Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [51]
Sausage mise en place: meat and fat; ice-cold liquid (typically water or wine); sausage casings, and seasonings, including salt and pepper.
The seasonings are mixed with the meat. The meat can be covered and refrigerated so that the seasonings can fully infuse it, the best scenario, or it can be ground right away.
The seasoned meat is passed through the grinder and into the bowl of the standing mixer, which has been set in ice. Grinding heats the meat, so it’s very important to keep the meat as cold as possible; if the meat gets too warm, the fat will separate from the meat when cooked, and the result will be a mealy textured sausage that’s unpleasant to eat.
The meat, fat, and seasonings are ground into the bowl of the standing mixer so that the next step, mixing the meat, can be done immediately thereafter. Notice that the mixing bowl is set in a bowl of ice to keep the ground meat very cold.
To ensure that the seasonings are well distributed, that the texture of the finished sausage is tight rather than crumbly, and to incorporate the liquid thoroughly, the sausage mixture is mixed for about two minutes or so with the paddle attachment. When the liquid has been incorporated and the meat takes on a very tacky appearance, it’s mixed enough. This step is known as the “primary bind” among sausage aficionados.
Casings must be soaked in water for at least a half hour, or for up to two days, to rehydrate them and remove the salt. They should then be flushed with running water to further clean and hydrate them.
The sausage stuffer is filled with the sausage mixture, which is pressed down until the sausage is at the opening of the nozzle, then the casing is fed over the nozzle. Sometimes the casing can stick, so it helps to scoop a little water into the opening of the casing to facilitate feeding it onto the nozzle.
Almost the entire casing is fed onto the nozzle, leaving a couple inches of overhang at the end.
The casing is ready to be stuffed.
It helps to keep a hand on the casing as the sausage is extruded to ensure that the casing is packed firmly but not stretched tight. If air pockets develop, the casing should be pricked with a needle or a knife point. It also helps to slick the counter with water so that the sausage doesn’t stick but instead coils neatly.
To ensure a rope of uniform links, it’s helpful to measure the links, pinching them at either end to press the sausage gently in either direction to make room for a twist in the casing. Here the sausage is Knackwurst (page 153), a stubbier sausage than the customary 6-inch link.
After the the first link is twisted, the second link is measured, but not twisted; then the third link is measured off and twisted in the same direction as the first, which will twist off the second link as well. The process is repeated as necessary. If the sausages will be smoked, the ropes should be cut into even-numbered sections, or there will be one loose sausage hanging from the stick.
COOKING
Sautéing a sausage allows you to develop a tasty, visually appealing skin. Even if you’re using the sausage in a stew, start it off with a quick sauté in a little oil to brown it for an appealing color before adding it to the pot. It’s important to sauté sausages over medium-low heat so that they cook all the way through without bursting. Film a griddle or a sauté pan, large enough to give your sausages some space between one another, with oil or butter and heat over medium-low heat; heating the pan first will prevent the sausages from sticking. When you place the sausages in the pan, you should hear a lively but calm snap and crackle, not a furious