Loukaniko

This week we are going to cook a traditional Greek sausage called Loukaniko.

All you need for this recipe is:

1 1/2 pounds lamb or venison trimmings

2 1/2 pounds pork or wild boar

1 pound pork fat

32 grams kosher salt, about 3 tablespoons

4 grams Instacure No. 1, about 1 rounded teaspoon (optional)

25 grams sugar, about 2 rounded tablespoons

5 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon ground coriander seed

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons grated fresh orange zest

1/2 cup white or red wine

Hog casings

When you have all ingredients ready you just have to the following:

Chop your pork and lamb into chunks. Mix in the salt, curing and sugar and grind. Put this in the fridge overnight if possible or for at least an hour. The step helps the sausage bind to itself when you stuff it.

Set aside 1/2 of the coriander, black pepper and fennel seeds in a small bowl. Soak your hog casings in warm water. Put the wine in the fridge. Make sure all your grinding gear is cold.

Mix the remaining spices with the meat and fat and grind the meat a second time into a bowl. Once it's ground, put the meat in the freezer and clean up.

Put the meat mixture in a large bin so you can mix it. Add the orange zest, reserved spices and the wine and mix the sausage well for 2 minutes, or until it forms a sticky, cohesive paste.

Get out your sausage stuffer, fit it with the appropriate tube and stuff the sausage. Do it all at once before you twist it into links.

To twist into links, start at one end and compress the meat into the casing, then tie off the casing. Measure out a good-sized link, then pinch with your fingers. Do the same another good-sized link down the coil. Once you have them both pinched, twist several times to tighten the link well. Repeat on down the line of the coil, then tie off the final link after compressing it, too. Once you’ve finished, hang the links so your twisting does not come undone, or tie off each link with string. Use the needle to prick any air pockets, and compress the meat in the casing to fill those pockets; be careful or you can rupture the casing if you do this too roughly.

If you like this recipe, you’re more than welcome you try it yourself!