Origin
The stuffing of seasoned minced meat into a casing is among the oldest methods of preserving and shaping meat, and in France it belongs to the craft of charcuterie, the trade of the charcutier. Jacques Pépin sets it out in Complete Techniques as a sequence of steps a home cook can follow: grinding, seasoning, stuffing and twisting into links. The craft stands behind the saucisse fraîche, the boudin and the andouillette, each carried by regional custom.
Description
A sausage is a forcemeat of coarsely or finely ground pork, usually lean shoulder (épaule) with a proportion of back fat (lard gras dur), seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs, and packed into a casing. The traditional casing is the cleaned intestine of the pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), or of the sheep for slender links, rinsed and soaked in cold water before use. The meat is cut into cubes, chilled, passed through the grinder and mixed until it binds, then pushed through a stuffing horn or the nozzle of a machine into the casing. The filled tube is pricked to release trapped air and twisted at intervals into links of even length, or tied with string.
The Thread
Flavour Context
A fresh sausage is eaten hot from the pan or the grill with lentils, mashed potato, braised cabbage or a sharp mustard, since the acidity and starch cut through the richness of the fat. It is drunk with a young, fresh red such as a Beaujolais, or with a crisp white or a dry cider, whose acidity and light tannin refresh the palate between mouthfuls. The pairing works because fat and salt in the meat call for freshness and gentle astringency in the glass.