Sausage Making (19 page)

YIELD: 3 LB/1.4 KG

Pig liver and/or heart

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₃
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 69
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 5.10
  

Cooked meat from the pig's head, trotters, and tongue
(see page 55)
, coarsely chopped

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.60 lb
  
• GRAMS: 279
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 20.50
  

Braising liquid from cooking head, trotters, and tongue

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1.60 lb
  
• GRAMS: 695
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 51.00
  

Maple syrup

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 75
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 5.50
  

Cornmeal

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 cup
  
• GRAMS: 97
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 7.10
  

Corn flour or all-purpose flour

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 cup
  
• GRAMS: 97
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 7.10
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 23
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.70
  

Minced garlic

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 10
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.70
  

Finely ground black pepper

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 5
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.40
  

Finely chopped fresh sage

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 5
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.40
  

Finely ground coriander

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 3
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.20
  

Fresh thyme leaves

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 4
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.30
  

Pennsylvania Dutch country is where this rustic recipe originated, and where it's still popular today. It's traditionally made with the scraps left over after a pig was butchered into prime cuts, and is an excellent way to make something truly delicious out of very little. The cornmeal-meat mixture sets up into a firm loaf; sliced, panfried in butter, and served alongside eggs, it makes a hearty breakfast.

1.   
   1.
   Place the pig liver and/or heart and the cooked meat on a rimmed baking sheet, transfer to the freezer, and chill until crunchy on the exterior but not frozen solid
   (see page 23)
   .
   
2.   
   2.
   Nest a large mixing bowl in a bowl filled with ice. Grind the pig liver and/or heart and cooked meat through the small die of the grinder into the bowl set in ice
   (see page 24)
   . Transfer the bowl containing the ground meat to the refrigerator.
   
3.   
   3.
   In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the braising liquid to a vigorous simmer and add the maple syrup. Gradually add in the cornmeal and corn flour, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming, then whisk in the salt, garlic, black pepper, sage, coriander, and thyme. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the porridge, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the cornmeal is tender and the mixture resembles cooked polenta, about 45 minutes. Add the ground meat mixture and continue cooking 15 minutes longer.
   
4.   
   4.
   While the cornmeal mixture cooks, lightly grease a 9-by-5-by- 3-in/23-by-12-by-7.5-cm loaf pan or terrine mold. Pour the cooked cornmeal-meat mixture into the loaf pan, smoothing the top. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface, pressing gently. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and let chill overnight.
   
5.   
   5.
   When you are ready to serve the scrapple, slice into
   ¹
   /
   ₂
   -in/ 12-mm slices and fry in butter in a nonstick or cast-iron frying pan, turning once, until deeply browned on both sides.
   

YIELD: 3 LB/1.4 KG

Rolled oats

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.70 lb
  
• GRAMS: 330
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 24.21
  

Room temperature water

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cups
  
• GRAMS: 377
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 27.65
  

Beef suet, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.40 lb
  
• GRAMS: 188
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 13.82
  

Rendered pork fat

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 0.10 lb
  
• GRAMS: 65
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 4.75
  

Milk

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 178
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 13.05
  

Finely chopped leeks, white and light green parts only

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 cup
  
• GRAMS: 129
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 9.50
  

Finely chopped leek tops

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 32
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 2.37
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 27
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.97
  

Flour

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 13
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.99
  

Coarsely ground black pepper

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 16
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.18
  

Ground coriander

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 7
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.51
  

Hog casings, rinsed

This is a fine example of making something really delicious out of ordinary ingredients. Oats, fortified by beef and pork fat and mixed until creamy, form the basis of this humble sausage. It can be stuffed into hog casings, but you can also pack the sausage into a loaf pan and chill it overnight. The following day, slice the loaf, fry the slices in butter until golden brown, and serve alongside eggs for a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast.

1.   
   1.
   Put the oats and water in a large bowl. Stir to combine, then let stand for 30 minutes.
   
2.   
   2.
   In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the beef suet, two-thirds of the rendered pork fat, and the milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has melted. Set aside.
   
3.   
   3.
   In a medium sauté pan, heat the remaining pork fat over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the bowl containing the oats and add the fat-milk mixture, leek tops, salt, flour, black pepper, and coriander and stir to combine. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low speed until the mixture is homogenous and is sticking to the bowl
   (see page 25)
   .
   
4.   
   4.
   Spoon 2 tbsp of the meat mixture into a nonstick frying pan and spread into a thin patty. Cook the test patty over low heat until cooked through but not browned. Taste the sausage for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
   
5.   
   5.
   While still warm, stuff the sausage into the hog casings
   (see page 31)
   and twist into small (3-in/7.5-cm) links
   (see page 36)
   .
   
6.   
   6.
   Poach the links
   (see page 41)
   until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the sausage registers 145°F/63°C. The poached sausages can be eaten immediately, or chill them fully in an ice bath and refrigerate, or freeze for longer storage
   (see page 46)
   . When you're ready to eat the sausages, cut them into medallions and lightly sear in a pan until browned and heated through.
   

Of all the sausages in this book, smooth-textured sausages are the most technically difficult. Though the basic grinding process remains the same, smooth sausages contain a higher percentage of liquid than other sausage types, and require an additional, technical step: the sausage farce must be puréed in a food processor until smooth and creamy, during which time it must remain very cold. The additional air that is incorporated during this step gives the links a fluffy texture, a nice counterpoint to the snappy casing.

Emulsifying agents, like eggs and dry milk powder, are often added to smooth sausage. Adding these emulsifiers makes it possible to incorporate more liquid and, in turn, more fat to the meat. Lean beef is also often added to smooth-textured sausage in combination with other meats. Because beef is a stable protein source with a higher water content than other meats, adding beef can often eliminate the need for other emulsifiers.

Temperature is extremely important when making smooth sausage. Your farce must not ever get warmer than 40°F/4°C or the emulsification will break, just as when making a mayonnaise, and you'll end up with a sausage that has a grainy texture and a greasy mouth-feel. Your meat should be almost frozen before it is ground and you should carefully monitor the temperature when you process the meat, adding crushed ice in place of water to help keep the mixture cool.

Lean meat
(about 95% lean, 5% fat)

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  2.00 lb
  
• GRAMS:
  908
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  66.70
  

Crushed ice

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  1
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cups
  
• GRAMS:
  272
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  20.00
  

Fatty meat,
such as bacon or pork belly

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  0.33 lb
  
• GRAMS:
  150
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  11.00
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  1 tbsp
  
• GRAMS:
  31
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%):
  2.30
  

YIELD: 3 LB/1.4 KG

Boneless lean beef (95% lean, 5% fat), such as neck, plate, or shank, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2.10 lb
  
• GRAMS: 949
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 69.70
  

Beef fat, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm cubes

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cup
  
• GRAMS: 137
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 10.05
  

Fine sea salt

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 2 tbsp
  
• GRAMS: 23
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 1.66
  

Paprika

• U.S. MEASUREMENT: 1 tsp
  
• GRAMS: 10
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.70
  

Granulated garlic

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 5
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.40
  

Coarsely ground black pepper

• U.S. MEASUREMENT:
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp
  
• GRAMS: 4
  
• % OF TOTAL (100%): 0.28