INGREDIENTS FOR 25 POUNDS OF ITALIAN 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 can be made with 100 percent pork, however I prefer a mix of red meat beef or game with the pork. If you do use 100 percent pork, make sure 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. Italian Sausage

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.Sprinkle the spices evenly over the meat and mix the meat and spices thoroughly using a kneading motion similar to mixing dough. This will give your sausage that traditional polish sausage texture and help to seal in moisture when smoking and cooking. Italian sausage is typically made without a curing agent. Thus the brown verses a pink color when cooked. Without the curing agent it is not advisable to keep this uncooked meat in the refrigerator longer than three days or in the freezer longer than three months. Longer times will adversely affect the taste unless the sausage is smoked

STEP 2:CURING OPTIONAL
After the spices 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 hours. This process helps season the meet giving it its very distinct flavor.

STEP 3:GRINDING AND STUFFING
Grind the seasoned meat through 1-8" or 3-16" plate depending on your desired texture. After grinding, add 3 pints cold water and 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, I do not stuff the Italian sausage that I make. I wrap it in bulk packages of 1 - 1 one half lbs and use it for spaghetti, pizza, chili and hot dishes. If stuffing; twist the stuffed casings at 10-12" intervals to make the sausage and hang them, evenly spaced and 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. It is very uncommon for sausage makers to smoke Italian sausage however you may wish to try a few sticks and see what you think or you may opt to stop at this step and wrap your sausage for freezing

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 BE WELL WRAPPED AND FROZEN.