I worked for the Honey Baked Ham company back in the 1980s and they used almost that identical recipe for the cheese and sausage balls they sold. I’ve continued to make them almost every holiday season, but I love sweet with savory, so I eat them with raspberry jam or homemade apple butter.
I always do a test patty when I make my own sausage. I do the same thing when I make meatballs or meatloaf. Such a great tip I wish more people knew. It will save loads of people from having blah meatballs/loaf or sausage
We grew up eating biscuits and country gravy! It was a staple in our house, and yes it looks ugly! But it is SOOOO good! Especially with a fried egg or two!
Love watching your ever so practical videos. I have learned to cheat on seasoned meats if I am curious on the flavor by microwaving a little bit to taste it before I commit to something like putting it in a casing. That way a person knows if they would like a little more of a seasoning without finding out later. Keep up the kitchen chemistry!
That Sausage and Arugula Orecchiette is an absolute banger for the colder months when you need a quick easy dinner. I use Spinach instead for a little more body in the dish. And leftovers, if there are any, do that magical thing where they get better the next day.
I used to work in a big sausage kitchen where that's all we did - make sausage. Breakfast sausage was 50/50 fat and nothing less than 25% fat for all the others; fat content went according to what style it was. Less than 25% fat and the sausage cooks up dry and bland tasting. We also made countless hot dogs and, contrary to common belief, hot dogs MUST be made with good cuts only. Junk cuts would "grease out" in the smokehouse where the fat would come out and ruin the dog. This was not caused by too much fat, it was caused when cheap cuts of meat would not form a good meat mousse. As Chef John explains, the meat has to be cold when you grind it and stuff it; if you don't chill it, the fat will smear as you stuff the casing and look like a tube of lard when you're done. We used to add dry ice when we ground the mix to ensure the final product looked good. Don't stuff your casings real tight. You want a little play in them when you make the links - too tight and when you twist, the casing may tear.
Omg, I made the sausage and arugula orecchiette. I used andouille sausage, Swiss chard and spinach. It is so creamy and flavorful and 😋. The only problem I had was the pasta kept on spooning throughout the whole cooking process. Some times they were stuck so much that I mangled them. Then I bit into twins that I missed and they were not cooked through and gummy. It is still a great recipe, I will change out the pasta.
Your inclusion of anise in the Italian sausage confirmed my desire to have access to every carrot spice. I'm telling you, Mylar bags totally change the spice situation for the home cook..
Making sausage at home is such an adventure and so rewarding! My kids greatly enjoy helping along the way. We make TX style smoked sausage (with & without jalapenos) as well as smoked quasi-pepperoni. Although we do use the Kitchenaid grinder attachment, we don't use the sausage stuffing function as it is very inadequate. A small drum stuffer with a hand crank works much better.
Italian dishes like your orechetti & sausage, Pasta e Fagioli, escarole soup.... are a great way to use the outer leaves of a head of Romain. You know, the bunch of damaged dirty you always have to peel away. Just clean them up, removing any rot, & chop roughly before adding. Safest way to eat them & they work very well as a substitute for other bitter greens.
That country style gravy is perfect for using homemade breakfast sausage. I like the more traditional seasonings of just S & P, Dried Sage, tiny bit of Thyme. Perfect Sausage Gravy & Buiscuits.
If you put the end of the casing to the end of the tap and shoot a little water into it like you're filling a balloon before you start feeding it onto the horn the casing won't stick to the horn as easily. One hand feeds the sausage and the other pinches the casing to the horn slightly while you're filling it. A thing of beauty.
Fat-skimming tool idea: One day I thought that the thing I needed for skimming fat was a spoon-sized ladle. I took one of those odd spoons we all have out of the drawer and bent the handle up. Voila! Works great!
If anyone out there is bemoaning the fact they they don’t have a meat grinder, wipe away your tears and buy an asian vegetable cleaver. That much meat is easy to mince up into what looks and acts like ground meat in a few minutes with a sharp cleaver. You can stuff casing by hand with the right funnel or cook it in patties or even a big block in the oven. Don’t be a slave to the sausage oligarchs. You can do it!
Usually sausage making was a multi person operation in my (Italian American) family. It makes it much easier if one person is catching the sausage and one or two more are stuffing meat into the top and operating the machine. In some ways the old hand cranked machines were easier.
Yayyy thank you for this! I was immediately drawn to the sausage cheese balls and then was pleasantly relieved because all I have at home right now is self-rising flour. So yee haw I'm ready to go!
