Homemade Sausage - Making Summer Sausage an Easy Recipe

Have you ever wanted to make Homemade Summer Sausage but you thought it was just too hard?
Have you said to yourself "I can't make Summer Sausage, I don't even own a smoker".
Well you're in luck. I have the easiest homemade summer sausage recipe you'll ever use. And you don't even need a smoker.

5 lb Ground Beef (or Venison if you like)
5 tsp Morton Tender Quick (curing mix)
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns
1 tbsp Sea Salt
1/4 cup Mustard Seed
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

Mix all of the ingredients in a large container, cover the summer sausage mixture, and place in the fridge. You will need to keep the sausage in the fridge for the next three days taking it out to mix the sausage once a day. The reason for the additional time in the cooler is to let the quick cure do it's magic. Now that you have waited all that time for youe sausage to cure itsd time to cook your summer sausage. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. Form your summer sausage into logs or stuff into fibrous casings and bake on a rack for 8 hours. Let them cool on paper towels. After they have cooled, slice and serve. I hope you enjoy this homemade summer sausage recipe as much as I do. Be sure to check out our other sausage recipes.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

4 lb Ground Pork
1 tsp Black Pepper
3 tsp Sea Salt
4 tsp Ground Sage
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Thyme

Mix all of the sausage seasonings together. Add spice mixture to the ground pork and mix well. After well mixed, form into sausage patties and pan fry, or stuff into sheep casings for homemade breakfast links.

Homemade Sausage- Kielbasa Recipe

4 lb Ground Pork
4 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
3 Cloves Finely Minced Garlic

Mix together and stuff sausage into hog casings. You're now ready to enjoy your own homemade Kielbasa. Check out our other sausage recipes.

Choosing the Right Grinder

If you're here you have probably already realized the benifits of making your own sausage at home. Many people think about what is added to the meat as the most important benifit and forget about the meat itself. Choosing your own meat can make for a healthier and more flavorful sausage. The only way to control the meat in your sausage is to own your own meat grinder.

When it comes time to choose your first grinder you will find that there are thousands on the market. To help narrow down your search we'll discuss your options.

The first thing to consider is how the grinder is operated. You can choose from manual or electric. Manual will be less expensive, but if you are using it often your arm will thank you for moving up to an electric model.

Make sure that the grinder you choose has attachments for that grinder so you can make sausage with it. You will need a stuffing tube for putting your homemade sausage in casings. Multiple grinder plates and blades are nice to have as well. Having a larger diameter plate you can easily grind your own meat for chili and for a more coarsely ground sausage.

Afer you have spent the time grinding and mixing, and then running your sausage into the casings you look back at the mess you made. This is the time when you'll be glad you picked a grinder that was easy to clean. I would advise you stay away from plastic models. Plastic is like a magnet for fat. After you finish grinding, the fat from the meat will stick to the plastic making it had to clean. Look for a grinder with all metal internal workings.

You can also look at what you already have. Many kitchen mixers have attachments that you can use for grinding.

No matter what type of grinder you choose you will find that you use it more that you thought you would. Not only will you be able to make homemade sausage, you can also grind your own meat for the best burgers you have ever eaten.

Homemade Sausage-Bratwurst Recipe

2 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground caraway seed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Stuff all the mixed ingredients into natural hog casings. Parboil in a skillet and then finish off on the grill. With this recipe for homemade bratwursts you will impress your friends with even the most discerning tastes.

Making Homemade Sausage - Andouille Sausage Recipe

5lb Ground Pork
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper                                     
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Garlic
1/8 Cup Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme leaves
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 Cup Water

Mix together and stuff into hog casings. You can cook as is for fresh sausage or smoke it for traditional andouille sausage. Be sure to check out our other sausage recipes.

Simple Chorizo Sausage Recipe

1 pound ground pork
1 Tablespoon coarse (kosher) salt
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1-1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
1-1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Just mix ingredients together and stuff into casings for great tasting chorizo sausage. Be sure to check out our other sausage recipes.

