Jack Grampa's Italian Sausage

Daddo's Recipes • Heritage Favorites • Italian

Ingredients

Italian blend                                                                                                           Pepperoni

  •   10 lbs. pork Boston butt - sausage grind                                               Same ingredients as Italian blend, adding 1 tsp. ascorbic acid
  •   10 lbs. beef chuck or round - sausage grind                                          and 1 tsp. saltpeter                                 
  •   1/2 lb. Salt Pork - sausage grind
  •   1 C dry, red wine
  •   3 T. crushed red pepper
  •   1 T whole black pepper
  •   2 T mustard seed
  •   4 T curing salt
  •    l tsp. dry oregano 
  •   1 T crushed anise seed
  •   3 T Hungarian paprika
  •   1 tsp black pepper
  •   2 T crushed very finely minced fresh garlic
  •   1 C cold water
  •   2 skeins casings - Sprouts is a good source

Preparation

Setting up the Sausage press:

Thoroughly clean all equipment and working surface that are being used.

  1. Secure press to mounting board and secure board to working surface
  2. Place filling horn on the press and lubricate with a small amount of meat mixture.
  3. Next open one end of the casing and slide all of the casing onto the press horn when you come to the other open end of the casing tie a small knot. (This will keep the sausage blend from coming out of the casing)
  4. You are now ready to make your sausage. Slowly turn the crank while someone catches the sausage and casing. (be careful not to allow the meat to pack tightly you will want a firm pack inside the casing so that the sausage can be formed into individual links) as the sausage is coming out of the press I usually roll the sausage to make a big circle onto the prep table.
  5. *Next you will want to remove the air bubbles from the sausage before you form the links. This is done by pricking the sausage roll with a very small needle. (I usually make my own tool by inserting 3 sewing needles into a small wine cork spacing about 1/4 inch apart forming a small triangle on one end of the cork)

  6. The next step is to link the sausage into manageable serving portions. I usually make 6” to 8” links. Starting at the end of your sausage wheel measure, turn the sausage 3 to 4 twists, measure the next link and repeat the process. Continue this process until four links are made cut the four links keeping the links together. Then repeat the process until all sausage has been linked together in four sausage link increments.*NOTE: The reason we remove the air from the sausage; while linking the sausage and in the cooking process the sausage will expand and the casings will split.

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS:

*Casing will need to be rinsed and placed in a bowl with cold water until ready to use.

  (I usually add a little ice to the casings water to make sure the stay cool)

  1. Rinse the casing under cool running water to remove any salt stuck to it.
  2. Place it in a bowl of cool water and let it soak for about 30 minutes. Wait for the casing to soak
  3. After soaking, rinse the casing under cool running water. Slip one end of the casing over the faucet nozzle. Hold the casing firmly on the nozzle, and then turn on the cold water, gently at first, and then more forcefully. This will flush out any salt in the casing and pinpoint any breaks.

Measure all dry ingredients, mix and place in a small mixing bowl

Grate fresh garlic and add to cold water add red wine separately

Place pork and Beef into a mixing tub and sprinkle 1/2 half of the dry ingredients over the meat and blend by hand adding 1/2 of the water and 1 cup of wine, continue mixing all ingredients and water as needed until all are blended together.

The meat mixture should feel slightly wet and will hold together when compressed together into a patty form. This will allow the mixture to be compressed through the sausage press.