Homemade sausages

I have been making homemade sausages every winter for as long as I can remember. Cleaning the casings, mixing the meat, smelling the spices – the whole process takes an entire day, but it’s worth it. Generally, I only use fresh meat and simple spices to taste the meat, not just the aroma on my hands.

Quick info

Total time: about 24 hours (including overnight seasoning)
Servings: 30-35 sausages (from 6 kg of meat)
Difficulty: medium (requires some patience and attention)

Ingredients

4 kg pork shoulder (I choose a not too lean shoulder so the sausages don’t turn out dry)
2 kg pork belly (adds fat and flavor)
500 g garlic (peeled, pressed)
200 g dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons coarse salt (I put less at first, taste after the first meatball)
4 tablespoons ground red hot pepper (or sweet, if you don't want them too spicy)
approx. 10 m natural pork casings (washed and kept in water with a little vinegar)

Preparation method

1. Grind the pork (shoulder and belly) using a meat grinder with medium holes. Mix the ground meat in a large bowl.
2. Add the crushed garlic, thyme, pepper, salt, and ground pepper. Knead the mixture by hand for 10-15 minutes to evenly distribute the spices and make it slightly sticky.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate until the next day to let the flavors blend. It’s easiest to leave it on the balcony if it’s cold.
4. The next day, take some of the mixture and form a small meatball. Fry it in a pan, then taste. Depending on what I feel, I adjust the salt, pepper, or pepper. If needed, I add a splash of cold water if the mixture seems too dry.
5. I rinse the casings again with cold water before starting to fill them, even if they have been hydrated overnight.
6. Attach the sausage stuffing tube to the meat grinder, pull a meter of casing onto the tube, and tie the end.
7. Fill the casing with the meat mixture, not packing it too tightly, or else it will burst when frying or drying. As I fill, I form sausages about 20-30 cm long by twisting them.
8. As I finish, I place the sausages on a tray in a single layer so they don’t stick together. I let them dry in a cool, airy place for about 24-48 hours. If it’s too warm, just in the fridge.
9. They can be smoked or kept fresh for freezing or frying.

Why I make this recipe often

I make this recipe year after year because I know exactly what goes into the sausages. They are suitable for freezing and smoking. I like that I can control how spicy they are and how much garlic I use. They store well in the freezer without losing flavor.

Tips and variations

Tips

- Use the freshest meat possible. Don’t leave the ground meat in a warm place.
- From the first day, don’t add all the salt and spices; it’s easier to adjust after tasting the meatball.
- Knead the meat well, otherwise the sausages will be crumbly when frying.
- For a juicier texture, add 50-100 ml of cold water at the end.
- Don’t pack the filling too tightly in the casing; leave a little room, or the sausages will burst.

Substitutions

- If you can’t find pork casings, you can use beef casings for thicker sausages or sheep casings for smaller ones, but the taste will be slightly different.
- You can replace some of the pork shoulder with beef (maximum 1 kg for this amount), but the final texture will be firmer.
- For a less intense garlic flavor, reduce the amount to 300 g.

Variations

- For smoked sausages, after drying, let them smoke for 6-8 hours.
- If you want a different flavor, add smoked paprika or ground coriander (1-2 teaspoons).
- You can also make sausages only from pork belly and shoulder if you want more fat.
- For fresh sausages to fry (without drying), use less thyme and hot pepper.

Serving ideas

- Fried, with mashed potatoes or polenta.
- On the grill, with mustard and bread.
- Braised in tomato sauce.
- Sliced thinly after smoking for cold platters.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I use frozen store-bought pork?
You can use it, but it’s best to use fresh. Thawed meat releases more water and is harder to mix, and the sausages may turn out drier or burst.

2. How long should the sausages dry?
It depends on the temperature and humidity of the place where you dry them. On average, 24-48 hours at 2-6°C is sufficient. If you want very dry sausages, leave them for 4-5 days, but check daily to ensure they don’t mold.

3. Can they be stored un-smoked?
Yes, un-smoked sausages can be frozen without any problem. If you don’t freeze them, keep them in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days.

4. Can I skip the hot pepper altogether?
Sure. You can use only sweet pepper or none at all, depending on your preferences. The sausages will be milder in taste.

5. Why should the mixture be left in the cold overnight?
So that the flavors can blend and the spices penetrate the meat. Additionally, the mixture binds better, and the sausages won’t fall apart when frying.

Nutritional values (per 100 g of raw sausages)

Calories: about 280 kcal
Protein: 17 g
Fat: 23 g
Carbohydrates: less than 1 g
Values vary depending on the ratio of lean meat/fat and spices.

Storage and reheating

Fresh sausages can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days. For longer storage, I put them in the freezer, packed in bags, where they last without problems for 2-3 months. Dried or smoked sausages last in the cool (below 8°C) for up to 2-3 weeks, well-ventilated. When reheating, I put them directly in the pan or on the grill, without complete thawing, on low heat, so the casing doesn’t burst.

 Ingredients: 4 kg pork shoulder 2 kg bacon 1/2 kg garlic 200 g dried thyme 1 tablespoon ground pepper 2-3 tablespoons table salt 4 tablespoons ground red chili 10 m of casing for stuffing

 Tags:  homemade sausages