text: March 2012 – Steaks and Chops
  Knowing how to make your own sausage is a great skill for any home cook. I'm going to show you the basic technique of making fresh sausage. Once you understand the simple procedures and seasoning ratios, you're free to get creative. You can follow recipes for tried and true sausages like Mexican Chorizo, Italian sausage, and Bratwurst, or you can customize sausages with seasonings you like and name them after yourself. Sausage making originated as the outcome of efficient butchery;…
  Choosing a grinder There are several things to consider when deciding which kind of grinder to purchase: 1: How often do you plan on making sausage, and in what amounts? 2: How much time are you willing to spend grinding meat? 3: How much money are you willing to spend? Most homemade sausage recipes require you to grind 5-10 pounds of meat. The larger the grinder is, the faster it will grind. This saves you time, and also cuts down…
  After the meat has been ground, the next step is to mix the sausage and create what is known as the primary bind. Ground meat does not hold together on it's own, so it has to be kneaded a little. The action of kneading develops the protein in the meat called myosin which, when combined with salt and water, will create a sticky mass of meat. This is the primary bind. Sausage that hasn't been properly mixed will not have…