You have to love the KitchenAid Mixer. As stated in previous posts, my parents bought me a mixer for my high school graduation present. Along with the mixer, came a couple of attachments. One is the grinder, and the other is the sausage stuffer. As this title of this post states, you can tell which attachment I used. Not. I actually use both when I make the sausage, as I like to grind my own pork, then marinade, then stuff. This is a process and normally takes a couple of hours to do. Let me also say that it is a bit messy, however the process is well worth the time. I say it is worth the time, because you can make your own sausage, the way you like it. You add how you like your sausage. I have been making this type of sausage for years, and typically do not steer away from it. You are probably asking why. Why? Because they are so darn good, and they can be eaten sliced, or on a bun. I especially love them with the thai dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
Pork Shoulder
Natural Casing (get from your butcher)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Oyster Sauce
Thai Peppers, seeds removed
Special Rub (this batch)
Lime Juice
Cut your meat into blocks that will fit into the grinder tube, and begin your grinding process. Once all of your meat is ground, add the ingredients listed above, and make certain you coat all of your pork mixture. What I do at this time is make a small, thin patty, and cook in a fry pan. You do this to make sure that the flavors are right before you begin the stuffing process. If the flavors need adjusting, then now is the time. My batch was a bit too salty, so to balance that to this batch, I added sour, and that was lime juice. Once my flavors were perfect, I cleaned the grinder, and got the stuffer device ready.
The stuffing process is somewhat tricky doing it by yourself, so be ready. You first need to rinse and clean the casing in cold water. If you cannot stomach the casing, then go buy your sausage at the store. The casing is slimy, somewhat stinky, and just plain weird, but heck, it is what can make a sausage so darn good. Once you have the casing cleaned, place the entire casing onto the stuffer. You do this because the pork mix will begin feeding into the casing and start forming the sausage.
Here is the trick. Have three hands. 😉 Kidding. Start feeding the mixture into the top of the stuffer, setting your mixer on a medium speed, like four or five. You need to handle the casing, carefully not to over stuff, yet make it so it is like a sausage. You will need to massage the sausage a bit. I know what it sounds like, but it is true. You have to form the sausage. Continue this process until all of your mixture is done. You should have a coil of sausage. This is where you can carefully twist the sausage wherever you want the links to end. Make them as short or long as you want. Once they are all twisted, I package them as I would want to cook them, in packs of four, six, eight, or ten. Wrap them in plastic wrap, seal in tin foil, then store in a ziplock bag.
Please be mindful that you will want to save a few for quick grilling Heat up the grill, and cook as you would like a normal sausage. When ready, simply eat on a bun, or slice and serve with the thai dipping sauce.
Trust me these are sweet, and spicy and are truly delicious. Enjoy.
