Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [54]
5 pounds/2.25 kilograms meat and fat
11⁄2 ounces/40 grams kosher salt (3 tablespoons)
Seasonings
1 cup/250 milliliters ice-cold liquid
FRESH SAUSAGE MASTER RECIPE: FRESH GARLIC SAUSAGE
The master recipe for fresh sausage uses the ratio of 5 pounds/2.25 kilograms meat and fat to 11⁄2 ounces/40 grams salt to 1 cup/250 milliliters liquid, which helps distribute seasonings, strengthens the bind, and enhances juiciness. We recommend that in most cases your meat-fat mixture include between 1 and 11⁄2 pounds/450 and 675 grams fat. If you’re using only pork shoulder butt, however, you may not need to add fat; it has 30 percent fat already, though this may depend on the exact cut; commercial pork butt is often sold very lean.
The type of liquid as well as additional seasonings all depend on the type of sausage you are making and your personal taste. The following sausage is simple but powerfully flavored with wine and garlic. Wine is an especially effective seasoning in sausage, adding an acidic balance to its fattiness.
5 pounds/2.25 kilograms boneless fatty pork shoulder butt, diced
11⁄2 ounces/40 grams kosher salt (about 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon/10 grams ground black pepper
3 tablespoons/54 grams minced garlic
1 cup/250 milliliters good red wine, chilled
10 feet/3 meters hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed
1. Toss the meat, salt, pepper, and garlic together in a large bowl until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, at least 2, and up to 24 hours. Alternatively, place in your freezer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the meat is very cold, even stiff, but not frozen.
2. Grind the mixture through the small die into a bowl set in ice (see Note below).
3. Using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer (or a strong wooden spoon if mixing by hand), mix on low speed (or stir) for 1 minute. Add the wine, increase the mixing speed to medium, and mix (or stir) for 1 more minute, or until the liquid is incorporated and the meat looks sticky.
4. Fry a bite-sized portion of the sausage and taste it (refrigerate the remaining sausage mixture while you do this and then set up your stuffing equipment). Adjust the seasoning if necessary and mix again to incorporate the additional seasoning.
5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch/15-centimeter links.
6. Cook the sausage to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F./65 degrees C.
Yield: About 5 pounds/2.25 kilograms sausage; about twenty 6-inch/15-centimeter links
[ NOTE: See pages 107–116 for a detailed description of the basic grinding, mixing, stuffing, and cooking techniques. ]
BRIAN’S HOLIDAY KIELBASA, WIEJSKA (KIELBASA WITH MARJORAM)
“This was my introduction to charcuterie, so it’s a very personal recipe,” Brian says. “This is what the family ate every Christmas and Easter. Mom used to take all the food to the priest to have it blessed—her deference to the magic element in charcuterie. The real key is to buy good pork. Find a butcher you like, whether at a specialty market or at a grocery store, and develop a relationship with him or her. The second key is to toss the ingredients together well and refrigerate them overnight to allow the seasoning to develop and disperse.
“Mom’s instinct is to trim away some of the fat because she’s watching her fat intake, but I leave it on so the kielbasa will be more juicy. Also, Mom puts the whole coil on a baking sheet, adds water, and in effect steams the sausage in the oven, then slices it to serve. I think this sausage benefits from dry-heat cooking—that is, sautéing or roasting—rather than moist heat (steaming or poaching), though a combination of the two, a quick braise, also works well.
“Mom serves this with her pierogies—big dumplings loaded with hot melted cheese. A platter of kielbasa and pierogies, that is the meal. Because the priest blesses it, we have to eat every morsel, which isn’t a problem, but it doesn’t leave a lot of room for vegetables!”
5 pounds/2.25