Homemade Slovak Sausages

Category: Side Dishes | Blog URL: http://www.slovakcooking.com/2010/recipes/sausages/

This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.

Photo: lubos

Ingredients

4 pounds pork

pepper

2 cloves garlic

paprika (sweet red pepper)

red pepper

salt

pork intestines or sausage casings

Preparation

Start by cutting the raw meat into pieces that will fit into the grinder.

Grind the meat.

Then add about 2 cloves of crushed garlic, two teaspoons of ground black pepper, about 1.5 teaspoons of salt, a small teaspoon of caraway, about 4 teaspoons of paprika, and another teaspoon of crushed spicy red pepper.

Mix together.

Remove the blades and the exit grid, and replace with a feeder tube.

Next take the washed intestines. Roll a 2-meter long intestine onto the feeder tube. Tie a knot at the open end. If you end up with an air bubble, take a sewing pin and puncture a hole or two.

Next comes the fun part: making sausages. This is a two person operation, with one person feeding the meat into the grinder, and another adjusting the output.

You now have one 2 meter long sausage – bit too much to eat in one sitting. To turn it into more manageable pieces, grab the sausage about 15 cm from one end. Pinch there and push the meat to the sides. Then twist the free end around two times. Fold over, and cut the other end off. Then push out some of the meat from the open end back into the grinder and twist the casing shut. This doesn’t have to be too tight; the meat mixture is quite viscous and won’t drip out.

If you don’t have a smokehouse, just bake them, grill them or fry them fresh. These turned out delicious! Dobrú chuť!