Just like every year when we process our pig, I like to set myself a new challenge. Yet I’m no stranger to homemade charcuterie. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve grown up making andouilles, pâtés, and smoking meats. These techniques have been passed down through the generations and are now part of the traditions we love to keep alive at the Manoir de Kerozet. Last year, I set out to make my first batch of rillettes and my first head cheese. This year, a new challenge awaits me: homemade sausages.
I love the idea of learning something new with every pork dish. Behind every recipe lie memories, time-honored traditions, and above all, the joy of sharing good meals with family or friends. For this first experiment, I chose a Quebec recipe that won me over with its blend of fresh herbs and spices. If you’d like to try it, you can find the recipe that inspired me on the Ricardo Cuisine website. But as usual, I let my instincts guide me.
A Few Precautions Before You Begin
A quick note: Ground pork is a particularly perishable product, especially before salt is added. It’s therefore important to work quickly and keep the meat cold, ideally in a refrigerator set to 2 °C, in accordance with the recommendations I learned during the HACCP training I took this spring.
The Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 kg of pork shoulder (we used the whole shoulder);
- 300 g of pork rind (if the meat isn't marbled enough, to prevent the sausages from becoming too dry);
- a bunch of parsley from the garden;
- finely chopped thyme and sage;
- 60 ml of white wine per kilogram;
- 17 grams of salt per kilogram;
- 4 grams of pepper per kilogram;
- 2 g of curry per kilogram;
- 1 g of Espelette pepper per kilogram;
- 8 teaspoons of Dijon mustard;
- 20 meters of natural sheep casings;
- 4 shallots;
- 2 cloves of garlic.
Preparation
1. Prepare the ingredients
Weigh the meat and keep it in the refrigerator while you prepare the spices and herbs.
2. Chop the meat
Grind the meat, then add the spices, herbs, garlic, and shallots.
3. Mix well
Mix thoroughly until the mixture is smooth.
4. Let it rest
After a night of rest, allowing the flavors to develop, it’s time to stuff the sausages. The sausages are then carefully stored in the freezer, waiting for their moment in the spotlight.
Because their fate is already sealed: the first barbecues of the summer!
I can already picture the long summer evenings at the Manoir de Kerozet: the large table set up in the garden, the laughter of friends, the dogs wandering among the guests, and the homemade sausages sizzling gently on the barbecue. It’s these simple moments that, to me, make for the most beautiful memories.
Beyond just providing lodging, the Manoir de Kerozet is also a place where we enjoy taking our time, cooking, restoring our heritage, and preserving rural traditions that still have so much to teach us.
And just like every year, a new adventure begins. Who knows what the next one will be?
What about you?
Have you ever tried making your own homemade cured meats? Do you have a family recipe that’s been passed down through the generations? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!