Country Sausage
Southern-style country sausage, best for breakfast
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
- Scale
- Metal bowl
- Meat grinder
- Nonreactive container
- Sausage stuffer (optional)
- Sausage bag (optional)
- Smoker (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds lean pork
- 14 ounces fatback
- 45 grams salt
- 3 grams cure 1 (pink salt)
- 10 grams black peppercorns
- 53 grams ginger, minced
- 6 grams garlic
- 10 grams sage leaves
- 1 gram cayenne powder
- 50 grams sorghum
- 1 1/2 cups crushed ice
- 43 grams dehydrated milk solids (optional)
Instructions
- Cut meat and fat into strips, about 1/2"x1/2"x4" long or longer. Chill thoroughly.
- Toast sage leaves in saute pan on low heat until fragrant with grey spots. Chiffonade.
- Grind black peppercorns thoroughly.
- Toss meat and fat with spices and grind thought 3/16" grinder die. Mix with ice until thoroughly incorporated and rest overnight.
- Mix sausage and test to confirm emulsion: it should appear shaggy, feel sticky, and try to form a single mass. Fry a small amount in a dry pan: it should render very little fat and have a slightly firm, juicy texture.
- If smoking, stuff into sausage sacks and cold smoke up to 6 hours. Refrigerate, slice or patty, and fry to serve.
Notes
Milk solids are optional here: fresh meat of good quality will bind correctly if you keep it cold and let it rest overnight. Milk solids produce a firmer, bouncier product.