Yuletide Cocktail Sausages

A Christmas special, from sausagemaking.org by Paul Kribs

Ingredients

1500 grams Turkey Leg meat cubed (sinew and tendons removed)
500 grams Pork Belly cubed (skin removed)
60 grams phosphate * (optional)
50 grams redcurrant jelly
35 grams Sea Salt
15 grams Sugar (or 25 grams Dextrose)
10 grams Dried Sage
10 grams ground dried Orange Zest (or finely chopped)
5 grams Ground White Pepper
2 grams ground Cloves
1 gram ground cinnamon
1 gram ground Nutmeg

200 grams sausage rusk
200 grams iced water

Sheeps Casings

Method

1. Chill the cubed meat for 30 minutes in the freezer. Pass the meat through the mincer. I like to pass it once through an 8mm screen and then through a 4.5 screen. Put the minced meat into a large mixing bowl.

2.Sprinkle the dry ingredients (including the rusk) evenly over the meat. Mix well for 2 minutes and then add the redcurrant jelly and the iced water and mix well for a further 4 or 5 minutes. If the mixture feels stiff, then add more water little by little until the mix becomes pliable.Leave to stand for 15 minutes. At this stage you can fry a little patty and adjust the seasoning to your taste if required.

3. Stuff into sheeps casings and link off at 2" increments. Leave to bloom overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.

Superb eaten hot or cold.

note: If you are unable to obtain dried orange zest then it's easy to make. Use a fine vegetable peeler to remove the zest (not the white pith) from 2 or 3 oranges, place the zest slithers on a flat plate and place in an airing cupboard for 2-3 days. Crumble up and grind with a pestle and mortar.

They are a delicious way to utilise the turkey and can be enhanced by wrapping them in smoked collar and roasting in a medium oven for 30+ minutes. The only pain in the a*se is linking them, but you are rewarded by the fact that those who eat the turkey breast won't beleive the flavour.