My Italian Sausages

This ubiquitous pork sausage is everywhere, and as we all know some are terrific, others are gross. I've taken a basic approach to traditional "sweet" sausages flavoured with fennel. To make hot sausages, simply add 1 or 2 teaspoons or more to taste of crushed red pepper flakes.

• Ready In: 336 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon fennel seed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt, course (use normal o sea salt this is a pork sausage)
• 1  garlic clove, finely minced
• 1  lb  pork shoulder, well trimmed and cut in 2-inch strips (butt or leg, very lean)
• 1⁄2 lb  pork fat, fresh, cleaned of any membrane & cut into strips (pref fat-back or belly fat)
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine, chilled

Directions

1. Combine fennel, thyme, pepper and salt in a mortar and grind well but do not reduce to powder.
2. Add the garlic. Combine this seasoning mixture, wine, meat and fat in a large bowl, and refrigerate, covered, for several hours or overnight.
3. Pass the cold mixture through a meat grinder with the coarsest disc inserted.
4. Attach the sausage funnel, gather the prepared casing onto it, and pass the ground mixture through the course disc again, filling the casing as you go.
5. Alternately, divide the mixture into batches and quickly grind in a food processor, being careful not to grind too fine. When all the batches are ground, knead them together in the bowl, then begin forcing through a large funnel into prepared casing.