrigerate the stuffed sausage overnight so the seasoning and curing powder will blend with the meat.

Cooking by steaming or poaching is explained in Chapter 6.

Parmesan Cheese Sausage

This is a tasty and unusual variety of Italian sausage. The copious Parmesan cheese and wine make the difference. If a stronger cheese flavor is desired, Romano cheese may be used in place of all or part of the Parmesan.

CASINGS

Hog casing is recommended. Rinse 7 feet (210 cm), and refrigerate it overnight in a little water. Rinse again, and soak in warm water for a few minutes before using.

THE MEAT FOR 2½ LBS. (1,150 G) OF SAUSAGE LINKS

Prepare 1½ lbs. (680 g) of pork shoulder and 1 lb. (450 g) of beef chuck. Cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes and refrigerate. While this meat is being prepared, chill the grinder and sausage stuffer in the refrigerator.

SEASONINGS AND OTHER INGREDIENTS

1½ tsp. (7.5 ml) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) parsley, dried

1 tsp. (5 ml) fennel seed, coarse ground or powder

2 tsp. (10 ml) whole mustard seed

2 tsp. (10 ml) brown sugar—packed in the spoon

1 tsp. (5 ml) black pepper, ground

1 tsp. (5 ml) red pepper flakes

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) granulated garlic

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) oregano

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) basil, dried and crushed

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) powdered bay leaf

½ cup (120 ml) finely powdered skim milk

½ cup (120 ml) parmesan cheese, grated

¹
⁄3 cup (80 ml) cold red wine

¼ cup (60 ml) cold water

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Grind the chilled meat with a ¼-inch (6.35 mm) coarse plate. Refrigerate the ground meat for about 30 minutes.

2. 
 While the meat is chilling, mix all the remaining ingredients thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate this mixture for about 15 minutes.

3. 
 Add the chilled ground meat to the seasoning mixture, and knead until it is well mixed and uniform. This will require about three minutes. Chill this meat and seasoning mixture again while the sausage stuffer and casings are being prepared.

4. 
 Stuff the sausage into the casing, and twist the sausage rope into links. Refrigerate the links overnight to permit the seasoning to be absorbed by the meat. Use an uncovered container (or cover with paper towels) so the casings will dry on the surface.

5. 
 If you wish to smoke the links, please see Chapter 7 for suggestions and directions. If you wish to omit smoking, please go directly to the cooking suggestions in Chapter 6.

Pastrami Sausage

After successfully making many kinds of tasty luncheon meats, I realized that I had never made a luncheon meat sausage with 100 percent beef. I have never heard of a product called 
pastrami sausage
, but I thought that a beef-based product that is seasoned like pastrami would be very good; I was correct. The kinds of spices used in this sausage are the same as those I use when I cure solid-muscle beef to make regular smoked pastrami.

The instructions below assume that you will use a fibrous casing. However, it may be processed in a loaf pan instead—see 
Sausage Loaf (Lunchmeat Loaf)
 in Chapter 6.

CASING

The 2½-inch (6.35 cm) fibrous casings are ideal for this sausage. For 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of sausage, two fibrous casings—each 12 inches (30 cm) long—will be required. Prepare the fibrous casings by soaking in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes. Be sure to put warm water inside the casings.

MEAT

Use 2½ lbs. (1,150 g) of fatty ground chuck. You could also use 2 lbs. (900 g) of lean beef and ½ lb. (225 g) of pork fat if you have only lean beef on hand.

Another option for the raw material would be venison, bear, elk, or moose. Wild game meat that has been trimmed of all fat and mixed with an equal amount of fatty pork or beef would make an excellent product.

Trim the meats, and cut into ¾-inch (2 cm) cubes. Refrigerate the meat for at least 30 minutes. While the meat is being prepared, chill the meat grinder and stuffer.

Grind the meat with a 
-inch (4.8 mm) plate, or use a plate with smaller holes, if available. Chill the meat again while the seasoning and other ingredients are being prepared.

THE SEASONING

2 tsp. (10 ml) salt

2 tsp. (10 ml) light corn syrup

2 tsp. (10 ml) black peppercorns, cracked

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) Cure #1

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) onion powder

½ tsp. (2.5 ml) garlic powder

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) cayenne

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) paprika

¼ tsp. (1.25 ml) oregano

⅛ tsp. (0.625 ml) allspice

⅛ tsp. (0.625 ml) ginger powder

¼ cup (60 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) powdered skim milk

MIXING AND STUFFING

1. 
 Mix all the seasoning ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, including the water and powdered milk.

2. 
 Add the meat to the seasoning mixture. Blend by kneading until it is uniform. This will require about three minutes.

3. 
 Stuff the sausage into casings. Insert the cable probe of an electronic thermometer in the open end of one of the sausages, and close the casing around the probe with butcher’s twine.