Once upon a time, many years ago, Chip and Donal would stop at the "Spic and Span Diner" at a truckstop in Las Vegas, New Mexico, about 20 miles from Kirtland Air Force Base, where they would have the diner's sausage, which they really liked. About 20 years ago, the family running the diner sold out or retired, and the Spic and Span Diner is no more. Last year, Chip asked me if I could reproduce the diner's sausage, of fond memory. After a couple of tries, I gave Chip a few pounds of my most recent effort, back at the end of May. A week later, Chip called and Donal was with him, and they were both so excited. Apparently, I nailed it - at least close enough to the one of fond memory - such that Chip and Donal were transported back to the diner of their youth.
Chip's Spic and Span Diner Sausage
1 kg 85/15 pork shoulder
180 g fresh pork back fat
65 ml water
18.5 g Kosher Salt
9.8 g fine turbinado sugar (or dextrose)
3.1 g ground sage
3.0 g ground cumin
2.8 g freshly ground black pepper
2.5 g ground thyme
2.0 g dried parsley
2.0 g crushed red pepper
1.6 g ground coriander
Cube and freeze the back fat. Cube and par-freeze the pork shoulder. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water. Measure out and set aside the dried parsley. Measure out and combine the remaining herbs and spices in a bowl. Mix the pork and fat, and grind through your primary grind plate (I use a 1/2" plate for the primary grind). Place the primary grind in a meat tub or bowl, add the parsley and other dry seasonings, then add the water/salt/sugar mixture, and thoroughly mix. If necessary, chill/par-freeze the sausage mixture, then grind through a 1/4" plate. Use as a bulk sausage, stuff into sheep casing for a breakfast link, or stuff into small hog casing for a dinner sausage. Makes a nice milk gravy.