Homemade Sausage Making

I know that not all of you are fan's of Len Poli's site but I was looking for a Loukaniko (greek sausage) recipe and looked there as a jumping off point. I noticed that the second step in his preparations were, "Prepare the casings by soaking in orange juice for 30 minutes." Anyone ever tried this, I was unsure of the acid level of the OJ and if that would negatively affect the casings.

Here's a link to the full recipe: Loukaniko

If you have your own greek sausage recipe I'd love to take a look at that also!

It probably wouldn't hurt to try. I would imagine all the acid would do is strengthen the collagen in the casing. Maybe that could make the casings tough or on the optimistic end, make for a nice snap when you bite into it.

I think the orange juice only has a slight chance of imparting its flavor. With a contact period so short, followed by some sort of cooking method, its probably not likely to shine through when all is said and done. The recipe probably only calls for that method to reinforce the theme of orange in Loukanika. If it were me, I would probably just save the o.j. for your breakfast .

Jerbear

I know that not all of you are fan's of Len Poli's site

I`m a Len Poli fan, I wouldn`t say folks are not fans, just difference in opinion. Ever listen to a couple of experienced carpenters talk about building a home, they both have their own ideas. This is the same with the salami maker, my way is better than yours
Never tried the juice thing.
Uwanna

Crispy Critters
I made a small batch of loukanikos (Greek lamb sausage) using Len Poli's recipe (with minor changes). If you've seen the recipe, you know that there's a large amount of pork trimmings in it.

Well, as luck had it, I was running short of casing, so I stuffed them more than I should have. They didn't leak, so I congratulated myself on my skill, waited a few days, and threw two onto the grill, stuck a thermocouple temperature probe in one, and walked away. When I came back a short time later, both had split the casing, spilled pork fat into the flames, and had sent the thermocouple lead to that great smoky place in the sky.

So I put another two on the grill and, this time, watched. After a short time, one casing split. I stabbed the other to relieve the pressure, and it un-zipped too. There were more flames, and...

Beloved Spouse said that they looked like Greek road kill. Come to think of it, they were about the size and shape of... well, you get the idea. I stuck "Greek Roadkill" into Google Translate, and the program balked at translation.

However, they tasted great, so now we have a new translation: loukanikos = roadkill. ...and next time, I reduce the fat content to something more manageable and leave room for expansion.

Hey Pato Loco!
Did you eat lead paint chips as a child?

A couple of weeks ago I was watching some YouTube videos on sopressa making. One of the guys tosses his casings into a small buck of clean water and tosses in a couple lemons cut in half. It lets it sit a day, changes the water and sit again. He comments it removes some of the smell of the casing. Note: he did not squeeze the lemons, just cut them in half.

Chuckwagon wrote:Hey Pato Loco!
Did you eat lead paint chips as a child?

Actually, it was sausage chips. ...or maybe it was fish and chips. No! Chocolate chips. Er... potato chips?

...wasn't silicon chips. They go best on silicon wafers. Definitely wasn't cow chips. The folks out around your way seem far too interested in cow chips. Maybe it's because they're...

Naah. ...not going there.

Next "burning" question: should sausages be made the same size as certain tree-dwelling rodents? When the casings split open, they sure look realistic.

Hi,
Many years ago when I made salamis and fresh sausages with Italian friends, all sausage skins were soaked in water and sliced lemons for the smell.
They treated the skins this way for generations I was told.
Regards,
Jan.