Homemade Italian Sausage for #SundaySupper

Ok guys…we did it! We made…..Sausage! Now I have to be honest with you. This is no easy feat. Not at all. This is all technically based and I strategically planned it out so Joe would be off so we could work on this together.

Of course I had to look up the perfect recipe and researched endlessly with the flavors we most enjoyed. Joe bought the…uhh..casings and we got to work on those guys (more on that later). Overall this was a lot of fun to do. Not as time consuming to make but there were some hiccups that I’d like to cure.

#1 After all said and done, the outside of the sausage (or the casing) seemed slightly tough….anyone know why?

#2 Little does not go a long way. I added less spices than normal and I could have gone more heavy handed.

So why all the hustle and bustle of sausage making? Well…it’s Tailgating season! Or so they tell me? I need to be honest, I don’t know one hootin-nanny thing about sports. I think I root for the…uhh…shoot, never mind, I honestly forgot who I root for. But it’s usually a team where I recognized the City.

That’s sad, isn’t it?

But it makes a fabulous excuse to make some grubbin-down food, don’t you think?

Tips on the casings: Oh boy…were these fun! You pull them out of their package and long strings of lining are hanging by a single ring. And I mean…looongggg. You must..must soak them for a while so they are more pliable and easier to work with. I heard the uhh…smell was something to be recon with but it wasn’t that bad at all. We are talking lining after all. It was pretty neat to watch these narrow tubes balloon up with water when you clean them out. You funnel in water from one side and as the water flows to the other the long tube engorges and you can imagine what really happens…well..inside of you! That was pretty interesting to watch.

Method:

1) Marinate pork, wine and spices in a bowl for at least 1 hr in the refrigerator.

2) Take hog casings out of the package and allow to soak in room temperature water for at least an hour. Use a funnel to open the ends up and pass water through to the other side. Discard any that have leaks in them. (We didn’t use nearly half the amount of casings we had).

3) Using your meat grinder (attachment), pass the pork mixture through the meat grinder. Remove and attach sausage attachment.

4) Using wet hands place casing onto sausage attachment, leaving extra casing for room.Feed ground pork through tube and allow to come out into casing. Mold with your hand making sure the casing is not too tight and there are no air bubbles.( *This step is ideal for 2 people. 1 person to feed meat and the other person to mold the sausage.)

5) Gently tie ends and curl on foil lined sheet until read to grill.

Check out what everyone else made for #SundaySupper during the game!

The Lineup

Pre Game Warm-ups:

• Sausage Balls by My Catholic Kitchen
• Edamame Hummus by Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Rueben Dip by The Meltaways
• Buffalo Wing Hummus by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Smokey Guacamole with Bacon by Family Spice
• Pepperoni & Mozzarella Pull Apart by In the Kitchen with KP
• Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Wings by Juanita’s Cocina
• Candied Pecans by From Fast Food to Fresh Food
• Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips with Sweet Chili Sauce by Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Swabian Mini Meatballs (Schwaebische Mini Fleischkuechle) by Galactosemia in PDX
• Joe Montana’s Touchdown Guacamole by Noshing with the Nolands
• Cheddar Cheese Jalapeno Bites by Mama.Mommy.Mom.
• Hot & Spicy Popcorn Chicken by My Trials in the Kitchen
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites by Family Foodie
• Soft Pretzels with Spicy Beer Cheese Sauce by girlichef
• Game Day Loaded Nachos by The Messy Baker
• Buffalo Chicken Dip by Home Cooking Memories
• Southwestern Spring Rolls by Supper for a Steal
• Pepperoni Pizza Puffs by Comfy Cuisine
• Roasted Garlic Bacon Dip with Easy Homemade Tortilla Chips by Daily Dish Recipes
• Beer Battered Spiced Sweet Potato Lentil Fritters by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Indian Spiced Chicken Meatballs by Soni’s Food for Thought

On the Sidelines:

• Anne’s Best Potato Salad with Bacon and Peas by Webicurean
• Simple Roasted Purple Potatoes by Ruffles and Truffles
• Spicy BBQ Baked Beans by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Papa’s Potato Salad & Baked Beans by Kwistin’s Favorites

Main Events:

• Gluten Free Breakfast Sandwich by Cooking Underwriter
• Pollo Adobado con Papas (Adobo Chicken with Potatoes) by La Cocina de Leslie
• Poor Man’s Burrito by Shockingly Delicious
• Ham and Mushroom Handpies by Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Individual Muffuletta Sandwiches by Magnolia Days
• Far East Steak Salad by Diabetic Foodie
• Italian Sloppy Joes by The Weekend Gourmet
• Hot Chicken Chili by Momma’s Meals
• Louisiana Sloppy Joes by Sustainable Dad
• Hawaiian Chicken Wraps by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Grandpa Sal’s Sausage and Peppers by Daddy Knows Less
• Fancy Filet Chili by I Run for Wine
• Homemade Italian Sausage by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Jalapeno Crockpot Chili by Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Flavorful Fall Marinade by Midlife Road Trip
• Moose Chili by Mrs. Mama Hen

Overtime:

• Peanut Butter-Stuffed Chocolate Cookies by Chocolate Moosey
• Streusel Topped Pumpkin Bread by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Zucchini Cupcakes by In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Oven-Baked Churros by Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Swirl Nutella Cupcakes by Basic N Delicious
• Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles by Gotta Get Baked

From the Cooler:

• Sparkling Tropical Lemonade by Dinners. Dishes, and Desserts
• Strawberry Horchata by Damn Delicious

Wine Pairings by Wine Everyday

Don’t forget to join us on twitter at 7pm ET to talk all things tailgate.  Use tweetchat to follow along with #SundaySupper.