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This Italian Sausage recipe is mild and sweet with fennel and fresh basil, toasted coriander and peppercorns. I consider this a kitchen staple and use this sausage in pasta sauces, soups, braised white beans, meatballs and grilled stuffed summer vegetables. When this is made into links, it makes the best sausage sandwich with grilled peppers and onions.
This recipe is from my Charcuterie archives. In my years as a meat processor, I have made and sold tens of thousands of pounds of this sausage variety.
All my sausage Master Charcuterie Recipes are formulated by weight for 10 lb batches for easy scaling. For example, if you want to make 8.2 lbs of sausage because that’s how much pork trim you happen to have, simply multiply all ingredients by 0.82 and if you want to make 100 lbs of sausage, multiply all ingredients by 10. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale and going by weight, however, I have provided volume measurements as well. Just be aware that volume measurements are approximate and can get way out of wack if you are scaling the recipe up or down. The density of salt also varies by brand and can make a big difference in the final product. If you use a kitchen scale that measures grams, you will never go wrong.
If you are making sausage links and have meat processing equipment at home (grinder, mixer that can handle at least 5lbs at a time- not a Kitchen Aid, sausage stuffer, food bins, and ample refrigeration/freezer/prep space) then a 10lb batch is the right size to stock your freezer and justify the effort and mess of sausage making. If you do not have all of these things and are dabbling in meat processing, I recommend starting with the Small Batch Version of this recipe ( The Best Mild Italian Sausage From Scratch – Small Batch Version) which has been modified to be easy to make in a home kitchen with just a stand mixer and makes 2 lbs.
I’ll run through the steps for making sausage quickly in the recipe but if you are new to sausage making or would like more detailed instructions, I recommend reading How To Make Sausage first.
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The Best Mild Italian Sausage – 10 lb Master Recipe
- Prep Time: 1 1/2 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10 lbs 1x
- Category: Charcuterie
- Method: Sausage Making
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
10 lb (5 quarts) Trimmed Pork Shoulder*
70 grams (10 t) salt
40 grams (10 t) sugar
26 grams (7 lg) garlic cloves
28 grams (5 T) whole fennel seed
18 grams (5 t) whole black peppercorns
29 grams (10 T) dried basil
13 grams (5 T) whole coriander seeds
1 bunch fresh basil, stem removed and minced
6 oz (3/4 cup) cold water
2 oz (1/4 cup) cold red wine vinegar
Sausage Casings (optional)
Instructions
For a more detailed step-by-step, check out How To Make Sausage before making this recipe.
Place the removeable parts of your meat grinder and mixing into the fridge or freezer to cool it for at least 30 minutes.
Measure out the water and red wine vinegar into a small container and place it in the fridge.
In a dry frying pan set over medium heat, add the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns and toast until fragrant. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, place in a spice grinder (or mortal with pestle) and grind into a fine powder.
Grate the garlic cloves on a Microplane over a medium mixing bowl. Add to the bowl the toasted ground seeds, salt, sugar, and basil (fresh and dry).
Reassemble the meat grinder with the chilled parts. Grind the meat through the medium die into a chilled mixing bowl.
Reassemble the meat mixer with the chilled parts. Transfer the ground meat and the spices to the meat mixer and begin mixing (about 30 seconds to 1 minute). Add the chilled liquids and continue mixing on medium speed for another 4 1/2 minutes (total of 5 minutes).
When it is done the sausage meat will look tacky. You cannot really overmix it (unless it gets warm) but you can undermix it. If you are not sure, cook up a small patty in a frying pan to test the texture.
At this point, you can package the sausage up as bulk for patties or sauces, or you can stuff into casings for links.
Notes
You can substitute some or all of the pork for boneless skinless chicken thighs for a leaner option. Just make sure to inspect the chicken pieces well for little bone/cartilage fragments.
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