Homemade Italian Sausage

Photo: flickr user sleepyneko

Ingredients

5 pounds Pork shoulder

1 cup Cold water

2 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon Freshly-ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Fennel seeds

1/2 cup Grated pecorino romano cheese

1/2 cup Chopped parsley

1/2 pound Hog sausage casing

Preparation

Trim the meat of all gristle but remember to not trim too much fat as the mixture should be approximately 80 percent lean to 20 percent fat. Cut the meat into chunks and pass through a meat grinder using the largest die. Pass the meat through again, this time using the medium die. Pass the sausage meat through one more time on this medium die.

In a large bowl mix the ground meat with the water, salt, pepper, fennel seed, cheese and parsley.

Wash the casing well under cold running water and allow water to run through the casing so that any holes may be detected. Fit the grinder with the sausage stuffing attachment and place the casing over the stuffing tube by feeding it on and bunching it up on the tube.

Place the meat in the hopper on top and begin to push the sausage meat down into the hopper so that it begins to feed into the casing. As the meat feeds into the casing, allow the casing to slide into your open hand. Catch the stuffed sausage as it comes out of the machine. Go at a slow and steady pace so that the sausage is fully, evenly, stuffed and without air pockets. To make individual links, twist the sausage every few inches as it is stuffed and let the finished ring of sausage lay on the work space as you finish the process. Continue until the meat is finished. Keep refrigerated and use with in one week or freeze for later use.

This recipe yields approximately 5 pounds finished sausage.