How to Make Italian Sausage

Italian sausage is a hot or sweet spiced sausage made of minced pork. It can be used in pasta recipes or eaten by itself. Making Italian sausage requires a meat grinder and stuffing attachment. Follow these directions to make homemade Italian sausage.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Buying Ingredients

1
Buy 5 lbs. (2.2kg) of pork shoulder. Cut it away from the bone if it is not cut already.
- You can also make Italian sausage that is part beef and part pork. Replace 2 lbs. (0.9kg) of pork shoulder with ground beef to adjust the recipe.
2
Buy sausage casings. Ask whether the casings should be soaked beforehand or not.
- If the sausage casings require soaking, place them in a bowl of orange juice and salt for 1 hour. Keep them moistened before using them.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Mincing the Meat

1
Cut the 5 lbs (2.2kg) of pork shoulder into small pieces. Grind the pork (and beef) together using a meat grinder or a meat grinder attachment on your stand mixer.
2
Place the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the beef, if you are doing a mixed meat sausage.
3
Add your spices to the meat. You will need to decide if you want a sweet or hot Italian sausage.
- If you want to make a traditional hot Italian sausage then add 2 tsp. (4g) of crushed fennel seed, 1 tbsp. (18g) salt, 1 tbsp. (6.9g) of black pepper, 2 tbsp. (10.8g) of hot pepper flakes and/or cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp. (1.9g) of parsley leaves and 2 to 3 tbsp. (13.8 to 20.7g) of paprika.
- If you want to make a sweet Italian sausage, then do not add hot pepper flakes, cayenne pepper or the whole measure of black pepper. Add the full 3 tbsp. (20.7g) of paprika.
4
Put on plastic gloves. Knead the spices into the meat until it is well combined.
5
Put plastic wrap over the top of the bowl. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making Sausages

1
Coat your sausage stuffing attachment with shortening. This will help to make the meat move evenly through the attachment.
2
Tie the end of your casing. Place it at the bottom of your stuffing attachment.
3
This portion of the process is best if done by more than 1 person, so that you can load the attachment, twist the sausage and have a smoother process.
4
Fill the casing until it is firm. Try to fill well, so that there are not too many air bubbles.
5
Tie off the end of the casing when you have only 3 inches (7.6cm) left. If you are using a traditional intestinal casing, you may want to tie with a string.
6
Return to the beginning of the casing. Twist the sausage several times at intervals between 3 and 8 inches (7.6 to 20cm), depending upon how large you want your sausages to be.
7
Prick each sausage with a pin to remove air bubbles.
8
Place sausages in airtight plastic baggies. Freeze them immediately.
- Make sure you cook your sausages well before eating, since they are not pre-cooked like many store-bought varieties. Boil them for 10 minutes or grill until the internal temperature is 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.5 degrees Celsius).
9
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Where can you get the skin from?

KateyKate

Community Answer

The best place to purchase the skins would be either the butcher at your supermarket, or a butcher market - they specialize in all things meat and would likely either have the skins to purchase, or point you in the right direction to find them.