Sausages are a little controversial these days, especially after the recent health announcement regarding processed meats, yet along with many other processed foods, it is my opinion that it could very well be all the additives/preservatives that are the issue. Just like other foods Regan and I prepare or cook, if we know what goes into something we all feel better about eating it. Of course, whether it is healthy or not is beyond my study level, but knowing exactly what goes in to your food makes it taste better.

Making things when you get your hands in, is always fun for kids, well it certainly is when Regan gets her hands dirty! Having a bowl in the sink ready prepared is always a good idea to ensure any sticky mess from food preparation doesn’t finish all over the kitchen!!

My Dad was a butcher way back in the olden-days so I’ve helped and been making sausages for a while, and pre-Regan I would make traditional Lincolnshire sausages. We still make Lincolnshire sausages, but we don’t always make them sausage shape these days. We make square flat sausage patties and we make round burger style sausage patties, along with traditional style. The point I’m making here, is that filling casings with the sausage meat whilst a skill she will improve soon (hopefully), she gets a little frustrated when the casings burst or don’t fill evenly (I’m sure she’s picked that frustration up from me… of course she has!), so if you or your kids aren’t ready for filling the casings/skins, then don’t be put off, you can still give sausage making a go.

Getting the sausage recipe right, which ever finished product you go for is the most important thing and without doubt having fun with your kids whilst making them is of course, is really what it is all about!

Mincer/grinder or food processor will do the job of grinding the meat. I use a semi-professional mincing machine an Inox No.8  Electric 220/50 Mincer but you can get many different, and cheaper home models or food processor attachments.  Whichever, you choose, be aware that these things like many things in a kitchen are dangerous and supervision of your child/children is paramount!

Buying your ingredients, well your meat is often cheaper and mostly better if you have a good butcher nearby. I know supermarkets are convenient, but pork needs to taste of something like say pork, and I’ve found all too often that supermarket pork doesn’t taste like pork! Clearly, only my opinion, but given the option use a good butcher.

Just like my other recipes when preparing food/ cooking/ baking with Regan I try and keep the measurement relatively simple so we can practice her maths (sums) too. My sausage recipe makes around 20 ‘proper’ sausages, and if we’re making burger style patties, we get around 12 from the mix. May I add, a Lincolnshire sausage ‘burger’ on mine and Regan’s Brioche Buns is an extremely tasty take on a sausage butty!

Ingredients: 1kg Pork Shoulder; 500g Pork Belly; 20g of Salt, 3g of White Pepper; 10g of Sage; 200g of Rusk (or breadcrumbs), 200ml of Iced Water.

I’ve seen ‘Lincolnshire’ sausage recipes with mace or nutmeg and other spices, and I have tried them, but in my opinion, keeping it traditional works and tastes best. You can also adjust the salt, pepper, sage to taste of course. If you’re using fresh breadcrumbs, bake them first to kill off any yeast, you don’t want the yeast reacting with the meat. Gluten free sausage rusk is available these days, which works as a good alternative too.

We did make sausages when Regan was 3yrs old make sausages using the pork and just added a packet of sage and onion stuffing mix and 100ml of water, which was certainly simple and tasted ok, but not as good as these tasty sausages! Plus, now she understands that she is from Lincolnshire, it would be wrong not to make Lincolnshire Sausages!!

Method: Whether, doing this on your own or cooking with kids, I find measuring everything out and prepping the meat ready for mincing is always best. I still do the majority of cutting the meat in to sizes ready for the mincer, but I do let Regan get involved with a sharp knife. We’ve found a clever little shield to protect her fingers which we found in France, made by Opinel and they also do kid friendly kitchen knives. Still caution and supervision is needed, but getting her involved is what bread with dad is all about. Anyway, remove the rind/skin from the pork shoulder and pork belly and chunk up the meat to fit through the mincer. If you remove the skin carefully, you can make naughty treats of pork scratchings!

Careful mince the meat with a medium plate (this should be a rough mince not a fine mince) ensuring little hands don’t stray anywhere near the moving parts into a good size mixing bowl, the classic cane mixing bowl or similar works well. Add the seasoning and rusk, and get your hands in to the mix ensuring all the seasoning is distributed throughout the meat. Add the water a bit at a time, you don’t always need the full amount. I’ve used beer or cider instead of water which works really well, but again, that is not the traditional Lincolnshire way.

I’d recommend covering the bowl with cling film and putting in the fridge overnight, or at least for a few hours. The sausages will taste better if the seasoning is allowed to permeate the meat throughly.

Before, we are happy to make the sausages in to traditional style Lincolnshire sausages, or burger style patties, it is a good idea to give them a test. Make a small patty from the mix and fry in a pan to sample for taste – then adjust the seasoning accordingly, if needed.

If we are making traditional sausages, we use hog casings/skins which give an authentic taste. If we are doing the hamburger style patties we use a hamburger press to form the patties, but you can do this by hand. Either method for the burger style sausages, we mould in to a ball and then flatten with either our hands or the burger press. Each ‘burger’ is made around 5″ in diameter and weight 4-6oz. Clearly a 4oz patty will cook quicker. We tend to use 28mm cases for traditional sausages but you can make thinner chipolatas if you prefer.

Stuffing the sausage skins is fun, either with your 5 year old or on your own, when I say fun of course and like I mentioned earlier,  it can also be frustrating and annoying, but mostly fun. We use an attachment for our  Inox No.8  Electric 220/50 Mincer but you can buy simpler manual options. A quick search of Manual Sausage Stuffer on the internet will come up with a decent option I am sure.

Linking sausages is a good skill to learn, and whilst difficult to explain in words, there are several useful videos on YouTube. Search how to link sausages and choose a video that suits you. Be prepared to make mistakes and split the casings/skins on your first attempt, but persevere, it is worth it, and serving your own proper sausages at a BBQ is very rewarding in a smug satisfaction way.

We do make other sausages and sausage products. Homemade Sausage Rolls are something special, and our take on what I call a mix between a Toulouse Sausage and a Breakfast Sausage makes a great mid-week tea/dinner with either Potato Dauphinoise or Aligot. I must make up and trademark a name for our version.

Ingredients for our ‘Toulouse’ adapted sausage: 1.5Kg Pork Shoulder; 400g of Pork Belly; 100g of Smoked Lardons (or thick bacon); 15g of Brown Sugar; 25g of Salt; 1 teaspoon of white pepper; 3-4 cloves of Garlic (chopped) and 150ml of Chilled Cider (you can just use chilled water if you prefer). The Method: Same as per above, except use a course mincing plate, as you want it to be coarsely minced.

I always use our Lincolnshire Sausage recipe for Sausage Rolls, but we do vary between short and flaky pastry. I prefer shortcrust pasty for sausage rolls, my wife Lisa prefers flaky and Regan will eat and loves both. I like to add a little Parmesan cheese to my pastry mix which ever we do when making Sausage Rolls. Around half a tablespoon of grated Parmesan to your pastry mix adds something extra without making it too cheesy. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I’ll cover the Lincolnshire sausage ‘burger’ on mine and Regan’s Brioche Buns in a future post.. Keep checking back for the Brioche recipe.

NB: As per previous blog posts, equipment used is purely through personal preference and no recommendations are made or endorsed. This blog doesn’t make me any money (although I wish it did).