Italian Style Pork Sausage Recipes

HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
• Cover & refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Cook in a skillet until no pink remains.

NENNI'S ITALIAN PORK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine the pork cubes with the garlic powder, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and parsley; grind through a coarse plate. Mix in the white wine and grind again. Stuff into the rinsed hog casings, twisting into 4-inch lengths. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the seasonings to infuse into the meat before cooking or freezing.

HOMEMADE SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE (MILD OR HOT)

Steps:

• Place the pork and red wine vinegar in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, paprika, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, brown sugar, oregano, and thyme. Knead until flecks of spice are evenly distributed through the sausage.
• Divide the sausage into thirds, and form into 3 logs; wrap each in plastic wrap. Place wrapped sausage into a freezer bag before freezing, or store in refrigerator for at least 12 hours before cooking.

ITALIAN STYLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the ground black pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, anise, paprika, minced onion flakes and salt; mix well.
• Place pork in a separate large bowl and add the spice mix to it. Mix this thoroughly with your hands.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the seasoned pork for 10 minutes, or until well browned and crumbly.

ITALIAN FENNEL SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine salt, fennel seed and red-pepper flakes. Add pork to the spice mixture along with the garlic, and wine. Using your hands, mix thoroughly for 1 full minute, until the pork begins to appear tacky and sticks to the palm of your hand.
• Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Use a heaping tablespoon of pork mixture to make a small, thin sausage patty. Add a teaspoon or so of olive oil, and cook the patty for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Taste, and if needed, add salt or any other seasonings to the uncooked sausage mixture and mix to combine.
• Divide and form the remaining sausage into 8 2 1/2-inch patties, placing them on the prepared baking sheet as you go. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. (Patties can be made ahead and covered and refrigerated or frozen at this point until ready to use.)
• To cook, wipe out cast-iron pan, and return to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When it shimmers, add patties in a single layer, leaving space between them. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned on the surface and just cooked through.
• Drain sausages on paper towels, and serve hot.

ITALIAN-STYLE PORK SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small skillet, toast fennel seeds over high heat, shaking the pan to keep seeds from burning, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer seeds to a bowl. Add ground fennel, salt, black pepper, sugar, and nutmeg or anise. If making hot sausages, add red-pepper flakes and cayenne pepper as well. Stir to combine. Set seasoning blend aside.
• If you are grinding your own sausage, fit meat grinder with a 1/2-inch die (or the larger of the two dies, if using a grinder with only two sizes). Pass meat through grinder into a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix seasoning blend with 1 1/2 ounces water. Sprinkle seasoning blend over meat and toss gently with hands to distribute evenly. Pass meat through grinder a second time, using the same die. (If using preground meat, gently toss with seasoning.) Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to stuff sausages.
• Transfer meat to a sausage stuffer or stand mixer fitted with a sausage stuffing attachment and plastic stuffing tube. Put a baking sheet or bowl below stuffing tube to catch sausages as they are stuffed.
• Carefully slide the casing onto stuffing tube. Leave about 3 inches of casing hanging off end of tube. Begin cranking sausage meat into casing, guiding stuffed sausage with one hand to keep meat moving consistently through casing so sausages are neither overstuffed nor understuffed. As casing is stuffed, curl sausage into a coil.
• When all sausage has been stuffed, slide remaining casing off tube and tie a knot at both ends as close to the meat as possible. Twist sausages several times to create links every 4 inches, alternating the direction you twist. Store in a resealable bag and cook within 1 week of making, or freeze up to 3 months.

SEASONING FOR GROUND PORK (ITALIAN-STYLE SAUSAGE)

Steps:

• Add this mix to 2 pounds ground pork and brown meat in a skillet for about 10-12 minutes or until the pork is well browned.
• Use in recipes that require Italian sausages removed from casings.