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Traditional English Bangers

Course Breakfast, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine English
Keyword Banger, English Banger, English Sausage
Servings 10 people
Author David of Sunset & Sewanee

Equipment

  • meat grinder
  • sausage stuffer
  • chef knife
  • boning knife
  • cutting board
  • measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lbs pork, butts/shoulder-cut off the bone or purchase boneless cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 2 1/2 lbs veal, whole or ground (optional, you can use all ground pork)
  • 1 cup bread, (white) crumbs
  • 5 tsp sage, rubbed
  • 4 tsp kosher salt sea salt (Maldon) is a great substitution
  • 1 1/2 tsp black ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp mace, freshly grated is best but p
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram, dried
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated is best but pre-ground will do
  • 1/2 tsp ginger, ground
  • 1/2 tsp white ground pepper

Instructions

Prep the Sausage Casings

  • First, prep the sausage casing per the instructions on the package. Usually requires soaking the sausage casings for about 1 hour before use.
    Drain and add fresh water at least once during the soak, to remove excess salt and preservatives.

Prep the Meat

  • Hand trim the excess fat from the pork shoulder/butt if needed. Most of the commercially sold pork shoulders have already done this (see the images of the one I'm using). You want a bit of fat for the sausages to taste right.
    (If purchased from a boutique meat shop, you may need to trim the pork shoulder/butt. Fat is not a bad thing. Leaving on the extra fat allows you to cut as required and make your pork renderings for other cooking projects.)
  • After you've cut the pork into cubes, lay them out in a single layer on a large sheet pan.
    Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15-20 minutes, until the meat is just frozen or (32°F or 0°C).
    Doing this will dramatically help with grinding. Room temperature pork will bind up in the grinding process. Keeping the fat cold will help the blades in the grinder work properly. Do the same thing if you are using whole veal.
  • Once the sausage meat is well chilled, work the pork through a grinder fitted with large holes or a coarse grind plate.
    If you are making more than 5 lbs of sausage, you may need to periodically clean and freeze all metal parts of the sausage grinder to get the meat properly ground.

Add Seasoning and Keep Cold

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the ground veal to the ground pork.
    Next, add all of the seasonings and mix thoroughly. If it is a warm day, mix in a little crushed ice to help keep the meat cold.

Set up a Meat Grinder

  • Switch to the fine plate for the second grind and pass the sausage mixture through the grinder once again.

Set up Sausage Stuffer

  • Set up the stuffer attachment and lube the horn before adding the rinsed sausage casing. Follow the instructions with your sausage stuffer.
    Place a large sheet pan under the sausage stuffer with a bit of water in it. (The extra water will help the casings stay moist and pliable. As more and more of the sausage comes out, you can start coiling the sausage on the sheet pan while assisting the link to form out of the stuffer.)
    Keep your thumb on the end of the stuffer and process through until you feel the sausage coming out. At that point, stop the stuffer and pull out enough casing so you can tie a knot at the end.
    Gently push the casing back onto the horn until the knot end is flush, with the sausage beginning to come out.
  • Proceed to stuff the sausage while supporting the link as it fills out of the stuffer.
  • When you see the end of the casing approaching, stop the stuffer and remove the sausage link onto the sheet pan. Do not tie off the sausage just yet. You will need a bit extra space when you form the connections from the long coil of sausage.

Prick the Sausages

  • Use a sausage pricker, ice pick, or toothpick and poke a few small holes along the length of the sausage links. These tiny holes will allow steam to escape the sausage during cooking so that it won't burst.

To Cook the Sausages

  • Heat about 2 tbsp of your favorite oil (avocado/vegetable) over medium heat in a heavy bottom skillet.
    Carefully place the sausages in the oil. Check often to gauge the doneness of the link. The cooked side should be brown before turning to the other side.
    Once both sides of the sausage are browned, and the link is firm to the touch, they should be good to eat. (You can check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It should be (160°F or 71°C)

Yield

  • This recipe makes approximately 5lbs of sausage, so freeze the portions you will not eat in one week.
    From my own experience, homemade sausage gifts to friends and family are welcome.
    Cook any refrigerated portions of sausage within 4-7 days of making them.