Cook's Exchange | DIY sausage lets you tailor to your taste

Packaged sausage in a grocer's meat case cannot compare to the homemade or meat market variety.

My father-in-law was a butcher for more than 50 years. He owned meat markets in Mississippi and Texas. He can make some pan and link sausage. Now that he's retired, he says it is hard to find flavorful sausage.

Norma Shiero of Parrish, wanted a recipe for homemade sausage made with poultry seasoning, like she used to make in the school cafeteria. I can understand. I miss my father-in-law's sausage. It was never too fatty, but it packed flavor, even the mild variety.

Some 25 years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favorite food columnists, Merle Ellis, who was first a butcher, then TV producer, writer and then the star of his own TV cooking show. He was known as The Butcher. He was funny but knowledgeable about his craft. Ellis, who died in 2010, delighted in telling readers and viewers how to save money on meat and how to use less expensive cuts of meat.

He grew up in Iowa with his grandfather and father making sausage. His grandfather was a farmer, and his dad ran a small meat market. Ellis' cookbook, "Cutting Up in the Kitchen," is a classic and was first published in 1975. It is still available used or new on Amazon.

I will share his country-style sausage recipe.

Reader Janet McCarthy shares her homemade pork sausage recipe that she thinks just may be the one that Shiero requested.

HOMEMADE PORK SAUSAGE PATTIES

3 pound fresh ground pork

3 tablespoon bacon grease

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon

poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1- 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

Using either your hands or a fork, blend all ingredients in a large mixing bowl like you would a meatloaf, until the spices appear to be uniformly mixed throughout. Make patties the size you would like. I usually freeze separately on a nonstick pan. When frozen, place individually in a sandwich bag. That way they won't stick together. You can put the smaller bags into gallon-size bags and get out what you need. You can adjust the spices as you prefer. Cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes can be added and omit the coriander. You can always omit the salt if you prefer.

-- Submitted by Janet McCarthy

Ellis used two cuts of meat for his country sausage, a pork butt or Boston butt and the rib end of a pork loin. Both of these have a good ratio of fat to lean, and both have bones that are easily removed.

"Country-style sauce meat can be formed into patties and packed in a 'poke.' You have probably heard the expression 'pig in a poke' without knowing what a poke was," Ellis wrote in "Cutting Up in the Kitchen." "It's a sack. To make your own, sew little bags out of unbleached muslin or sack cloth, about 3 inches by 12 inches, leaving the top open. Fill the bags with sausage meat and tie the open end securely."

COUNTRY SAUSAGE WITH SAGE

For every 2 pounds of pork add:

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 or 2 teaspoons sage

(If you like it hot, add a dash of cayenne)

Mix the seasonings over the cubes of meat and toss well. Set in refrigerator to chill well before grinding. The meat grinds better if it is very cold. Make into patties and freeze.

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Cook's Exchange | DIY sausage lets you tailor to your taste ."