Recipes Using Garlic Sausage

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the pork, garlic, sage, salt and crushed red pepper. Run the meat mixture through the meat grinder outfitted with the die with the largest holes. Repeat so that all of the meat goes through the grinder twice.
• Place half of the meat mixture in the bowl of a standing mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Add half of the water and half of the Parmesan and beat on medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining meat, water and cheese.
• Make, cook and eat a test patty to make sure the sausage is delicious.
• Attach the sausage-stuffing attachment to the meat grinder, keeping the grinder blade and die in place also.
• Keeping the sausage casing very wet, slide a manageable length onto the sausage stuffer. Place a generous amount of the prepared sausage mixture into the grinder pan. Give the casings a slight bit of resistance by holding onto the sausage stuffer with your three last fingers and letting the casing slip through your thumb and forefinger. Turn the machine on a medium-low speed and fill the casings, being careful to avoid any air bubbles. To get the feel for stuffing the sausages, you might have to do a couple tries. The first couple might be too loose or too tight; that's ok--think of them as the first pancake (the one that never comes out right that you have to throw away).
• Twist the casings to create sausages that are even in size. Tie each with butcher's twine to keep them nicely sealed. Prick the sausages with a pin or skewer all over to allow steam to escape while cooking (you don't want to have a blowout).
• Preheat a grill or saute pan. Cook the sausages until cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes on each side. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Chill overnight.
• Stuff into casings tying off at 5 inches.
• Hang for 1 to 2 days in cool place (45°F).

Steps:

• Cut the fatback into the thinnest possible slices. Cut the slices into the thinnest possible strips. Stack the strips uniformly and cut them into the finest possible dice, about 1/16th-of-an-inch cubes. There should be about three cups. Set aside.
• Put pork, beef, salt, pepper and garlic into a mixing bowl. Add the diced fatback. Blend the potato starch and ice water and add it to meat mixture.
• Cut the sausage casings into five lengths of about 18 inches each.
• Outfit a meat grinder (see an alternative technique for stuffing sausages) with a medium cutting blade and add the sausage stuffer, screwing it on securely. Slip the sausage casing onto the stuffer. Tie it at the end.
• Add the meat cubes with seasonings and liquid to the open feeder of the grinder, grinding constantly, allowing the casing to be filled to a length of 15 inches. Cut off the end of the casing and tie it on both ends. Repeat this action, cutting off each sausage with a 15-inch length and tying at the end. This will make about five sausages weighing about one and one-quarter pounds each.
• To cook the garlic sausages, bring enough water to the simmer to cover one or more sausages. Add the sausage or sausages and let simmer (the ideal temperature is 180 degrees) for 30 minutes. Serve sliced. The sausages could also be grilled until done or they may be smoked. If they are to be smoked, use a home smoker and follow the manufacturer's instructions.