Sausages!

Ah meat stuffed in a casing, is there a better grill meat? Sure steaks, but I'd say burgers are a toss up. I've made sausage a few times and it was never quite right. The last attempt was solid but the people on the internet I trust say that you need a sausage stuffer. I received a stuffer for Christmas from my father and after weathering the tax storm I now have time to use it.

So in totally over the top pent up winter exuberance I'm going to make three types of sausages in a single day. I found all three recipes in the great book Bruce Aidells's Complete Sausage Book It's really a nice resource for knowing what makes sausages work, with proven recipes, A large chunk of the book also helps you use your sausages in other dishes so that you can use the many feet of sausage that you now own.

(Pictures and Stuff after the break.)

First is a savory sage sausage.

Flavored with Sage, Summer Savory, Cayenne Pepper, Marjoram, Thyme and Ginger.

It was succulent, a really good sausage. This was just a damn good sausage.

Second is a "Hunter's Sausage" made with smoked bacon.

Flavored with Bacon, Yellow Mustard, Garlic, Hungarian Paprika, Mustard,  Coriander, Nutmeg, and Ginger

This was really mustardy, it reminded me of a charcoal cooked cheddar brat. This was really good.

And finally is a sweet Italian Fennel sausage.

Flavored with Garlic, Fennel Seeds, Oregano, and Allspice

At least as good as store bought. The fennel and the natural sweetness of the pork combined to make the sausage great. The fennel wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped so next time I'd turn it up to 11.

I've chosen not to reproduce the complete recipes because they are not my own. but they are all dynamite. I took three of the sausages for myself at the time of vacuum sealing and baked them in the oven nice and slow. Lots of fat rendered out and what remained was finally a home made sausage worthy of raving about. 

This Thing Was Worth Every Penny...

And it works just about how you'd expect, meat goes in the cylinder and is pushed out through the bottom as you crank. One thing I learned is that I should have mounted it onto a cutting board or another surface so that it would be a little more stable. If you intend to work one of these hand crank models you'll want the base of it secured. Click the pictures below for a closer view of the pictures I took.