Homemade Italian Sausage

This homemade Italian sausage recipe calls for casings, if preferred you can simply use the sausage in bulk form.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds lean ground pork butt or leaner cuts if desired
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dry basil
1/8 teaspoon dry oregano
1/8 teaspoon cracked rosemary
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 1/4 teaspoons fennel seed (up to 1 tablespoon if you like dominant fennel flavor)
1/4 cup beef or chicken broth or dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian (flat leaf) parsley, chopped, (stems removed)
Casings (water packed)*

Cooking Directions:

1. Hand-trim all visible fat from the outside of pork, then cube the meat, removing interior fat as you find it.
2. Coarsely grind the pork and glean then ground meat, picking out gristle, cartilage and veins of fat. Grind one more time.
3. After second grinding, place meat in a large bowl, add dry seasonings and blend by hand to mix thoroughly to ensure it is spread throughout the meat.
4. Add broth or wine and mix again by hand.
5. Stuff by hand or use sausage stuffing attachment on electric meat-grinder (do not use blade in meat-grinder when stuffing).

Makes 2 1/2 pounds sausage.

*Casings should not be packed in salt. Get fresh casings from the butcher.