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Making your own sausages is easier than you might think! Whether you’re an experienced sausage maker or making your first batch, using good-quality ingredients and following a few simple tips can make a big difference.
At Sausage Ingredients NZ, we have a range of sausage seasonings, spices, curing ingredients and other products to help you create delicious homemade sausages.
From classic beef and pork sausages to spicy chicken, European-style sausages and gourmet flavour combinations, the possibilities are almost endless.
Below are some of our favourite tips and tricks for making better sausages every time.
One of the most important rules when making sausages is to keep your meat, fat and equipment cold.
Cold meat helps the fat stay firm while you are mincing and mixing. This gives your sausages a much better texture and helps prevent the mixture from becoming greasy or mushy.
Cold meat = better texture!
Fat is an important part of a good sausage. It adds flavour, moisture and helps create that juicy texture we all love.
If your sausage mixture is too lean, the finished sausage can be dry and crumbly.
For many fresh sausages, a mixture containing approximately 20–30% fat works well, although the ideal ratio will depend on the type of sausage you are making.
Don’t be afraid of a little fat – it is one of the secrets to a juicy sausage!
Once your meat has been minced, avoid mixing it more than necessary.
Overworking the mixture can change the texture of the sausage and make it dense or pasty.
Mix your meat and seasoning thoroughly until the ingredients are evenly distributed, then move on to stuffing.
This is one of the best sausage-making tricks!
Before filling your casings, cook a small piece of the sausage mixture in a frying pan and taste it.
This gives you the opportunity to check:
If you think it needs more flavour, you can make adjustments before the entire batch has been stuffed into casings.
Keep a small frying pan handy whenever you make a new sausage recipe.
Using a quality sausage seasoning makes it much easier to achieve consistent flavour from batch to batch.
Follow the recommended mixing instructions for your chosen seasoning and make sure the seasoning is distributed evenly throughout the meat.
For some seasonings, adding water helps distribute the ingredients throughout the mixture and gives the finished sausage a better texture.
Many sausage recipes benefit from adding a small amount of cold water to the mixture.
Water can help:
Always follow the instructions for your particular sausage seasoning, as the recommended amount of water can vary.
If you’re using natural casings, proper preparation is important.
Natural casings should generally be rinsed and soaked according to the supplier’s instructions before stuffing.
Well-prepared casings make stuffing much easier.
One of the most common mistakes when making sausages is overfilling the casing.
The casing needs enough room to expand and allow you to form individual sausages.
If the casing is too tight, it is more likely to split during stuffing, linking or cooking.
With a little practice, you will get a feel for the correct pressure.
Try to minimise air pockets while stuffing your sausages.
Small air pockets can sometimes be carefully released with a clean sausage pricker or suitable needle.
Don’t go overboard, though – the aim is simply to remove trapped air without damaging the casing.
Learning how to link sausages neatly takes a little practice.
The important thing is to keep your sausage sizes reasonably consistent so they cook evenly.
You can make:
Decide on your preferred sausage length before you start linking. This will help keep the whole batch consistent.
Once your sausages have been made, allow them to rest in the refrigerator before cooking.
This gives the seasoning time to work through the meat and allows the sausage mixture to firm up.
For best food safety, keep sausages refrigerated and follow appropriate food-handling practices.
A sausage doesn’t need to be cooked on the highest heat.
Cooking too quickly over very high heat can cause the outside to brown or burn before the centre is properly cooked.
Cook sausages over moderate heat, turning them regularly so they cook evenly.
Always make sure sausages are thoroughly cooked before eating. A food thermometer is a great way to check the internal temperature.
Unless you specifically need to release trapped air, avoid repeatedly piercing your sausages before cooking.
Pricking the casing can allow valuable juices and fat to escape, which can result in a drier sausage.
Instead, cook them gently and turn them regularly.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, this is where sausage making becomes really exciting!
You can create your own flavour combinations by experimenting with different herbs, spices, fruits and seasonings.
Pork & Apple
A classic combination. Add diced dehydrated apple or another suitable apple ingredient to a pork sausage.
Pork & Pear
Pear works beautifully with pork and can create a slightly sweeter gourmet sausage.
Spicy Pork & Apple
Combine pork, apple and chilli for a sausage with a sweet start and spicy finish.
Spicy Chicken
Chicken combined with chilli, garlic and selected herbs makes a great BBQ sausage.
Beef & Herb
Try beef with garlic, oregano, thyme and other herbs.
European Style
Use a robust European-inspired seasoning with pork, beef or a combination of meats.
Fennel Pork
Fennel seeds are a fantastic addition to pork sausages and work particularly well in Italian-style recipes.
If you want to add fruit to a sausage, dehydrated fruit can be a convenient option.
Dehydrated apple and pear can provide flavour without adding as much moisture to the sausage mixture as fresh fruit.
Cut larger pieces into smaller pieces so the fruit is distributed evenly throughout the sausage.
Trying a completely new recipe?
Don’t make 10 kg straight away!
Start with a smaller batch so you can adjust the seasoning, salt, spice and other ingredients.
Once you’re happy with the flavour, scale the recipe up.
This is particularly useful when creating your own gourmet sausage recipes.
If you make a sausage that everyone loves, write the recipe down!
Record:
This makes it much easier to reproduce your favourite sausage next time.
If you’re making several different flavours, label them clearly.
For example:
Pork & Apple – 5 kg
Spicy Chicken – 5 kg
Beef & Herb – 10 kg
You can also include the date the sausages were made.
This is particularly helpful if you’re making several batches at once.
Your sausage may be too lean, overcooked or may not have enough moisture in the mixture.
Possible causes include:
Try reducing the filling pressure and cooking your sausages more gently.
Some stickiness is normal, but excessive warmth can make the mixture difficult to work with.
Put the mixture back into the refrigerator and allow it to cool before continuing.
Remember – cold sausage meat is easier to work with.
If you’re using a prepared seasoning, make sure you’re following the recommended dosage.
Always test-cook a small amount before stuffing the entire batch.
The seasoning may not have been evenly distributed, or the recipe may need adjusting.
Mix thoroughly and test-cook a small piece before making the entire batch.
Remember that flavours can develop as the sausage rests.
Before you start, make sure you have everything ready.
☐ Quality meat
☐ Suitable fat
☐ Sausage seasoning
☐ Spices and herbs
☐ Casings
☐ Sausage mincer
☐ Sausage stuffer
☐ Mixing bowl
☐ Measuring scales
☐ Sharp knife
☐ Food thermometer
☐ Clean work surfaces
☐ Refrigerator space
☐ Labels for your batches
Being organised before you start makes sausage making much easier.
Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Start with a good-quality seasoning and then build your own recipes around it.
Try adding herbs, spices, cheese, dehydrated fruit, chilli or other ingredients to create something unique.
Keep notes of what you use and, most importantly, always test-cook your mixture before stuffing the entire batch.
