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David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

This section looks a bit lonely so here's my dry sausage recipe:

Get some small intestine from a pig...roughly 3m lengths. We get them from our own pigs. You can kind of pull them out of the intestine mass, and once they start coming apart it's almost like undoing a zip. OK, sounds easy, in reality it's a bit tricky, but once you get the knack, it's not too bad...and there are loads of guts in a pig so you can always start again if you break some gut. Invert the guts using a running garden hose outside in a clean plastic dustbin...once they start to turn inside out, the weight of water inverts a great section of gut...pull off all membranes that are too fatty. Once you have them inside out, flush them through with plenty of fresh water. Then take them inside somewhere clean...the bath is ideal...and scrape off the mucus membranes by pulling the gut through a knife against a board (easy to do, difficult to describe...i must post a picture). Don't panic too much about the membranes, we've made lovely salami in the past without getting the membrane off. Throw all your casings in a bucket of salt, and it will keep for ages.

Now for the sausage...here's one of our recipes (for 5 kg lean meat, but if you keep them proportional it should turn out fine with any amount). Be especially careful to add 2% salt by weight of meat...so 2 kg meat requires 2x 20 = 40g salt.

Lean meat (shoulder, trimmings, whatever): 5kg
Back fat, diced small (put in freezer for 1 hour makes it easier to dice): 830g
Red wine: 1165 ml
minced chili (including seeds): 45g
Paprika: 100g
Cayenne: 2 teaspoons
2-3 handfuls fresh rosemary tips, chopped fine
117g fine salt
12g acidophilus (broken out of capsules bought from chemist)
Oh yeah... LOADS of garlic..a t least 10 cloves, we use more.

Mince the lean meat up fine, keep the back fat in small dice...mix everything up in a huge bowl, and chuck it in the fridge overnight.

Stuff casings the next day...a sausage machine is the best way, but the first time i did it with an old plastic bottle and a wooden spoon...keep the sausies about 30 cm long, tie both ends securely with butchers string.

"redden" them by hanging near the stove overnight...you see why it's called "reddening" in the morning...and make sure you've tied them securely as the casing is slippery when wet.

Hang them in a clean outbuilding...dust is a no-no. Don't panic if small flies land on them...bluebottles shouldn't be around when you make salami, which should be autumn time after you've killed your pig. In a week or 2, your salami should start to be colonised by a white bloom...in a month, they will look completely furry. You can fry slices within a few weeks (delicious!), but if you can wait long enough, the sausage dries quite hard and is delicious sliced thinly with a glass of wine.

They're meant to keep for ages, but ours never last beyond January as they just taste too good. Very versatile, you can slice and eat raw, chuck them in casseroles for flavour, use them in omlettes or even crumble them in your scrambled eggs.

We've also made them with large intestine casings, and bought-in ox-runners...home made casings taste nicer in my opinion. You don't have to eat the casings...my wife picks them off, the kids are mad on them!

There's my contribution!

D

blowin · Posted: Fri May 18, 2007 6:52 pm Post subject:

Wow , that sounds great !
My piggies were fairly safe until I read that ! Wink

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David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

Yeah, pigs are nice...but salami is nicer!

The beauty of salami is that you can use all the little offcuts and turn them into a delicacy. When I get time I'll post some pics.

The salami is all eaten now, and we're just starting to attack this years air dried ham. Started in November, it is only just ready...we have 3 whole hams hanging in the basement and the smell has been driving the family crazy...

D

blowin · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 12:15 am Post subject:

Hi david -- any chance of you telling us how to do that too ? Nice one Wink

David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

Hi Blowin

As soon as I get a chance I'll whack up a load more recipes, along with some pictures.
We've done both brine cured and dry cured hams, some for boiling, others in a parma style, both pretty easy really
D

blowin · Posted: Sat May 19, 2007 10:46 am Post subject:

Excellent

but we have a minor complication to do with the publishing of recipes like that . Admin says it is essential that he samples the product first Laughing

David · Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Co. Clare

fair enough! (if there's any left, that is...my kids resemble a pack of crocodiles when we start on the home cure ham...) Laughing

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