Basic British Pork Sausage

• servings: 16 items

Ingredients

2 pounds of boned and skinned shoulder of pork

4 pig's cheeks, trimmed

1/2 pound skinned pork back fat

1 brown onion, peeled and very finely chopped

1 1/2 TBS unsalted butter

1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/4 tsp fresh sage, chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (optional)

pinch ground mace

2 slices of stale good dry white bread, crusts removed and crumbled

1 medium free range egg, beaten lightly

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

about 4 meters (4 1/2 yards) sausage skins, well washed

25 - 50g of lard for frying (2 - 4 TBS)

Directions

Put all of the meats through the meat grinder on a medium mince. This should give you a medium coarse finish. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can pass the meat through the grinder several more times. Cover and place the minced meat into the refrigerator.

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter along with the herbs and the mace over low heat, without browning for two to three minutes until quite soft. Let cool completely.

Take the meat out of the refrigerator and mix completely with the cooked onion mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and egg, adding a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Take care not to over do the Worcestershire sauce. To check your flavours, take a small amount and fry it in a skillet, taste and then adjust the mixture as needed.

To fill the sausage skins, you can use a sausage skin filler, or you can use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube, filling the bag only half full for better control.

Take the sausage skin and pull it back to the knot. Sit it over the end of the piping tube and squeeze. Once the sausage skin has been filled to the size of a standard sausage, remove the piping bag and push the meat further down the skin to give a good plump shake, pushing out any air left in the skin, then tie at the end. Repeat to fill all your sausage skins. Place onto a plate, cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator before proceeding to cook them.

They are ready to be grilled or pan-fried. Pan frying is my preferred method of cooking. Melt the lard in a heavy bottomed skillet. Lay the sausage in the hot fat and fry gently, for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until they are golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Enjoy!