#1 I love Italian sausage! I love saltzita dipped in oil seasoned breadcrumbs and grilled! Of course long cooked in some tomato sauce (or my preference of puree) #2 how many sides does a circle have? 360 dang John that's a long cook time!
I’ve made the one pot orecchiette over the years - one of my all time favorites. Though I change it up a bit and cook it essentially like I would a risotto. I deglaze with some white wine of some kind, I throw in some kind of Italian seasonings - light - usually from Italy that I’ve gotten from peoples trips over there. And! I like to throw in a parm rind as well! I like mine a little more wet but comes out similar.
Just bought a new in box KitchenAid 5qt mixer from someone off Facebook who said their grandma "always orders two," 🤔 but anyway it's for the wife for Christmas. Is the KitchenAid grinder good? I want to order it.
I use my KitchenAid grinder more than I use the mixer attachments! Great not just for sausage but for turning chuck and other cheap beef slabs into the best damn burgers you ever grilled.
You should use the meat as lube. As you put the sausage on the tube just put some of the fillings in the casing. You can also use olive oil but I find the meat lube thibg works better.
Just curious... in the Italian Sausage Spaghetti portion what size was the Cuisinart pot was used to make the sauce in? It seems like such a great size.
For the orecchiette recipe, cook the pasta separately as usual. It's much easier and you don't have to slave over it. Use a spider to transfer the pasta from the pot to the sausage. Make sure to reserve a couple of cups of past a water to add if needed to moisten. Put the arugula/broccoli/whatever in and stir until softened and mixed well.
I hate liver and my Southern cousin made this at our family reunion. It was just about the best I ever ate. He used saltine cracker crumbs because that was all we had on hand. I live in MN and still think about that Boudin and don't care what the hell was in it.
I LOVE watching you. You have easy & quick recipes that taste awesome. My wife is Gluten Free and I would love some tasty, gluten free ideas. Got anything?
Hi John, just curious. I know we can flavor the way we want, but anise and fennel? In some ways the basic tastes unless you get some high end brand from a country I've never heard of. But the size of die is what's not mentioned, so did you use the very small hole die, I believe 1/16" or the 1/8”. I've made different sausage's some years ago, maybe b4 UA-cam, mostly Cajun sausages, boudin, andouille, etc. And each calls for a different die and some don't use dies. So what's your take on this.
I've made two of these: The sausage cheese balls are to kill for! (not die, rather kill anyone to get to the last one) Easy to customize to your personal pleasure. I've also make the pork sausage patties (with the orange zest) and it was horrible. The orange overpowered everything. Leave the orange out.
Have you ever tried to make sausages with the new vegan meats, beyond meat or impossible? Are there any tweaks to the spice mix to get the best out of them?
I doubt being a true believer has anything to do with adding cayenne to anything. Maybe a true believer of ever deadening taste buds requiring an ever increase in "true believer" spices/garbage.
I worked for the Honey Baked Ham company back in the 1980s and they used almost that identical recipe for the cheese and sausage balls they sold. I’ve continued to make them almost every holiday season, but I love sweet with savory, so I eat them with raspberry jam or homemade apple butter.
I always do a test patty when I make my own sausage. I do the same thing when I make meatballs or meatloaf. Such a great tip I wish more people knew. It will save loads of people from having blah meatballs/loaf or sausage
Absolutely!
never anise in Italian sausage We only use fennel
Pro tips🎉 burgers too if I do specialty 🍔
We grew up eating biscuits and country gravy! It was a staple in our house, and yes it looks ugly! But it is SOOOO good! Especially with a fried egg or two!
Beans and cornbread half the week, with a proper southern breakfast on the weekends yummy.
I also love it over a baked potato.
Old tip for meat grinder. Push thru some bread at the end to recuperate all the ground meat.
Love watching your ever so practical videos. I have learned to cheat on seasoned meats if I am curious on the flavor by microwaving a little bit to taste it before I commit to something like putting it in a casing. That way a person knows if they would like a little more of a seasoning without finding out later. Keep up the kitchen chemistry!
My grandmother didn't have a microwave but it was standard practice for her to fry up a little sample for a taste test
That Sausage and Arugula Orecchiette is an absolute banger for the colder months when you need a quick easy dinner. I use Spinach instead for a little more body in the dish. And leftovers, if there are any, do that magical thing where they get better the next day.
One of my favs too. I add mushrooms and peas along with spinach
I used to work in a big sausage kitchen where that's all we did - make sausage. Breakfast sausage was 50/50 fat and nothing less than 25% fat for all the others; fat content went according to what style it was. Less than 25% fat and the sausage cooks up dry and bland tasting.
