We use this sausage on our Fennel Sausage, Panna, and Scallions pizza (page 144), Meat Lover’s pizza (page 136), and to make our most popular pasta, Orecchiette with Fennel Sausage and Swiss Chard (page 180). It’s easy to make and keeps well in the freezer. As our longtime sous chef Erik Black used to say, “Making sausage is like making chicken stock. It takes the same amount of time to make a big batch, so why wouldn’t you? You know you’ll end up using it.”
Recipe information
Yield
makes 5 pounds
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Toast the fennel seeds in a small skillet over high heat, shaking the skillet to keep the seeds from burning, until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the seeds onto a plate and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Cut the pork shoulder and fatback into 1-inch cubes and put the cubes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, fennel pollen, and toasted fennel seeds. Stir the seasonings together and sprinkle them over the pork and fatback. Toss to coat the meat with the seasonings, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to two days. (If you are in a hurry, you can put the meat in the freezer until it is ice cold, but not frozen.)
Step 3
Fit a meat grinder with the largest die and have the bowl of a standing mixer handy. Remove the meat from the refrigerator (or freezer) and pass it through the grinder, catching the gound meat into the mixer bowl.
Step 4
Fit the standing mixer with the paddle attachment. Combine the vinegar and ice water. Put the bowl with the ground meat in it on the standing mixer and mix them on low speed, gradually adding the vinegar and water until the meat is slightly sticky; you may not use all of the liquid. Use the sausage according to your recipe, or transfer it to an airtight container or several containers. Refrigerate the sausage for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.
