Sausage! (Mac)

I finally tried my hand at sausage making on the weekend deciding to make chicken, feta (not paleo but what the hell), spinach sausage for my very first attempt.  While the overall process is quite simple I found getting the sausages to be the right fullness and size a bit of a challenge.

The process was very simple.  I cut three pounds of skinless chicken thighs and one pound of skinless chick breast (skin may clog the grinder) into one inch chunks, mixed in some feta, spices, and shredded spinach.  I then popped the mix in the fridge (to cool it down for easier grinding) while I readied the casings.  I used ~1" hog casings which I let soak in water for an hour or so before I started the whole shebang.

When the casings were rinsed and ready I pulled the meat mix from the fridge and started grinding and stuffing.  Right away I discovered that with a power grinder this is a two person job.  One to control and stuff the sausage and one to feed the grinder.  I suppose this could be a one man show using a hand cranked grinder whereby a little more control can be afforded to how much meat is coming out, but two people most certainly make an easier go of it.

So, Jody and I stuffed away only bursting two sausages out of the thirty we made.  Not too bad methinks, however, I think the casing had a hole in it leading to the burst.  After I placed the sausages in freezer bags (that's me above and my high tech vacuum device!) I popped two sausages in a frying pan right away to give them a test.  Well...they blew up!  I think I over stuffed the casings.  Hey, it was my first attempt so there are bound to be some trials and tribulations.  I'll tell you, though, the explosion sure didn't ruin the taste.  Yummy!  We will be having some home made sausage and steamed asparagus for dinner tonight.