Ground Sausage

Old World Italian

Italian Style Sausage

Old World Italian is a fresh bulk sausage built on a 50% lean meat / 50% pork blend, using lean wild game or lean beef. Grind at 1/4". Exact amounts scale to any batch weight in the DeepWoodz Smokehouse app for iPhone and Android.

Fennel is what makes Italian sausage taste Italian, and cracking the seed instead of leaving it whole releases far more of it. Anise underneath deepens the same note. There is no cure in this one — it is a fresh sausage, so it gets cooked or frozen, never smoked.

• Savory
• Herb
• Spicy

What goes in it

• Kosher Salt
• Coarse Black Pepper
• Fennel Seed (whole or cracked) or Ground Fennel
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Dried Parsley
• Oregano
• Anise Seed
• Sugar
• Ice Cold Water

Amounts are calculated for your batch weight in the app — including the cure, which is held at a fixed, food-safe rate.

The meat

Lean Wild Game · Lean Beef · Pork Butt · Pork Shoulder

Bear or wild hog: take it to 160°F and hold 3 minutes. Freezing, smoking and curing do not kill trichinella — only heat does.

How it's made

1. Grind pork through a 1/4" plate. Keep cold.
2. Toast fennel and anise seeds together in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant — about 2 minutes. This wakes up the oils and deepens the flavor.
3. Add dry seasonings to ground meat and mix to distribute evenly. For hot Italian sausage, include the red pepper flakes. For sweet or mild Italian, leave them out.
4. Add ice cold water to meat and mix well until you get good protein extraction.
5. Stuff into natural hog casings or use as bulk sausage.
6. Grill, pan-fry, or use in pasta and sauces.
7. Always cook ground sausage thoroughly before serving.

Before you start

• Venison to pork fat ratio