INGREDIENTS FOR 25 POUNDS OF POLISH SAUSAGE If you like your sausage to be a little more moist you should use a 70-30 mix of pork and the red meatbeef or game that you are using. For a dryer sausage use a 50-50 mix. Everybody has different tastes so the following is what I have used over many years and have found it to be the most favored combination This sausage was traditionally made with 100 percent pork and the seasoning works well for that also. Make sure if you do this that you use at least 80 percent lean pork

10 lbs - Lean beef, elk, venison, or antelope if using wild game, be sure to trim away all fat and cartilage as this will give your sausage a poor taste.

15 lbs - Pork trim 80 percent lean

3 pts - Cold water

Seasoning - Born's seasoning for 25 lbs Pepper Brats

Peppers - 4 red bell peppers, 4 yellow bell peppers, 4 green bell peppers - remove seeds and chop into 3-8" or larger chunks. Not to large may make the sausage difficult to stuff and will tear casings

Jalapenos - 12-16 oz diced jalapeno peppers fresh or canned For added kick I will add some of the juice if using canned peppers

Cheese - 4 lbs of hard cheddar, cubed in quarter inch by quarter inch size. There are some high temp varieties that also work well

STEP 1:DICING AND MIXING
Be sure the meat temperature stays at 34°F to 40°F during preparation. Work rapidly with cold meat or refrigerate small batches as necessary. Grind all meat through a half inch or three quarter" plate or dice the meat into 1" cubes. Mix the sodium nitrate curing agent with Born's Pepper Brat Sausage seasoning. Sprinkle the spices evenly over the meat and mix the meat and spices thoroughly using a kneading motion similar to mixing dough. Once the spices are mixed, add the Soy Bits. This will give your sausage that traditional brat texture and help to seal in moisture when smoking and cooking. Some producers opt to not use the soy, and others use other agents such as powdered milk. I have found this grade and grind of soy to work the best

STEP 2:CURING OPTIONAL
After the spices & soy bits are thoroughly mixed with the meat, pack the meat, not over 6" deep, into a non-metallic tub. Be sure the meat is packed down very tightly to eliminate all air pockets. Hold in refrigerator at 35°F to 40°F for 24 to 48 hours. This process helps tenderize the meat, gives it flavor and helps to preserve it.

STEP 3:GRINDING AND STUFFING
Grind the cured meat through 1-8" or 3-16" plate depending on your desired texture. After grinding, add 3 pints cold water, cubed cheese and diced peppers. For an added kick if you are using canned jalape–os add the canning juice. Mix the meat thoroughly, kneading it like a dough mixture. When it is thoroughly mixed, it is ready for stuffing. Stuff into 35mm to 38mm pre-flushed hog casings or collagen casings, which can be purchased from a meat market or meat department in a grocery store. Twist the stuffed casings at 5-6" intervals to make the sausages and hang them, evenly spaced, not touching, on a smoke stick. Follow the directions for smoking or refrigerate immediately if you plan to have someone else smoke the sausage for you. You may opt to wrap your sausage now and freeze; I prefer a light smoke which only enhances flavor when grilling this tremendous sausage.

STEP 4:SMOKING
Before smoking, dry sausage in smoke house with smoke house temperature of 100°F to 110°F for 1 hour or less - until casings are dry. Then add sawdust or wood chips and smoke 100°F to 110°F for 2 hours. Then, raise the smoke house temperature to 165°F to 170°F and smoke until the internal temperature of sausage is 145°F. Cool the sausage at room temperature to 100°F and refrigerate.

ANY SAUSAGE THAT WILL NOT BE CONSUMED IN 1 WEEK SHOULD