Passion for Pork www.PassionforPork.com

Sausage Making 101 with Allan Suddaby

Sharman - Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Allan Suddaby's sausage making class at Eat Alberta 2012

When I signed up for the Eat Alberta Conference in April, the session I was most excited about was Artisan Sausage Making with Allan Suddaby.

It’s probably a mix of my Ukrainian/German ethnic heritage, but I grew up on

diced

  • 300 g pork back fat, diced
  • 36g kosher salt
  • 64g minced garlic
  • 16g coarsely chopped fresh oregano
  • 8g ground black pepper
  • 110ml ice water
  • 3 hog casing, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed

    •  

    Intestines on stuffer... Start cranking

    Meat Preparation

    • Remove any sinew or silver skin from meat
    • Dice meat/fat
    • Chill meat/fat thoroughly

    1. Combine all the ingredients except the water and toss to distribute the seasonings. Chill until ready to grind.

    2. Grind the mixture through the small die into a bowl set in ice

    3. Add the water to the meat mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until the liquids are incorporated and mixture has developed a uniform, sticky appearance, about 1 minute on medium speed

    4. Sauté a small portion of the sausage, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary

    5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casing, and twist into 15 cm links.

    6. Gently sauté or roast the sausage to an internal temperature of 65 degrees Celsius.

    Sad that I just burst the casing

    I have to say I thought I would be really grossed out by the casings (intestines), but I got over the ick factor shortly after I touched them for the first time. We were using a manual stuffer which was helpful for first-time sausage students, as we could pause if there was problem with the link. Allan said he bought a 5 lb sausage stuffer from CTR Refrigeration for about $100. I have since bought the KitchenAid Sausage stuffer on sale at The Bay for $15, but Phil Wilson aka the baconhound was in my class and warned that the automated stuffer can be difficult to manage.

    Allan shared a trick for linking – Twist off your first link by turning the sausages away from you. Measure the second link, and then skip it, without twisting. Measure the third link, and turn it away from you so that you are twisting off both ends of the third link at the same time. Continue in this way, skipping every other link, until the entire length is linked. My first time up at bat I split the casing… disheartening but I always like a good challenge and the opportunity to improve.

     

    Learning out how to link

    For those not interested in buying a stuffer or dealing with the intestines, you can shape the mixture into pork patties, meatballs, or sauté to be added to sauces or as a topping on pizza.

    My first lesson with Allan has definitely given me the confidence and curiosity to try sausage-making again.

    One tasty home-made sausage