(Check out Brian Ries' story of hunting wild pig in the Florida badlands.)
After reading through Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's Charcuterie a couple years back, I've ached to try the complicated task of stuffing meat, fat and seasonings into hog intestines. The book is not only a how-to guide, it's a love poem to the simple and lost art of making sausage in the home. And Ruhlman's text is so down-to-earth, it seemed like making my own would be a snap.
Maybe not. On one hand, it's just a recipe that use meat and seasonings like anything else. But you also need tools, both soft and hard, and a sense of culinary exploration that goes way beyond preparing a typical Sunday night supper.
The Tools:
GRINDER If you have one of those old metal contraptions that clamps onto the counter, it'll work. If not, you can buy one, but chances are if you're the type of person who wants to dive into sausage making you likely have a standing mixer. Buy a grinding attachment for your mixer for about $60; it'll make things a lot easier.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.