My interest in sausage making was motivated by finding new and different ways to utilize Pheasant. First of all I took some lessons on general sausage making techniques from my friend 40 miles east. Willie has been making sausage for his friends and family his whole life. Willie learned his craft growing up on the family homestead. German was the spoken language at home so when he went to school and learned English was the only language allowed he refused to speak the first 2 years! Anyway home butchering and sausage making are traditions deeply rooted in this culture and are practiced today by many German families using methods and recipe's handed down from generation to generation. However I quickly learned after stuffing sausage and experiencing how I used the meat that I actually liked "loose meat" better. This would be the same sausage ground and spiced but packed in 1 lb packages for convenience. Also not smoking means less salt and no added nitrates or chemicals to worry about. The recipes are really fun to try and customize to your taste. The fat content is another widely contested issue with some folks liking very lean sausage and others preferring a generous fat content in the mix.
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| My friend Willie giving me a sausage stuffing lesson. Willie likes his sausage verrry lean and cooked well done! |
So where I got to was that I liked enough fat to facilitate cooking and a mix of 60% pork to 40% Pheasant. I buy pork shoulder and trim it somewhat to remove gristle and excess fat. The Pheasant has no fat and is very moist so when added to the pork makes a very tender and quick cooking sausage mix. Each recipe will specify a coarse or fine grind but I've learned my preference with all of them is to use a fine grind. Because of how I use the meat this works best for what I do and how I like to cook it. As I watched other people make sausage I learned there are no hard and fast rules on many things having to do with fresh sausage which you grind add spices mix and freeze. It all starts with the question "How are you most likely to use the meat?".
The use of pork shoulder is the most common added meat in sausage as the resulting percent of fat works well for most recipes. It's a very economical cut of pork as well. The last couple of year's I've bought pork shoulder for anywhere from 1.25 to 1.75 a lb. I've also experimented using lean pork loin and adding coconut oil as the fat. Since it's a solid when cold it can be added through the grinder just like any other fat and then mixed but must be cold or frozen to do so. This is a healthier fat and is an excellent way to create a browning of your sausage when frying. You just calculate what percent of fat you want to add to your mix then weigh add and mix with your lean meat. There is a certain feeling of confidence knowing exactly what is in what you're eating!
Regarding the recipe's I've tried I prefer, a breakfast mix,a Chorizo, and an Andouille. The main ingredient I question is salt content and am experimenting with reduced salt or salt substitutes. Just looking at sausage bought in stores I can tell you that the fat content would surprise you. There's got to be at least 30 to 40% fat in what you're buying. As for salt you wouldn't believe the amount but your Doctor would! I find using spice for flavor can make a very palatable taste without the over use of salt. It just simply is not necessary to over use this ingredient but all our processed food is just full of it.
So why use Pheasant in sausage making? Well first of all it's simply another great way to add the meat to your cooking routine. Secondly it makes a very tender sausage in texture. Thirdly it cooks quickly. The experience of learning about sausage making has been fun as well and I'll continue to experiment along the way!
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