Italian Sausage

Making your own Italian sausage at home gives you complete control over the seasoning and grind, and it’s simpler than most people think. Coarse-ground pork shoulder gets mixed with garlic, coriander, paprika, and black pepper, then either stuffed into hog casings or shaped into patties.

Coriander is the unexpected star here. Most store-bought Italian sausage leans on fennel, but this recipe uses ground coriander instead, which gives the sausage a warm, slightly citrusy note that’s less licorice-forward and more balanced.

The cold water mixed into the meat keeps the fat from smearing during mixing and stuffing. It also creates steam during cooking that keeps the sausage juicy from the inside out. Don’t skip it.

Pro Tips

• Keep everything cold. Cold pork, cold water, cold hands. Warm fat smears into the lean meat and gives you a mushy, greasy sausage instead of one with distinct fat pockets.
• Mix the seasonings thoroughly but don’t overwork the meat. You want the spices distributed evenly without compacting the grind.
• Fry a small test patty before stuffing the full batch. Taste it and adjust the salt and spice levels while you still can.

Variations

• Add 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes for a hot Italian sausage.
• Stir in a tablespoon of fennel seeds for a more traditional Italian sausage flavor profile.
• Use this sausage in pasta sauce, on pizza, or crumbled into soups and stuffings.