BRINE SOLUTION
3 quarts cold water IV2 cups kosher salt 6 tablespoons sugar
A 5-pound piece boneless pork butt, also known as a Boston butt 3plus tablespoons kosher salt ЗЧ2 tablespoons sugar % cup cracked black pepper
6 plus tablespoons ground white pepper 7 tablespoons cayenne 9 tablespoons medium-ftnely chopped
Roast Garlic cloves (page 200) 7 tablespoons chopped chives
temperature must reach 150 degrees; if you can't get it that high, put the pork in a 175-degree oven until it reaches the correct temperature.
6. Store the tasso in the refrigerator. It should be used within 10 days.
V/HORIZO SAUSAGE
This is a lusty, zesty hot sausage that can be enjoyed with a simple cheese, a loaf of crusty bread, and a bottle of zinfandel, or in any number of more complex preparations. (Chorizo can be frozen if you choose to make it in a large batch like this. If not, cut the recipe in half.)
Makes 10 pounds, cooked weight
10 pounds boneless pork shoulder 3 cups red wine (Spanish, if possible)
5 pounds unsalted skinless fatback У4 cup finely chopped garlic
'/2 cup kosher salt % cup crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper Уз cup cayenne
V/2 cups paprika 10 jalapenos, minced
2 tablespoons cumin powder 3 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons freshly ground coriander 2 tablespoons chili powder
seed Peanut oil, for cooking the sausage
2 tablespoons sugar
1. Cube pork and fat and combine with all the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Coarsely grind through the meat grinder, twice. Stuff into casings. Refrigerate.
3. When you are ready to cook the sausage, I suggest that you preheat the oven to 325 degrees, cut a section of the sausage, and wind it in a circular shape in a heavy skillet. Add a small amount of peanut oil to the pan and put it on a burner. As it gets warm, pierce the casing with a small, thin knife every Уъ inch or so. This will help to keep the sausage from bursting. After it browns on one side, carefully turn it with tongs to brown the other side. Then put the pan in the oven and bake about 10 minutes. The sausage should be firm to the touch and cooked through. If not, return to the oven and continue to cook until done. Remove and reserve for whatever you require.
XAMB SAUSAGE
Makes 4 to 5 pounds,
cooked weight
5 pounds coarsely ground lamb shoulder IV2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
3'/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into Ч2- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
inch pieces 3 ounces lamb glaze (optional)
7 ounces lamb fat, all the fell (the papery 2 cups Pinot Noir red wine
outside) removed IV2 tablespoons kosher salt
4 pounds skinless unsaltedfatback V/2 tablespoons chopped shallots
V/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic 242 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper Casings as needed to contain sausage
1. Use the same basic method of sausage-making as for chorizo (page 215).
Note: You can prepare these as patties and fry.
©UCK SAUSAGE WITH PRUNES
When you begin something that becomes a major part of your life, whether it be cooking or acting or jogging, you are not always conscious that you are beginning. When was the first time you ever cooked? Or jogged? Who can remember? But occasionally something happens that does allow you to be aware of an intensity of experience, a jump to a higher level where everything is new again. I experienced such a jump when Gordon Sinclair hired me to operate Sinclair's, the restaurant he was opening in Lake Forest, Illinois, back in the summer of1982. Gordon allowed me the freedom I had always wanted and my staff and I spent the next eighteen months in a state of near volcanic activity. I have included many ideas and recipes from that time in this book. Some have been sharpened or focused in different ways, but I'll always remember that kitchen, those cooks, and Gordon Sinclair. We made this duck sausage at Sinclair's, and served it with grilled breasts of duck and scallion pancakes.
Makes 2 pounds, cooked weight
3 pounds duck meat from the legs, all bone, skin, and sinew removed (reserve breasts for another use) 2or3 pounds duck livers
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder % pound unsalted fatback 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic 1 ¥2 tablespoons finely ground black pepper % tablespoon coriander seed 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Ч4 cup duck glaze (optional) P/4 cups applejack brandy V/2 tablespoons kosher salt
¥2 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
Ч2 teaspoon cloves 1 tablespoon chopped shallots IV2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
V2 pound diced prunes Casings as needed, if you are making link sausage
1. Combine all the ingredients except the prunes in a large bowl. Refrigerate until very cold.
2. Now, coarsely grind the mixture through a meat grinder twice. Add the prunes and chill overnight.
3. The sausage may be formed into patties and fried or stuffed into casings for link sausage.