Sausages (Italian)

Whether simmering in a marinara sauce, cooked with peppers and onions or grilled outdoors the flavors and aromas from Italian sausage really is hard to beat. There are as many possible combinations of ingredients as there are recipes for Hot Italian Sausage.

Sausages:
3 lb of Pork Loin
1 lb of Pork Fat Trimmings

Seasonings:
2 Tbsp. fennel seeds
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes
4 tsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Grind the Pork Loin and Pork Fat Trimmings and add the seasonings. Once the Hot Italian Sausage mixture has been stuffed into the casings and the desired length of the links has been made, it will be extremely difficult to not cook them right away. You can, but allowing the sausage to air dry in the refrigerator on racks overnight / twenty-four hours does allow for the sausage links to dry out a little bit and improve in flavor. Sausages will keep in the refrigerator if wrapped for a few days and can be stored in the freezer for a few months.

Homemade fresh Italian Sausage is very versatile. Whether it is baked or grilled and enjoyed with a salad, added to a pot of Marinara Sauce or cooked with Pepper and Onions and even used to make a Sausage Sandwich, the possibilities are endless.