Sausages can be considered an almost perfect food. International in nature, they combine wonderful herbs and spices, flavorful meats, vegetables, fruits, and grains in a natural casing. They can be poached, boiled, steamed, baked, fried, roasted, or grilled. They may be used as an hors d'oeuvre, in a sandwich, or as an ingredient in other dishes, such as stews and casseroles. In their charmingly odd package, the ingredients meld when cooked, basted in their own savory juices. Then, when eaten, the contained goodness bursts upon your palate in the most festive way possible. Is it any wonder that many cultures through the centuries have created innumerable local festivals to celebrate, honor, and consume this incredible food?

Sausages have been with us for a very long time. Before refrigeration, the process of drying (or curing) meat, both in slabs and in sausage form, by using salt as a drying agent was the only way to preserve meat. Today's savvy cooks are rediscovering the craft of sausage-making as an important way to sample the best of the world's culinary heritage. There are three main types of sausages - fresh, cured, and smoked.  And the art of sausage-making falls within the broader term Charcuterie - which includes Cured Meats, Terrines, and Pâtés.  In this "From the Butcher", we will only provide an introduction to the topic of sausages and leave the other areas of Charcuterie to a future article.

Types of Sausage

Fresh Sausage - Fresh sausage refers simply to combined meat and spices ready for immediate consumption. These sausages can be broken up and used as an ingredient in other dishes such as sauces or they can be left in their casings and refrigerated for up to two-to-three days or frozen for three months before cooking.

Cured Sausage - Cured sausages, such as salami and pepperoni, are firmer and keep much longer than fresh sausages. Curing meats retard spoilage by removing most of the moisture using salt.   Unfortunately, curing agents - nitrates and nitrites - have been linked to cancer and other diseases. This is the reason The Healthy Butcher has yet to enter this culinary area - never fear, however, we are diligently working to create nitrate and nitrite-free cured meats.

Smoked Sausage - Sausages can be either cold or hot smoked. Cold-smoking involves low heat for a long time and does not result in a cooked sausage, but rather imparts the smoky flavor. Hot-smoking involves higher heat for a shorter time and results in a fully cooked sausage.

Casings

Natural casings, primarily made of animal intestines, are the ultimate example of waste-not-want-not. These casings are made of a natural protein called collagen. They are strong, almost transparent, and semi-permeable - which allows flavors such as smoke to penetrate and at the same time protects and concentrates the flavors within. At The Healthy Butcher, we primarily use casings from pigs. However, we make a wide variety of pork-free sausages, in which case we use casings from sheep or artificially made collagen casings.

Making Sausage

The process of making sausages is quite simple:

1. Grind the meat - Meat is typically ground through plates with holes of 1/8 inch, 1/4 inch, or 3/8 inch. How the meat is ground will play a huge role in the consistency of the final product. Coarsely ground meat, like in Italian or Chorizo sausages, will be juicier and have a texture similar to the unground pork or beef used in the recipe.  Finely ground meat, like in most breakfast sausages or hot dogs, will create a very consistent and almost pasty-like texture.

2. Mix the meat - Here's where a vivid imagination can create the ultimate gourmet experience. For a new sausage-maker, start with a traditional recipe as a base, and then vary it as you wish - always using fresh herbs, spices, vegetables, and maybe even fruits.  Kneading a small batch by hand is not difficult, but make sure that the mixture is thoroughly mixed; you do not want a pocket of salt or black pepper to ruin your eating experience.

3. Stuff the casing - There are an infinite number of designs and sizes of sausage stuffers…home manual stuffers are very inexpensive. Fill the stuffer with the sausage mixture and feed it through the casing. With a skewer, prick any air bubbles that appear as the casing fills up. Do not fill the casings too full, or the sausage might burst during linking or cooking.

4. Linking - Depending on the type of sausage, links should be 5 to 8 inches in length. Starting from the knotted end of the casing on your right, measure the desired length and pinch the casing between your thumbs and forefingers. Twirl the sausage clockwise. Now move down the casing the same length, pinch, and twirl it counter-clockwise. After a short time, you'll be linking like a pro.

The fat content of our sausages is the most common topic of questions from our customers. Local butcher sausages, such as ours, vary from very lean (about 15%) to traditional amounts (about 25-30%). It's common for commercially made sausages to contain up to 50% fat.  For those of you inspired by this article to enter the world of home sausage-making, you may be tempted to reduce the fat content to levels that produce dry sausages. Fat gives flavor and juiciness. Although 30% may seem like a lot, don't forget that a good deal of that fat will be lost during cooking - leaving a nice juicy sausage.  As our Head Butcher, Sebastian Cortez, frequently says to customers in search of the leanest meat... "Meat without fat, is like life without love."

Cooking

The key to juicy sausages is patience. Whether you're pan-frying, grilling or poaching, make sure to cook the sausages slowly. Excessive heat will burn the outside before the insides have cooked as well as lose a significant amount of the tasty juices. To grill, preheat your BBQ and then reduce to medium-heat once you've placed the sausages on the grill. Flip minimally - twice is ideal. To poach, bring a sufficient amount of lightly salted water to a temperature of 180°-200°F - the water should not be boiling. Put the sausages in the hot water and poach them over very low heat - they will take 15-30 minutes. To pan fry, put the sausage in a dry heavy skillet over medium heat, turning them until they are browned on all sides.

About the Butcher

The Healthy Butcher is located in Toronto, Canada and is Toronto’s source for the best tasting and largest selection of Certified Organic meat, specializing in all cuts of locally grown beef, lamb, pork, chicken, bison, elk, duck, ostrich, Cornish hen, quail, goose, and other premium meats.  The store also offers a wide selection of gourmet prepared foods created by their in-house team of chefs always seeking local, organic, and seasonal ingredients. 

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