Smoked Hot Italian Sausage Recipe

I decided to make this Smoked Hot Italian Sausage Recipe for the upcoming gameday. My first try at this particular recipe and it’s a winner! I adapted it from the book “Charcuterie” and I used a new source for my casings, because the last ones I used were terribly tough and disappointing. I liked these casings, from Syracuse Casing company. It is a kind of pre-tubed hog casings and are super tender, with a great snap to them. Super easy to get onto the sausage stuffer tube, also. I had a couple of blowouts, though. These casings are a little bit more tender than the others I have used.  But once I treated them more gently, it went well.

Ingredients

Adapted from “Charcuterie” by Ruhlman.

Spicy Italian Sausage

5 pounds/2.2 kg boneless pork shoulder, cubed
2 tblsp kosher salt
1.5 tblsp. granulated sugar
2 tblsp. fennel seends, toasted
1 tblsp. whole coriander seeds, toasted
3 tblsp paprika- just regular, not the hot variety
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tblsp. dried oregano
4 tblsp. fresh chopped basil leaves
2 tblsp. hot red pepper flakes
2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
3-4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup ice water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled

Directions

Combine all the ingredients except the water and vinegar, toss.  Chill until ready to grind. (I put mine in the freezer for 30 minutes)
Grind through the small die into a bowl set in ice.
Add the water and vinegar to the meat and mix with a paddle attachment on Kitchenaid or a sturdy spoon, until the mixture has a sticky appearance and the liquids are well distributed.
Saute a small portion and taste, adjust seasoning, if needed
Stuff into casings.

Enjoy!