I have been making my OFG Breakfast Sausage for years. I love it. However, I have a mental problem that makes me want to improve every dish I try. I thought about anything I thought could be better in the sausage.
I did have one thing. I have made the sausage with a fine grind and it has a good moistness but less chew. So, I tried grinding it coarser. It had a great chew but was more ground meat like thatn sausage like in moisture and texture. Over the years, I use a medium grind for a balance between these two results.
However, I wanted a great chew, moisture, and texture, not a compromise.
I decided to coarse grind all the pork and then beat 2/3 of the sausage to a pasty texture and then leave the other 1/3 coarse ground and mix it with the beaten paste. It worked! I love the texture and chew and this is now my go to method.
Here’s the whole process for the improved sausage.
I cut fatty pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes. I mixed a seasoning mix for the pork by weight. For each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pork I mixed:
- 12.5 grams (0.44 ounces) salt
- 2.2 grams (0.08 ounces) black pepper
- 1.5 grams (0.06 ounces) fresh sage, finely chopped or 0.7 grams (0.03 ounces) dried sage
- 0.65 grams (0.03 ounces) ground ginger
- 1 gram (0.04 ounces) fresh thyme or 0.5 grams(0.02 ounces) dried thyme
- 0.9 grams (0.04 ounces) dried ground chipotle
I tossed the cubes in the spices, covered the bowl and put it in the fridge overnight.
I put the meat on one layer on a tray and put it in the freezer until it formed a crusty surface. Then I ran it through the coarse plate on my KitchenAid. I put the pork in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Then I removed 1/3 of the ground meat from the rest and put it in the fridge.
I put the remaining 2/3 of the pork mixture in the bowl of my stand mixer with the paddle attached. I added 1/4 cup of ice water to the bowl. I mixed the meat on medium for 4 to 5 minutes. You are looking for the meat to get a pasty texture that sticks to the bowl and paddle.
I added the 1/3 of coarse ground sausage from the fridge and mixed them together by hand.
I put the meat in the fridge for an hour to chill.
I did a test fry to confirm the seasonings were right. They were perfect.
If you are making sausage patties, just shape them and freeze them. I wanted links.
I used my LEM stuffer and used 22 mm (3/4 inch) collagen casings to make the sausage. It took about 1.8 meters (6 feet) of casings. After stuffing, I pinched the sausages every 4 inches.
I cut at the pinches and put the sausages on a tray. I froze them solid and then vacuum sealed them for storage. If you don’t freeze them first the pressure from the vacuum sealer can flatten them.
The Verdict
As I said, this method of grinding gave a great chew and texture. Try it with your favourite sausage recipe.
The Old Fat Guy
Improved OFG Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 kg fatty pork shoulder 2.2 pounds
- 12.5 grams salt 0.44 ounces
- 2.2 grams black pepper 0.08 ounces
- 1.5 grams fresh sage, chopped or 0.7 grams (0.03 ounces) dried 0.06 ounces
- 0.65 grams ground ginger 0.03 ounces
- 1 gram fresh thyme, chopped or 0.5 grams (0.02 ounces) dried 0.04 ounces
- 0.9 grams ground chipotle 0.04 ounces
- 50 ml ice water ¼ cup
- 1.8 metres 22 m (3/4 inch) collagen sausage casing (optional) 6 feet
Instructions
- Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch cubes.
- Mix all remaining ingredients except water and casings in a bowl. Toss the meat in the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Spread the pork cubes in a single layer on a tray. Put in a freezer until a crispy frozen crust forms on the meat.
- Grind the meat through the coarse plate on your grinder. Take ⅓ of the ground meat and put it in the fridge. Refrigerate the remaining meat for 1 hour.
- Put the ⅔ of the meat in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until the meat is pasty and sticks to the bowl and beater. About 4-5 minutes. Refrigerate the meat for one hour.
- If you are doing patties, just shape them and freeze any you won't be using in the next few days.
- If you want links, use a sausage stuffer to put the sausage in the casings. Pinch the casings flat at four inch lengths. Cut at the pinch point. Freeze any sausages that won't be used in the next few days.
