Overambitious

 

We came across this machine at the thrift store (a home meat grinder and sausage stuffer) and we really debated about getting it.  In the end we decided to go for it.

Then we went home and watched Good Eats which is one of our main go-to resources for adventurous kitchen projects.  We have the episode Sausage: A Beautiful Grind which demonstrates making breakfast sausage and Italian sausage.  Watching that episode was the catalyst to our being interested in home sausage making in the first place.

I remembered seeing casings at the “Farm Store” where we buy our chicken food.  So we stopped by there yesterday to pick them up.  And we purchased our pork shoulder and herbs for grinding.

Like everything else done homemade–one of the benefits of home sausage making is being able to control the ingredients.  I bought the pork for our first attempt at sausage making from the grocer.  But this summer, when the farmers’ market opens back up I will be able to buy local pastured pork.

Here’s to a new self-reliant kitchen project–we hope it won’t turn out to be a bit too overambitious.