How to Make Italian Sausage

Ground Italian Sausage main pic

Easy Italian Sausage

You’re going to love learning How to Make Italian Sausage.  This is, of course, a sweet and spicy recipe that can be easily adjusted to your specific tastes and, most importantly, reveals the secret to actually making it taste like sausage instead of just seasoned ground pork.

The secret lies in 3 places.  First, the sausage has got to have a 2 to 1 ratio; 2 parts meat and 1 part Fat and in this particular case it’s 2 parts Pork Picnic Shoulder Muscle(which is very tender) and 1 part Bacon or Fat Back.  If you’re wondering what Fat Back is, it’s just exactly what it sounds like; the Fat in the back of the pig; which is where bacon is derived from anyway so why not just use bacon.  Plus, for me personally, I can’t get Fat Back where I live without ordering a minimum of 60 lbs and I’ll never make that much sausage.

The Second secret is the ingredients.  This means any kind of sausage you want to make, whether it be Breakfast, Italian, or Chorizo etc., will all depend on the ingredients, or seasonings, going into the 2 to 1 ratio.

The Third thing is all about the binder.  The binder is what fuses the meat and ingredients together and keeps them from falling apart.  I’ve also found that it’s a big part of the the seasoning which also effects the performance in the sausage when it cooks.

Italian Sausage Patties Main pic

For example:  Most Italian Sausage recipes add a red wine and vinegar combination as a binder, which is fine, but this creates a bitter taste so you have to compensate with a sweetener, like sugar.  But I have found that Corn Syrup works even better and I add Vegetable Shortening.  Why the Shortening?  Cooking the sausage without it leaves the meat very dry.  It leaves an added quality to the sausage that improves the flavor and adds a moist tenderness to the meat when it’s done.

If you’re interested in more of my recipes with sausage in them, check out my Egg Noodle Lasagna and my Spaghetti with Meatballs.

Italian Sausage Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork shoulder Cusion Meat
1 lbs Bacon
6 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Parsly, chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Red Chili Flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste, approximately 1/2 tbsp of each

Binders

1/3 cup Corn Syrup
1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I will show you exactly how to make this Italian Sausage.

Roasted Stuffed Peppers

Roasted Stuffed Peppers Main Pic

The Best Stuffed Peppers

I’ve been wanting to film these Roasted Stuffed Peppers for quite some time now, because they are so easy and very delicious.  One of the things that makes them easy is that you’re able to cheat and pull some ingredients from a box.  This is a Cajun Rice and Black Beans mix I borrowed from Zattarain’s but you can use anything you want.  My Dirty Rice, Spanish Rice or my Jambalaya recipe would be perfect in this as well.  In this recipe, I decided to throw in some Italian Sausage to spruce it up a bit.  If I were stuffing this with Jambalaya, for example, I’d be adding Shrimp and Andouille Sausage.  So just realize that there are several different ways you can stuff peppers.  I have a Tex-Mex style Stuffed Pablano recipe and Jalapeno Poppers that are out of this world!

Bell Stuffed Peppers

For this Stuffed Peppers recipe, I just to use Bell Peppers and I chose a rainbow assortment, just to show how pretty this dish can be.  Buying all of these different colors, however, can ten to be a bit pricey.  Sometimes the Red and Yellow Bell Peppers are 3 to 4 times the price of a regular green Bell Pepper.  So don’t think for one moment that this dish has to be an expensive one.  Save the money, and buy the Green peppers.  The flavor will be the exact same and everyone will love it.

Roasted Stuffed Peppers Ingredients:

4 Bell Peppers, cut in Half
1/2 lbs Italian Sausage
1 box Cajun Rice and Black Beans, cooked
1/2 Red Onion, chopped
1 Celery Stick, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tbs Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 tbs Cooking Wine
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Broil Peppers for 5 to 8 Minutes and Bake Stuffed Peppers at 425 degrees f for 10 minutes.  Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make these Roasted Stuffed Peppers.