How to Make Hog Sausage

Making your own sausage at home allows you to determine what ingredients are used.

Hog, swine, and pig all have the same meaning - the domesticated animal from which pork meat comes from. Domestication of the wild boar as early as 10,000 years ago makes it the oldest domesticated creature primarily kept for food. Due to the high amount of fat content in the meat, pig can create excellent sausage, both flavorful and easy to cook. The sausage itself is simple to create and can be more affordable than purchasing it in stores.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pounds fatty boneless pork cuts, such as rump, with fat attached
• 1/2 pound pork fat
• Meat grinder
• Two large bowls
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped finely
• Eight cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• Large cutting board
• Sharp kitchen knife
• Wooden stir spoon

Instructions

1. Place the pork, pork fat, grinder and two large bowls in to the freezer. Chill them for an hour. Keep the pork in the freezer, do not remove it and place it back in, if it is previously frozen.

2. Pour and sprinkle the salt, black pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, garlic, red wine, balsamic vinegar, an sugar in to one of the large chilled bowls, while the other remains in the freezer. Place them in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

3. Remove the meat and fat from the freezer and place it on the cutting board. Cut them in to 1-inch chunks.

4. Place the meat chunks in the bowl with the chilled spices and liquids. Mix them thoroughly using your hands. Insert the sausage mixture back in to the freezer for 30 minutes.

5. Rake the grinder out of the freezer and place the second, chilled large bowl under it. Set the grinder to make a course grind.

6. Remove the meat mixture from the freezer. Push it through the grinder, reserving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

7. Pour the liquid from the first bowl over the ground meat mixture in the second. Mix the sausage together for one to two minutes - it should become sticky.

8. Cook the sausage right away, stuff it in to links, store it in the refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

Tips & Warnings

• Sausage can be stuffed in to casings after cooking or simply formed in to small shapes and fried as such. The sausage can also be added to a variety of sauces, stews and soups

• Lean meat cuts and less fat can also be used to create a healthier sausage.

• Be sure to cook the sausages to 170 degrees F when a meat thermometer is inserted in to the middle to avoid infection by the bacteria.

• Always make sure that your equipment is chilled thoroughly before making sausage, otherwise it will not set properly when being stirred at the end.

References

• Cambridge World History of Food: Hogs
• Simply Recipes: How to Make Homemade Sausage
• Sausage Mania: Recipes
• Texas Boars: Recipes
• Honest Food: Herbed Wild Boar Sausages