This sausage is an amended version of the Every Day Pork Sausage that I posted a while ago. The first version is a nice peppery sausage that we all like a lot. The family, however, thinks this one is even better. Less peppery and with a more rounded flavour.
Continue reading The Thurlaston SausageMost British sausage contains some form of binder. Prior to WWII this was usually in the form of breadcrumbs but following the introduction of modern bread baking methods, most producers changed to using rusk. Good breadcrumbs from well-cooked homemade bread can still, of course, be used, or rusk can be bought online from suppliers such as Scobies or Weschenfelder.
Alternatively, you can make your own using this recipe which was posted by Parson Snows on the sausagemaking.org forum:
Rusk
500 g plain/all-purpose flour or bread/strong flour
pinch of salt
20g baking powder
250g water (approx)
Method
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C)
Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder together.
Mix it to a smooth, pliable dough using only enough of the water to do so.
Roll it out lightly to approximately ½” (12 mm) thick, then place it on a lightly greased tray. Keep it so that it only takes up half of the tray. Use two trays if necessary.
Place the tray into the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 10 minutes at 450°F (230°C).
Remove it from the oven and, using the tines of a fork or a large knife, split it in half horizontally along it.
Place it back on the tray with the opened faces upwards. – that’s why it could only take up half the tray before!
Return it to the oven.
Reduce the heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake it for a further 10 minutes, or more, until it seems dry.
Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool a little on a wire rack.
Whilst it is still warm, grind it in a food processor and then dry it further on trays until really dry.
Store it in an airtight container and use it as required.
In 2009, I wrote:
I’ve posted before about making faggots but they were the type you buy in gravy from the shops. This recipe is for the more traditional faggot that you get from a good butcher’s shop. I know most people reheat them and serve them with gravy; I like them sliced up in thick slices and fried.
The recipe is an adaption of one posted by ‘Somerset Lad’ on the River Cottage Forum. In the original, the meat is cooked in liquid before being ground and mixed. Around here, it is normal to mince/grind the meat and shape the faggots before cooking. I also prefer a higher ratio of pork meat to liver than in his recipe.
Ingredients
Meat
Pig’s Fry 60.00% (liver, heart, lungs, etc.)
Fatty Pork (Belly) 40.00%
Other ingredients as a percentage of the total meat weight:
Fresh Breadcrumbs 16.66%
Dried Sage 0.24%
Parsley 0.16%
Onion 10.00%
White Pepper 0.28%
Black Pepper 0.15%
Salt 1.60%
Method
Mince the meats then mix in the dry ingredients.
Leave it to stand for about an hour – it will firm up.
Shape into the size faggots you want; wet hands make this easier, put them into a dish and fill it to about a third of the way up the faggots with stock or water. Cook in a 190°C oven (170°C fan) for about 40 minutes. Cover with foil if the tops are getting too brown
If using caul, soak it in tepid water for about an hour, then wrap a piece around each faggot before cooking.
Faggots freeze well.
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An article in the Farmers’ Guardian titled ‘Offal renaissance to boost livestock industry’ reminded me that I had a bag of pig’s ‘bits’ in the freezer, ready for making faggots.
I used this recipe by Antony Worrall Thompson. Unlike many others, it doesn’t boil the meat before mincing. I amended the recipe slightly adding more sage, and parsley instead of chives. The gravy was made using stock, tomato puree, and soy sauce for colour thickened with a roux – my wife cannot have anything with wine in it.
I’m pleased with the end result and Emma, my younger daughter loves them – better than Brains dad! Not that that would be difficult! They are very much the ‘faggot and gravy’ type rather than the firmer faggots many local butchers prepare. I like that type sliced and fried.
Next time I’d add even more sage and cover them in the later stages of cooking, but all in all, I’m very satisfied.
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When I wrote about my first attempt to make hot dog sausages I posted the link to the original recipe that I adapted. It’s by forum member Big Guy at the sausagemaking.org forum. I’ve just realised that some of the ingredients he mentions aren’t available in the UK. Here’s my anglicised version.
Continue reading Hot Dogs
It’s a while since I’ve done any sausage-making, what with trying to convert a bedroom into a work space and not feeling too good. We really need to make a trip to buy meat but in the meantime, I raided the freezer to make some hot dogs.
“Hot-dogs”, you ask, “Why would you want to make horrible fast food?”. Well, my dear reader, there’s a vast difference between what you buy on a Friday night when the clubs close and a good homemade hot dog in a quality bun; ask any American! They virtually have wars over there as to which style is the best!
Continue reading Hot-Dog TutorialI thought I’d have a go at making a ‘burger type’ soft roll, minus the sesame seed ‘cos I’ve run out!
Time has moved on since I first made these rolls in June 2008. The recipe’s changed slightly. Rather than confuse things with a new article, I’ve amended the recipe below.
Continue reading Soft Bread Rolls
For those that don’t know, Bresaola is an air-dried beef that originates in the north of Italy. In the past, I’ve always made it using Jason Molinari’s recipe from curedmeats.blogspot.co.uk. The recipe below, whilst very different from Jason’s, owes its heritage to his. I’ve removed the cinnamon and clove, reduced the other spices and added a small amount of garlic.
Continue reading Bresaola
Lomo is made from the solid muscle that forms the eye of a pork loin. It starts by cutting the ‘eye’ from a loin of pork.
After removing the ‘tail’ of the pork loin, the loin was dry-cured in a vacuum bag with Spanish smoked paprika, black pepper and garlic for a couple of weeks:
The cured Lomo was rinsed and then dried overnight in the fridge…
Continue reading Lomo embuchadoOriginally posted in 2009...
What springs to mind if I mention Emmet? Is it a Cornish tourist, or maybe the neighbour of Hyacinth Bouquet in the famous sitcom? Well, to any foodie or meat curer it won’t be either; it’ll be the makers of the famous Suffolk Black Ham that used to hold Royal Warrant, Emmett’s of Peasenhall. They’ve been making ham for over 150 years. Whilst there are other black hams, including the famous Bradenham from Wiltshire, Shropshire Black Ham, and a less well-known one from Derbyshire, Emmett’s seems to have become the one people talk about. It’s featured in the press and used to be rolled out on Delia Smith’s TV programmes at Christmas.
Continue reading Black Ham
