Episode 187 - Sicilian Sausage

Another episode from my sausage series. We make Sicilian Sausage (Salsiccia Siciliano). While generally similar to other Italian sausages, what makes it a bit unique is that it contains grated Romano cheese and a bit of nutmeg and coriander. The latter two spices are more typical of the Southern Mediterranean countries but given how many different cultures overran Sicily it probably isn’t that surprising.
I start out with ground pork. I prefer this sausage to be on the rustic side, so I use the coarsest grinding disk in my set, which has 10mm holes, and I only grind once. If you prefer a smoother sausage, feel free to use a finer disk, or run it thorough twice (e.g., once with coarse and once with fine). BTW, if you want some tips on the grinding process or the stuffing process, please check out Episode 186 since I don’t show these in this video.
Weigh the pork, and use the following proportions, which I give per pound of ground pork.
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 very small clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp lemon zest
Mix these all in a bowl using your hand. Make sure everything is evenly distributed but don’t overwork the meat. Put it in the fridge for at least a few hours, preferably overnight. When you are ready to stuff, take it out and give it time to get close to room temperature, which will make it easier to manipulate. Give it another light mix and then stuff it into medium size (38-42mm) casings (I use natural hog casings, but cellulose is an option if you prefer).
I decided to cook these on my Big Green Egg charcoal kettle grill. To make a full plate, I also grabbed some cherry tomatoes and cut up some zucchini to similar sized pieces, tossed them in a flavored olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and put them in small baking pans. I also took corn on the cob, peeled back the husks enough to remove the silk, closed the husks back, and soaked them for 15 minutes.
I set up the grill for indirect heating in the center, with a catch pan below where the sausage would be. This catches the fat and prevents flare ups. The vents were adjusted to maintain about 350 degrees F and everything went on the grill grate. The corn was put on the edges so that it would get some direct heat and so a bit of char. I flipped the sausage once and rotated the corn every five minutes. In 20 minutes everything was done.
The sausage was the star. A rustic Italian sausage with some good chew. The cheese and the hint of warm spices made it a unique and very tasty twist on the mainland tradition. With the corn (brushed with butter and sprinkled with black truffle salt) and the soft, roasted vegetables, plus a nice bottle of Nero d’Avola (arguably the most important red wine grape in Sicily), it was a lovely meal indeed.