Lamb Sausage

The sweetness of life “up on the mountain” at Nemacolin inspired the team to create the best hot dog ever (Lamb Sausage) for our Lamb Fest competition. They devised a classic flavor profile featuring lamb, of course, with garlic, rosemary, and red wine. The results, a “complete eat” of fatty sausage on a toasted slider bun with crispy, sweet, and acidic cucumber and onion, topped with smoked harissa aioli. As a bonus for all the folks who admired these dogs (many of them two and three times), the team also sizzled up a batch of lamb-shaped lamb-fat donuts. Simply divine!

Tips for Using a Meat Grinder to Make Lamb Sausage

When crafting homemade lamb sausages with a meat grinder you first want to start with clean equipment. Make sure all your items, including the grinder, plates, and stuffer, are thoroughly cleaned and chilled to stop bacterial growth and fat smearing. If you find grinding to be the hard part, you can partially freeze your meat and fat before grinding to achieve a cleaner cut and better texture. We recommend starting with a coarse grind as you can always refine after if it’s necessary. If you happen to have a sausage stuffer attachment, it’s going to be a life saver for filling the casing. But, with some time and patience you can fill by hand if needed. Just remember not to overfill the casings, leaving room for twisting and linking.

Lamb Sausage

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• Author: Nemacolin

Print Recipe

Description

Sausage made from lamb provides the perfect balance of fat and flavor.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 ¼ lb fatty lamb shoulder
• ½ lb lamb fat or pork fat
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup red wine, chilled

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Instructions

1. Cut the lamb shoulder and fat into small pieces that will easily fit into your grinder, removing any sinew from the meat as you go.
2. In a large bowl combine the meat and fat with the rosemary, salt, garlic, and pepper. Stir to mix. Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.
3. Before grinding, place the bowl from your stand mixer and meat grinder in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
4. Remove the meat mixture, bowl, meat grinder, and wine from the refrigerator. Using the finest grind on your grinder, grind the meat mixture into the chilled bowl.
5. Alternate pushing the pieces of fat and meat through the grinder to ensure that the fat doesn’t stick inside.
6. Using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer, mix the ground meat on low speed, adding the cold red wine. The mixture will come together in about 2 minutes and be sticky.
7. Take about 1 tablespoon and form a small patty. Fry it in a skillet. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if desired. If you plan on stuffing the sausage into casings, refrigerate it for 2 hours.
8. Otherwise, you can simply shape and wrap the sausages in plastic wrap for later use. If you’re stuffing the sausages, proceed to the next step.
9. While the sausage meat is chilling, soak the casings in warm water for 1 hour.
10. Rinse the casings in cold water, then run water through them, by slipping one end of the casing over the tap and gently turn on the water to let it flow through the casing.
11. Place the casings in a fine-mesh sieve to drain. You want them to be moist when you fill them.
12. Attach the sausage stuffer to the grinder, and push the damp sausage casing over the tube until about 4 inches is hanging from the end, and tie a knot in this piece. (If it’s your first time at making sausage, ask a friend to help you with this step.)
13. Add the chilled mixture to the grinder on low speed, and slowly stuff the sausage casings, trying to minimize the air pockets in the casings. As the sausage enters the casing, it should slowly slide off the tube.
14. Once all the mixture is used up, ease any remaining casing off the tube.
15. Roll the sausage on a damp surface to distribute the filling as evenly as possible, then form the sausage into links by twisting the casings at 6-inch intervals.
16. Twist each link in the opposite direction to prevent them from unwinding.
17. Cover the sausages and refrigerate for up to 3 days. We served our sausage sous vide at 145 degrees for 1 hour and then griddled to create a moist interior and crispy outside.

Recipe by Nemacolin
Styling by Ana Kelly
Photography by Laura Petrilla

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