PREP: 1 hour FREEZE: 30 minutes GRILL: 12 minutes MAKES: 11 sausages (about 3 lb.)
4 to 5 feet natural sausage casing
1 3½- to 4-lb. bone-in pork shoulder roast*
2 Tbsp. fennel seeds
½ cup dry red wine, white wine, or water
¼ cup finely snipped fresh Italian parsley
¼ cup paprika
1 Tbsp. fine sea salt or kosher salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1. If sausage casing is salt-packed, soak 30 minutes then rinse the inside and outside of the casing several times to remove excess salt.
2. Place all food-grinder and sausage-stuffer parts in a large bowl and freeze until needed. Meanwhile, remove pork from bone. Separate the lean meat and fat. Cut lean and fat into 1-inch pieces. Weigh 2¼ lb. lean and 12 oz. fat. Reserve any remaining pork for another use. Place lean meat and fat in a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes. Grind meat and fat with a food grinder according to manufacturer’s directions; chill until needed. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add fennel seeds. Heat 2 minutes or until toasted and aromatic, shaking skillet occasionally. Cool slightly. Use a mortar and pestle to crush half of the fennel seeds. In a large bowl combine whole and crushed fennel seeds and the remaining eight ingredients. Add the ground pork mixture. Using your hands, mix well to evenly distribute seasonings throughout meat. Chill until needed.
3. Using a sausage stuffer or sausage stuffer attachment for a stand mixer, stuff sausage casing according to manufacturer’s directions, greasing tube with shortening and running water through casing before placing on tube. Once the sausage mixture has filled the casing, gently twist the sausage into 5- to 6-inch lengths and tie the other end of the casing (trim off and discard any extra casing).
4. Refrigerate sausage immediately, and cook within 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
5. To cook, grill the sausage on the rack of a covered grill directly over medium-low heat 12 to 15 minutes or until done (160°F).
*Recipe Note: Look for a pork shoulder with a thick layer of fat to ensure there is enough fat to make up 12 oz.
Bulk Italian Sausage: Prepare as directed through Step 1. Omit Step 2. Refrigerate or freeze as directed in Step 3.
Spicy Italian Sausage: Prepare as directed, except increase crushed red pepper to 2 to 3 tsp.
PER 5 OZ. SAUSAGE, PLAIN OR VARIATIONS: 230 cal., 14 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 68 mg chol., 670 mg sodium, 4 g carb., 1 g fiber, 20 g pro.
1. Separate the lean meat and the fat. Cut into 1-inch pieces; weigh 2¼ lb. lean meat and 12 oz. fat. Freeze 30 minutes then grind the meat using a food grinder.
2. Mix the seasonings in a bowl, then add the ground meat. Use your hands to distribute the seasonings evenly throughout the meat. When the mixture is ready, it should appear uniform.
3. Run water through the casing, then slide it onto the greased sausage-stuffer tube. Tie the front end of the casing, fill it with meat mixture, then tie the other end of the casing.
4. Trim the excess casing, then twist the sausage into 5- to 6-inch lengths. Refrigerate or freeze the sausage immediately.