Bison has been showing up in supermarkets, and its rich flavor works well with the assertive seasonings of the Southwest. Serve these sausages with some Mexican rice.
Medium hog sausage casings
11/2 pounds bison shoulder
1/2 pound beef fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup beer
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
2 tablespoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cinnamon
1. Prepare sausage casings as directed.
2. Cut bison and fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. While meat chills, heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Set aside. Combine beer and liquid smoke in a small cup, and set aside.
4. Grind bison and fat through the fine disk of a meat grinder, or in small batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button. If using a food processor, do not process into a paste, but ingredients should be very finely chopped.
5. Combine ground meat, onion mixture, beer, cilantro, chipotle chile, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, allspice, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl, and knead mixture until well blended. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
6. Stuff mixture into casings as described and twist off into 4-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°F, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and arrange sausages on a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet. Bake sausages for 4 to 5 hours, or to an internal temperature of 160°F when pierced with an instant-read thermometer. Remove sausages from the pan with tongs, and serve immediately or cool to room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.