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By Root 446 0

sausages tend to be much lighter on the palate than commercial emulsified sausages, such as hot dogs, which are denser and usually almost rubbery in texture (this is due mainly to the speed with which industrial food processors emulsify and the pressure with which the casings are stuffed, as well as to additives designed to prolong shelf life). Homemade emulsified sausages are very light on the palate, very delicate, almost creamy, like a mousseline—and they should be treated accordingly.

Emulsified sausages are usually poached very gently till fully cooked, then quickly chilled (this cooking solidifies the emulsion and to some extent helps to preserve it). They’re often smoked for flavor and color. Smoking turns the casing a tantalizing golden brown. Once they’re cooked or smoked, they can then be reheated however you like: roasted, grilled, gently sautéed, poached again. In any case, they should be eaten within several days. They also keep well frozen for up to six weeks, after which the quality of the flavor begins a slow decline.

We’re offering two different methods for making emulsified sausages, using a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or a food processor. We prefer the standing mixer because it results in sausage with a firmer texture. The blades of most home food processors are not as sharp as they need to be for this technique. By the time the processor has created the emulsion, the blade will have thoroughly whipped the meat, overaerating it as it were. The result is a stable sausage but the texture is very delicate. However, both methods work.

The particular emulsion we use here is called a 5-4-3 forcemeat (a ground mixture used for stuffing), from the French term (farcir) for its ratio of meat to fat to water. If you remember that, and the 1⁄3 ounce of salt per pound of the total weight (10 grams of salt for every 450 grams), you almost don’t need a recipe. The same general sausage-making rules as far as keeping all your equipment cold, and all your moist ingredients chilled apply only more so. It’s prudent to put your grinder, the mixing bowl, and the paddle attachment or food processor blade in the freezer for an hour or so before you begin. The mechanical act of pureeing or mixing, the friction, will heat the ingredients.

Basic Emulsified Sausage: Standing Mixer Method

Fritz Sonnenschmidt, an exuberant chef, raconteur, teacher of legions before he retired from the Culinary Institute of America, author of a book on the craft of garde-manger, and a kind of charcuterie godfather in this country, offered this method for making emulsified sausages.

TOOLS

You’ll need basically the same tools for emulsified sausage as for fresh sausage; (see the list on page 107). But Brian and I don’t recommend using the stuffer attachment for the mixer because of the risk of the mixture’s breaking and the mess of feeding a paste through the tube. If you don’t have a sausage stuffer, use a canvas pastry bag.

CHILLING

Both the grinder, fitted with blade and die, and the bowl and paddle of the mixer should be put in the freezer for an hour before you begin. The meat and fat should be partially frozen after they are diced. Very cold temperatures are critical in forming the emulsion.

THE FIRST GRIND

Remove the grinder from the freezer. Grind the meat and fat through the large die onto a chilled baking sheet. Store in the freezer until ready to use. The general rule for everything here is the colder, the better. The meat can go as far as crunchy on the exterior—but it shouldn’t be frozen solid.

SEASONING

Season the ground meat and fat with the salt (as well as sugar and/or pink salt in recipes that use them) after they have chilled.

THE SECOND GRIND

Remove the ground meat and fat from the freezer. Combine with the crushed ice and grind through the small die into the mixer bowl, set in ice.

EMULIFYING

Remove the paddle attachment from the freezer and fit it onto the mixer. Add the ground meat mixture and the remaining seasonings to the bowl and mix on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the