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Thanks to Home Herb and Garden CEO Patrick OBrien
Of all the good foods that get most often abused on the BBQ is the humble sausage, or snag, as it is sometimes fondly described. I don’t know why this is, as sausage is the Prince of Foods, and they deserve better. There are many gourmet types available now, from chicken and fish sausages, to Mexican (hot), chili, herb, garlic, tomato, and mushroom. Even Asian flavors such as teriyaki and satay are now put into snags.
Then there are all the traditional snags, bratwurst, Italian, mortedella, saveloys, frankfurters, salamis, liverwurst, knockwurst, bologna, and the many others. In the UK, at Sausages by Post, you can actually buy your best British sausages online! Wow, that’s different!
If you are a sausage nut like me there actually is a sausage directory, which you can visit and find out a bit about the various sausages. If you would like to make your own sausages, we can tell you where all the recipes are! At the end of the eBook we give you links to these sites!
Actually sausages are quite easy to make at home, and you can buy small meat mincers (grinders) and sausage fillers that you can use in the kitchen. Making your own snags ensures that the fat content is kept low. Having said that, sausages do need some fat content, otherwise they will be dry and tasteless. In the US, at the time of writing, fat content is set by law to be no more than 40% of the content of the sausage. In Australia fat content is not allowed to be more than 15% of the sausage.
The first sausages ever made in early Britain were made from meat scraps seasoned with herbs, and parsley and coriander were favorites. At one time in the Roman Empire, sausages were banned from being consumed by the common people, because they promoted licentious behavior! Of course, it was more likely the drinks used to wash the sausages down, which caused that licentious behavior. Even in those early days, the use of horsemeat in sausages was frowned upon!
My favorite snags are pork, and I used to make them in my butcher shop with pork and potato. I diced partly cooked potato into ½ inch pieces, then mixed them and some chopped parsley into the pork sausage meat. I filled them out into normal (thick) sized sausage skins, and they were a pure delight, and sold like ice in a heat wave. You could make a similar mix for patties. Just shape them into a ball, roll them in breadcrumbs, flatten, and cook for 5 minutes or so on each side. Pork and leek sausages are another very nice flavor.
Anyway, I believe that sausages, especially thick sausages, should be browned lightly, then allowed to cook slowly. Thick sausages are superb, and so much better on a BBQ that the thin ones. To my mind, thin sausages are only suited to breakfasts with a couple of slices of bacon or ham, toast, and an egg or two! And perhaps some baked beans!
Here is another trick. Don’t have the plate too hot when you put the sausages on. They will burn and burst. You only want the plate to be hot enough to brown them. When they are brown all over, prick gently a couple of times, and turn the heat down. Throw on some sliced onion or tomato, and cook slowly while you enjoy another cold drink, quality sausages cooked slowly like this are a feast to die for!
In the UK, at Sausages by Post, you can actually buy your best British sausages online! Wow, that’s different! Go to http://www.sausagesbypost.co.uk
If you are a sausage nut like me there actually is a sausage directory, which you can visit and find out a bit about the various sausages: www.hot-dog.org/facts/hd_sausage_glossary.htm
If you would like to make your own sausages, go here for all the recipes: http://www.recipesource.com
About Patrick OBrien: Patrick is a retired Master Butcher and businessman who also has broad horticultural experience. He has owned a restaurant, commercially grown organic vegetables, and he operated a herb nursery for many years.
To learn more about home herbs, garden, health, and homebiz, please visit: http://www.home-herb-garden.com
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