Make Your Own Sausage

Red meat isn’t bad for you (in moderation), but processed meat is. All processed meats. The additives used in curing can be toxic in large amounts. Unfortunately, I like cured foods, stuff like lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage…  I rarely eat processed meats now, yet I surely miss sausage. Sausage is a tasty ingredient in so many of my favorite dishes, such as jambalaya.

One day while watching a segment of Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals in which she turned ground meat into sausage, I was motivated to try making my own. I took it a step further and ground my own meat, which is easy using my Vita-mix machine. The result: delicious sausage without nitrites or nitrates. I love being in control of my food. 🙂

Here is how I made a pound (4 servings) of sausage:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean meat (your choice)
• 1 Tbsp. ground sage
• 1 Tbsp. steak seasoning blend Mrs. Dash
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/4 cup minced celery, onion, and bell pepper*
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

*You can mince these in your Vita-mix.

Directions:

1. I raided my freezer and found 2 top sirloins (approximately 4 oz. each) and 2 boneless pork chops (same size). I thawed them in my refrigerator.
2. I sliced the meat into 1″ cubes.
3. I turned on the Vita-mix to Variable Speed 5 then dropped in about a third of the meat.
4. I ran the Vita-mix about 20 seconds then dumped the ground meat into a bowl.
5. I repeated the process twice more (grinding meat in batches is actually faster).
6. Into the bowl of ground steak and pork I added my spices and seasonings.
7. Using my hands, I mixed the ingredients well, taking care not to overwork the meat.
8. The sausage was ready to cook.

How simple and easy. Now if I can figure out how to make links . . .