Sausage Making (6 page)

The longer you can purée the meat while keeping it cool, the smoother and firmer the finished sausage will be. Stop processing when you've reached a smooth but not creamy texture.

Constantly monitor the temperature using an infrared thermometer and stop processing before the temperature reaches 40°F/4°C.

If the temperature of the farce does reach 40°F/4°C, transfer the processor bowl to the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes before resuming. If you overfill the food processor bowl, the farce will overheat and “break,” appearing creamy when finished.

If the farce gets too warm it will make a grainy sausage that leaks fat and bubbles when you cook it, so pay close attention to the temperature as you process.

Repeat step 7 from the Master Technique. Repeat with remaining farce and liquid until it has all been processed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. If you have a commercial-grade vacuum-sealer, you can vacuum-seal the farce, which will remove air bubbles; vacuum-sealers made for home use don't have the same power, so if that's all you have access to you can skip this step, though your finished sausage will be pocked with small air bubbles. The following day, proceed with stuffing as described in the following steps.

STEP 8:
Have your cleaned, soaked casings at the ready
(for more information about selecting and preparing casings, see page 13)
.

Untangle the casings and begin to open them to make the stuffing process easier. Hold one end of each piece of casing up to the nozzle of the sink faucet and support it with your other hand. Gently turn on the water and let it run through the casings to rinse them and check for holes. (If there are any holes in the casings, cut out the pieces with the holes.)

Hold the casings in a bowl of ice water or refrigerate until you're ready to begin stuffing.

STEP 9:
Remove the chilled farce and equipment from the refrigerator.

Load the farce into the canister of the sausage stuffer, compressing it very lightly to remove any air bubbles.

Replace the lid. Ready two bowls: one empty, for collecting any burst sausage, and one filled with water, which you can use to lubricate your work surface and stuffer, as well as your sausage pricker. Assemble some clean baking sheets for your finished sausages.

STEP 10:
Moisten the nozzle of the sausage stuffer with water, and then load the casings on the nozzle, taking care not to double up the casings.

Gently begin cranking the sausage stuffer; as soon as you see the meat come out of the nose of the stuffer, stop and crank backward to halt the forward movement.

Pull 4 to 5 in/10 to 12 cm of casing off the end of the nozzle, but don't knot it.