The most exciting part about owning my very own KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer (thank you again to my awesome brothers who purchased it for my birthday several months ago!) is the ability to make my own sausages from scratch!
I guess my love for savoury over sweet was really evident when I decided the first thing I wanted to make with my KitchenAid was sausages, and not macarons or cake.
Best places to buy sausage casings in Sydney
Quite a few have already asked about this, so here's my experience with hunting down natural hog casings (read this if you're unsure of which casings you should use). Most gourmet butchers will be able to order them in or keep some aside for you. Call ahead to confirm. I bought mine from Hudson Meats in Surry Hills but may look into bulk quantities from The Casing Boutique when I make my next batch!
They are sold salted, so the casings need to be rinsed under running water and/or soaked in water before use.
The tools
To make sausages with the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, you'll need two attachments - the KitchenAid Food Grinder/ Mincer (RRP $120) and KitchenAid Sausage Stuffer Tubes (RRP $24.95).
Homemade Italian Sausages Recipe
I used Emeril Lagasse's recipe which worked a treat! The flavours of fresh parsley, ground anise, cayenne pepper, toasted fennel seeds, paprika, garlic and red wine, together, produce an incredible comforting aroma.
I used pork shoulder instead of pork butt so the most noticeable difference was that my sausages were slightly "healthier" as they were a bit leaner. It's so great knowing exactly what the sausages were made from - unlike store-bought ones!
The sausage making process
Making sausages at home with the KitchenAid is definitely a two-man job!
While the food mincer/grinder doesn't require much strength to maneuver, repeating the same action for 3kg of meat can become a workout!
First, the marinated meat needs to be diced and marinated. It is then fed through the meat grinder until finely ground.
Grease the sausage tube attachment (two sizes are available - choose the one that matches the size of your casings), and the casings should slip on fairly easily. The real challenge is holding onto the casing and tube firmly enough while remembering to twist off the sausages at a consistent size!
Also watch out for air pockets which may build up if the sausage filling isn't being fed through properly or if the casing is loose.
And here we have the final result! Aren't they gorgeous?
You'll be relieved to know that the attachments can be disassembled easily without instructions and most parts are dishwasher safe!
Uncooked sausages can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
