Meat
Method
The meat is the most important part of any sausage and separates a home-made gourmet masterpiece from a bland, mass-produced banger. Just like any good dish, the flavour and taste is largely determined by the quality and freshness of the ingredients you put in. If you’re going to the trouble of making your own sausages why not use the best?
For a pork sausage the ultimate cut to use is the shoulder of an older, free-range pig (preferably female). This has an excellent natural fat content and it seems to produce the most delicious pork sausage every time. The butt or a mixture of lean and fat trimmings from other cuts also works well for sausage making bearing in mind the desired fat level is around twenty five percent. For a beef sausage, brisket, chuck or silverside cuts from free range cattle are the best. Again, they have an excellent natural fat content so you might be able to get away without the need for any added fat. For a chicken sausage try experimenting with a combination of thigh (with skin) and breast. The skin is an essential component in any chicken sausage to avoid the sausage from being too dry. Finally, for a lamb sausage, boneless shoulder, shank or leg will all be perfect.
Remember, there are no wrong cuts to use, it’s more a matter of getting your fat-to-meat ratio spot on.