Homemade Salsiccia Recipe – Italian Sausage
- Type
- Bratwurst
- Level
- Easy
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In this post I’ll show you how to make Salsiccia yourself.
Salsiccia is an Italian sausage with fennel and garlic. If you want some variety on your barbecue, I can highly recommend it.
There are many variations of Salsiccia. This is because depending on the region different meats are used.
Today I will show you the most famous one… Salsiccia fresca di maiale. This one consists only of pork.
But now enough chatter. Here you can find the complete Salsiccia recipe either as video or in written format.
Have fun and good luck making it!
Salsiccia – What do you need to make it?
Ingredients per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Salsiccia | ||
| pork shoulder | 700 g | 70 % |
| pork back fat | 300 g | 30 % |
Spices per 1 kg
| Ingredient | Grams |
|---|---|
| white wine | 42 g |
| salt | 20 g |
| fresh garlic | 10 g |
| fennel seeds (if you don't like fennel too much, I recommend about 3g) | 7 g |
| pepper | 2 g |
| allspice | 1 g |
| rosemary | 1 g |
| bay leaf | 0.5 g |
| mace | 0.5 g |
| juniper berries | 0.5 g |
The equipment to make Salsiccia
You need a meat grinder to “grind” the meat. The meat is chopped into small chunks and can then be mixed.
You need a sausage stuffer to get your meat mass into the casing. In the beginning you can also add a filler to your grinder or use a modified plastic bottle or funnel.
Sausage casings
Salsiccias are traditionally filled into natural hog casings caliber 28/30.
Make Salsiccia – Step-By-Step Instructions
Cut the meat into strips or cubes. You can vary the size depending on how big your meat grinder is.
Peel the garlic and process it into a nice fine paste.
Grind the spices into a very fine powder.
Add the spices and garlic to the meat and mix it well. The meat should be covered with spices everywhere.
Put it into the freezer for 1-2 hours. This will help your grinding process later and make sure that the mixture does not get too warm.
Now you can grind the meat. I used the medium perforated disc (4.5 mm). You can also let the sausage go through twice if you want it finer or use a coarser disc. This is completely up to your taste.
Now add the white wine to the mixture and mix well for 3 – 5 minutes.
You can either knead the meat with a food processor with a kneading attachment or mix it vigorously by hand. This ensures that the sausage meat will bind well and the sausage will not be crumbly later on.
Now put the casing onto your sausage stuffer and fill the mass into the casings. Make sure that there is trapped as little air as possible.
Important: Do not fill the casing too full, otherwise it will burst later when roasting.
Now it’s time to link the sausages. You can decide for yourself how big your Salsiccia should be. Put the sausage between your thumb and forefinger. Rotate the sausage away from you then move to the next link and rotate it toward you.
If you have any air trapped within you can take a needle and pierce the sausage to open the air holes. This will prevent them from bursting later on the grill.
Cut the individual links apart and your sausage is ready. Whether grilled or fried in a pan, enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
What is Italian sausage?
What is Italian sausage?
Salsiccia is simply the Italian word for sausage, so “Italian sausage” is less a recipe than a whole shelf of them. What most people outside Italy mean by it is this one: a fresh pork sausage seasoned with fennel and garlic, sold raw and cooked before eating. That is salsiccia fresca.
Inside Italy the name changes with the region and so does the seasoning. Some versions lean on chilli, some on wine, some on nothing much beyond salt and pepper. The fennel-and-garlic version is the one that travelled, which is why it became the default abroad.
The other thing worth knowing is the fat. At 30 % back fat the sausage stays juicy on the grill and carries the fennel and garlic properly. Go much leaner and it turns dry and the spices fall flat.
Do you need casings to make Salsiccia?
Do you need casings to make Salsiccia?
No. If you want links for the grill then yes, fill the mixture into hog casings in caliber 28/30. But the seasoned meat on its own is just as useful loose.
Shape it into patties, or crumble it straight into the pan for a ragu, a pizza topping or a pasta sauce. Plenty of Italian recipes squeeze the meat back out of the casing to do exactly this, so you may as well skip the stuffing step when that is where it is going.
What is the shelf life of Salsiccia?
What is the shelf life of Salsiccia?
A poached salsiccia can be kept refrigerated for about 7 days. The raw sausage should be eaten within 2 days. Alternatively, you can also freeze it without hesitation.
Daniel, I took an 8hr sausage making class a few years ago at a local culinary school, and yes it was fun!!! One of the sausages we made was Italian sausage, the chef teaching the class said on any seed type spices like fennel seed roast it first in a pan prior to grinding to release the oils in the spice. I tried this with my next batch of Salsicchia and also had a prior batch to compare to and there was a significant difference in the flavor and aroma, This also works with Cumin seed when making Mexican Chorizo. I know everyone has their own preferences, but noticed a difference and thought I would pass it on.
Jeff
Hey Jeff, definetely a possibility. I go into detail about that in my seasoning masterclass. A good tip, however be aware that the spices become more pungent and you need to change ratios.
Daniel
great Vidoe
Thanks Jim
I made a kilo of this today, and it was delicious. I’ve never made sausage before, but my brother helped me to stuff the casings, and I grilled them for dinner. The seasonings were spot-on, and the sausages were really juicy! I can’t wait to make more; although I’ll have to pace myself so I don’t force my family to eat it so often they take away my sausage-making stuff! I look forward to making more of your recipes!
Awesome to hear!
Looking to make a tomato, basil, Parmesan Salsiccia. I am from St Louis and many of the great Salsiccia shops are closing down. I was wondering if you had any recipes along these lines. These sausages were simply fantastic and I am craving them. Thanks!
I have a tomato basil mozarella one in my recipe book. You could also add Parmesan instead of the Mozz. Should work out fine!