Semi-smoked sausage
Description
It works for both holidays and everyday meals. There are many recipes for making homemade semi-smoked sausage. This one has its own twist: phosphates and starter cultures. I’ll explain what they’re for below. This recipe has stood the test of time, and among all the others it’s the favorite not only of my family but also of everyone who has tried this sausage. I didn’t add cognac or vodka (once I tried adding whiskey, and that turned out quite well too, but that’s for those who like it). Serve the appetizer at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
1. Making semi-dry cured sausage is not so simple. First we need to prepare the mince: run beef and fatty pork through a meat grinder. Add minced garlic, pepper (a pepper blend works), nutmeg, glucose, starter cultures (they kill “bad” microflora and bacteria), phosphate (without it you won’t get the right consistency), and nitrite salt is essential. Mix the mince well, and soak the pig casings separately.
- 2
Step 2
2. The filling should be thick and loose. It should stick to your hands. Let it rest for 20 minutes, then you can proceed with filling.
- 3
Step 3
3. The casings must be filled very tightly and tied securely at the edges. You choose the shape and size yourself. I prefer small sausages so they’re easy to smoke in my mini smoker. They turn out gray—that’s the nitrite salt “working.” That’s how it should be; the pink color and slight tang will come from the starter cultures, but only during the aging process. I put all the sausages in a bag and keep them in a dark place for 20 hours.
- 4
Step 4
4. I open it after a while: you can see the sausage has started to take on the right pink color. I recently learned that in a sealed, airtight bag they cure faster. Don’t worry that they might spoil or “suffocate”—that won’t happen, because salt and starter cultures are part of the process. All of this is sold openly and available for any customer to buy.
- 5
Step 5
5. When the sausage turns pink-red, send it to smoke using your usual method. I have a small smoker with a temperature controller. I often use liquid smoke, but you smoke it the way you normally do. I smoked the sausage for about 6 hours, then left it to air out for 10 hours.