Mix the Meat
It can be tempting to put your ground meat into a food processor to mix in any other ingredients you want to add. However, there’s the risk that a food processor or mixer can get too warm, which could begin to melt the fat and change your textures.
Instead, put your ground meat into a bowl and add any herbs, spices, seasonings, or other flavorings you want to include. Then use very clean hands to mix the ingredients gently.
When you first put your ingredients into the bowl, you’ll see that each ingredient is distinctly separate. After you’ve mixed the ingredients for a while, they’ll start to combine, until they become one big sticky mass in the bowl.
You’ll know when your sausage is ready when it starts sticking to the sides of the bowl. Another easy way to test whether it’s ready is to form a small patty in your hand and hold it upside down. If the patty stays stuck to your palm, it’s sticky enough to move to the next tip.
Forming Your Sausage
Once you’ve finished mixing your sausage and you’re happy with the texture, it’s time to form it so it can be cooked. You can go ahead and cook it as it is, or maybe you might prefer to crumble the sausage over a pizza before sticking it in the oven.
Alternatively, you can form the sausage into patties and put them straight onto the grill, or you might want to form little meatballs to put into a pasta sauce. Of course, you might also prefer to stuff your sausage into casings and twist them into links.
If you’re using a sausage stuffer, work carefully to establish a good speed and rhythm. It’s important not to work too quickly, as you risk bursting the casing. Likewise, you also don’t want to work too slowly, as the casings could be too loose, but they also might end up too tight and burst.
The key is to find a happy medium that lets you fill the casing so you’re able to pinch a link with your fingers and twist it to form individual sausage links. Twist each link several times so they won’t unwind.
Read more at our blog post.