We also made countless hot dogs and, contrary to common belief, hot dogs MUST be made with good cuts only. Junk cuts would "grease out" in the smokehouse where the fat would come out and ruin the dog. This was not caused by too much fat, it was caused when cheap cuts of meat would not form a good meat mousse.
As Chef John explains, the meat has to be cold when you grind it and stuff it; if you don't chill it, the fat will smear as you stuff the casing and look like a tube of lard when you're done. We used to add dry ice when we ground the mix to ensure the final product looked good.
Don't stuff your casings real tight. You want a little play in them when you make the links - too tight and when you twist, the casing may tear.
Ah...the sweet Italian sausage spaghetti...I may have to make it for Christmas! Yummmm.
Omg, I made the sausage and arugula orecchiette. I used andouille sausage, Swiss chard and spinach. It is so creamy and flavorful and 😋. The only problem I had was the pasta kept on spooning throughout the whole cooking process. Some times they were stuck so much that I mangled them. Then I bit into twins that I missed and they were not cooked through and gummy. It is still a great recipe, I will change out the pasta.
love to have his cook book love all his recipes ive made most of them great chef
Your inclusion of anise in the Italian sausage confirmed my desire to have access to every carrot spice. I'm telling you, Mylar bags totally change the spice situation for the home cook..
quick cassoulet is my fav sausage recipe of yours
Making sausage at home is such an adventure and so rewarding! My kids greatly enjoy helping along the way. We make TX style smoked sausage (with & without jalapenos) as well as smoked quasi-pepperoni. Although we do use the Kitchenaid grinder attachment, we don't use the sausage stuffing function as it is very inadequate. A small drum stuffer with a hand crank works much better.
I love the way you focus on the subtleties of tastes and methods.
Holiday breakfasts at my place feature my homemade pork sausage patties. I use the grinder attachment more than I use the mixer attachments!
Italian dishes like your orechetti & sausage, Pasta e Fagioli, escarole soup.... are a great way to use the outer leaves of a head of Romain. You know, the bunch of damaged dirty you always have to peel away. Just clean them up, removing any rot, & chop roughly before adding. Safest way to eat them & they work very well as a substitute for other bitter greens.
"If people knew how sausage was made no one would eat it"
Mr. Sausage enters the chat
That country style gravy is perfect for using homemade breakfast sausage. I like the more traditional seasonings of just S & P, Dried Sage, tiny bit of Thyme. Perfect Sausage Gravy & Buiscuits.
I'm barbecuing for Christmas and this would be a perfect addition to the menu. Thanks Chef!!! Happy Holidays!!
Oh heck yeah I will def make the sausage and orecchietta with arugula!
If you put the end of the casing to the end of the tap and shoot a little water into it like you're filling a balloon before you start feeding it onto the horn the casing won't stick to the horn as easily. One hand feeds the sausage and the other pinches the casing to the horn slightly while you're filling it. A thing of beauty.
Wow!!!! Amazing reference to Dave Righetti!!! Brilliant!
Thank you Chef! We all need to learn these ways of making sausage especially in this economy. Happy Holidays my friend
Fat-skimming tool idea: One day I thought that the thing I needed for skimming fat was a spoon-sized ladle. I took one of those odd spoons we all have out of the drawer and bent the handle up. Voila! Works great!
The gravy is also great over a baked potato!!
If you’ve never eaten biscuits and gravy you are sorely missing out on one of the finest dishes known to man
If anyone out there is bemoaning the fact they they don’t have a meat grinder, wipe away your tears and buy an asian vegetable cleaver. That much meat is easy to mince up into what looks and acts like ground meat in a few minutes with a sharp cleaver. You can stuff casing by hand with the right funnel or cook it in patties or even a big block in the oven. Don’t be a slave to the sausage oligarchs. You can do it!
Usually sausage making was a multi person operation in my (Italian American) family. It makes it much easier if one person is catching the sausage and one or two more are stuffing meat into the top and operating the machine. In some ways the old hand cranked machines were easier.
I swear I love this guy, even after all these years i still watch your old tomato sauce videos for a good laugh😂
sempre molto bravo 👏🇮🇹
Yayyy thank you for this! I was immediately drawn to the sausage cheese balls and then was pleasantly relieved because all I have at home right now is self-rising flour. So yee haw I'm ready to go!
#1 I love Italian sausage! I love saltzita dipped in oil seasoned breadcrumbs and grilled! Of course long cooked in some tomato sauce (or my preference of puree)
#2 how many sides does a circle have? 360 dang John that's a long cook time!