The Benefits of Natural Sausage Casings

After you have finished grinding your meat, and adding your perfect blend of seasonings, its time to choose what you're going to stuff your work of art into. Once you put all that work into your homemade sausage would you want to put it in plastic? If you ask me natural casing are the only way to go. There is nothing quite like the "snap" when you bite into a freshly made homemade sausage with a natural casing.


  • Superior taste resulting from the mixing of flavours through the casing during cooking




  • The good health and peace of mind that comes from eating food made from natural ingredients




  • Flavour as you intended, natural casings do not introduce conflicting flavours into your homemade sausage




  • Your homemade Sausage stays juicy and tender for longer
  • Salt Free Breakfast Sausage Seasoning

    Are you on a salt restricted diet and would still like to enjoy great homemade sausage? After searching the web Wassi's is the only site I can find that sells salt free sausage seasonings. Each pack contains enough seasonings to make 25lb of homemade sausage. Check it out at Wassi's.com

    Sausage Making in America

    I just read this article on the history of homemade sausage making. I found it very interesting and thought you might like it as well.
    Sausage Making in America

    Italian Sausage with Fennel

    Here's a great recipe to get you started. Stuff into hog casings and your ready to enjoy your own homemade sausage.
    • Ground pork: 1 lb.
    • Coarse salt: 1/2 tablespoon
    • Ground black pepper: 1/4 tablespoon
    • Fennel seeds: 1/4 tablespoon
    • Chopped parsley: 1/2 tablespoon
    Be sure to check out our other sausage recipes.

    Sausage Recipes

    Help make our blog better. Feel free to add your own sausage recipes, links to sausage websites, or tell us about your sausage making experiences.

    Making Homemade Sausage Step by Step

    Getting the meat ready
     I'm going to start with a very basic outline of how to make your own homemade sausage at home. The easiest meat to start with is pork shoulder (sometimes labeled as pork butt). You can purchase this at your local meat market or grocery store.
    Start by removing  the bone. After the bone is removed cut the piece of meat into small cubes. The size of the cubes is going to depend on how big your grinder is. The smaller your grinder, the smaller the cubes need to be.
    Once you have finished cutting the meat you are going to need to weigh it. This is an important step. You need an accurate weight so you can calculate the amount of seasonings you will need for your homemade sausage.
    Now it's time to grind the meat. You can do this with a hand grinder or an electric one. If you have a kitchen aid stand mixer you can purchase a grinder attachment for it (great for making small batches of homemade sausage). The grinding process heats up the meat so after grinding place it in the fridge to cool it back down.

    Mixing the homemade sausage
    After the meat has cooled in the fridge it's time to mix your spices into the meat. You can use a premix or a recipe, its up to you. Take your spices and mix them in a bowl before you add them to the meat. Add the mixed spices to the meat along with ice cold water, about 1/2 cup for every 10 pounds of homemade sausage. The water makes it easier to mix, and makes it easier the stuff into the casings. With your hands mix the meat and spices together.

    Stuffing your homemade sausage
    You've made it to the home stretch. It's all downhill from here. Start be attaching the stuffing tube to the head of your grinder. You will need to decide the type of casing you will be using for your homemade sausage, natural or collagen. I use the natural casings, but it's just a matter of personal preference.
    Slide the casing onto the stuffing tube. Place the meat into the hopper of your grinder. Using the pusher, start running the meat thru the tube and into the casing.

    Congfatulations!! You just made your own homemade sausage.

    Homemade Sausage Blog: IntroductionMaking sausage at home can be easy a...

    Homemade Sausage Blog: Introduction

    Making sausage at home can be easy a...
    : "Introduction Making sausage at home can be easy and fun. The best part of making your own sausage is the ability to control the ingredients..."
    Introduction

    Making homemade sausage at home can be easy and fun. The best part of making homemade sausage is the ability to control the ingredients. Most store made sausage is full of preservatives and loads of salt. Once you start making your own homemade sausage you'll never go back to buying the grocery store sausage.