Looks amazing, thank you
I’ve made the one pot orecchiette over the years - one of my all time favorites. Though I change it up a bit and cook it essentially like I would a risotto. I deglaze with some white wine of some kind, I throw in some kind of Italian seasonings - light - usually from Italy that I’ve gotten from peoples trips over there. And! I like to throw in a parm rind as well! I like mine a little more wet but comes out similar.
GREAT show! Thanks Chef John
"I believe it was that episode where m when that guy got shot." That was amazingly specific LOL
Instead of grabbing a wooden spatula, I like the way you spend 15 minutes on that fond. Old ways are best.
Every recipe a keeper!
I think your Country Gravy is Beautiful.
Wow NYC sharing 😍
Just bought a new in box KitchenAid 5qt mixer from someone off Facebook who said their grandma "always orders two," 🤔 but anyway it's for the wife for Christmas. Is the KitchenAid grinder good? I want to order it.
I use my KitchenAid grinder more than I use the mixer attachments! Great not just for sausage but for turning chuck and other cheap beef slabs into the best damn burgers you ever grilled.
When I was a kid we had friends that made sausage. They started by killing the pig.
You should use the meat as lube. As you put the sausage on the tube just put some of the fillings in the casing. You can also use olive oil but I find the meat lube thibg works better.
I can only imagine how delicious this sausage would have been had you lost a part of your finger in the grinder.
I've done the orecchiette pasta dish but instead of arugula I used shaved fennel. Added red pepper flakes for a little kick.
Hi chef. What did you do with that little piece of Breakfast Sausage that came off when you flipped the last patty?
Just curious... in the Italian Sausage Spaghetti portion what size was the Cuisinart pot was used to make the sauce in? It seems like such a great size.
For the orecchiette recipe, cook the pasta separately as usual. It's much easier and you don't have to slave over it. Use a spider to transfer the pasta from the pot to the sausage. Make sure to reserve a couple of cups of past a water to add if needed to moisten. Put the arugula/broccoli/whatever in and stir until softened and mixed well.
I hate liver and my Southern cousin made this at our family reunion. It was just about the best I ever ate. He used saltine cracker crumbs because that was all we had on hand. I live in MN and still think about that Boudin and don't care what the hell was in it.
On the starting thing, if people knew how all food was made that they bought they would hate it
Hahaha. Yes folks, it looks like S.O.S - but it's the best damn S. you ever had on your Shingle!
A always enjoy your videos, but on this one, I actually laughed out loud on "I took 5, just in case somebody else wants 3". 🙂
I LOVE watching you. You have easy & quick recipes that taste awesome.
My wife is Gluten Free and I would love some tasty, gluten free ideas. Got anything?
Hi John, just curious. I know we can flavor the way we want, but anise and fennel? In some ways the basic tastes unless you get some high end brand from a country I've never heard of. But the size of die is what's not mentioned, so did you use the very small hole die, I believe 1/16" or the 1/8”. I've made different sausage's some years ago, maybe b4 UA-cam, mostly Cajun sausages, boudin, andouille, etc. And each calls for a different die and some don't use dies. So what's your take on this.
guessing: "you are the stephen fry of your grinder die"
Will it blow?
I've made two of these:
The sausage cheese balls are to kill for! (not die, rather kill anyone to get to the last one) Easy to customize to your personal pleasure.
I've also make the pork sausage patties (with the orange zest) and it was horrible. The orange overpowered everything. Leave the orange out.
I need those blates in my life
The sausage spaghetti recipe looks very tasty but you’d have Italians gritting their teeth at the use of the spoon in its consumption 😆
Cl of greens....heheh
Amazeballs! No way 😹
Ordinary Sausage jelqs to this video
You are after all the Isaac Hayes of your innuendo involving sausage nine ways.
Narration voice: this one time at band camp
Western food is really different from Eastern food, mainly meat-based
My man, when will you put out a best of eggs?
Up and down, up and down, up and down. Repeat.
Should we fear synthetic sausage casings?
ripper style kasekrainer
Have you ever tried to make sausages with the new vegan meats, beyond meat or impossible? Are there any tweaks to the spice mix to get the best out of them?
9 way sausage 😏
Do people really want to know how the sausage gets made?
Only need sausage one way and we all know which way it is 😂
I doubt being a true believer has anything to do with adding cayenne to anything. Maybe a true believer of ever deadening taste buds requiring an ever increase in "true believer" spices/garbage.
It's rare to see someone coping and seething this hard in this channels comments.
You lost me at fennel seed 🤢
You can skip the intestine/case stuffing step.
Quick sausage rolls: Use breakfast links (FJ's) and puff pastry Not quite as tasty, but with beers they work a treat