Salsiccia Recipe

Prepare meat and fat

Chill the pork shoulder and fatback until very cold (this makes grinding easier). Cut into 1–2 cm cubes and keep chilled.

Toast and grind seasoning

In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the fennel seeds 1–2 minutes until aromatic, then crush lightly with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Coarsely chop the garlic or mince it; briefly pulse with the toasted fennel in a small food processor to distribute.

Grind meat

Using a meat grinder fitted with a coarse plate (or a food processor in short bursts), grind the chilled pork shoulder and fatback together into a large bowl. Keep everything cold to preserve texture.

Mix seasoning into meat

To the ground meat add the crushed toasted fennel, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, sugar, minced garlic, and kosher salt. Pour in the dry white wine and combine thoroughly with your hands or a sturdy spoon until the mixture is sticky and evenly seasoned (about 2–3 minutes). Taste a small piece by frying a teaspoon to adjust salt/chili if needed.

Stuff casings

Soak the hog casings in warm water for 20 minutes, rinse inside and out, and mount onto the sausage stuffer. Feed the seasoned meat into the stuffer, forming sausages about 10–12 cm long (or to your preferred size). Avoid overstuffing — let the mixture flow gently and twist into links, pricking any air pockets with a sterile needle.

Rest sausages

Place sausages on a rack in the refrigerator for 2–4 hours (or overnight) to let the flavors meld and the texture firm up before cooking.

While sausages rest, combine thinly sliced red onion, halved niçoise olives, and sliced pepperoncini in a bowl.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; season with 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss the dressing with the onion/olive mixture and fold in chopped parsley. Let marinate at room temperature for 15–30 minutes so the flavors mellow.

Cook sausages (pan or grill)

Preheat a skillet or grill to medium. Brush sausages lightly with 1 tablespoon olive oil. If using a skillet, brown sausages on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side, until well-colored. If using a grill, cook over medium heat turning frequently to avoid flare-ups, about 10–12 minutes total.

Finish cooking

To ensure sausages are cooked through without burning, lower heat to medium-low and add 100 ml water to the skillet, then cover and steam for 5–6 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 70–72°C (158–162°F) in the center. If grilling, move sausages to an indirect heat zone, cover grill, and finish to the same internal temp.

Rest and serve

Let sausages rest 5 minutes. Arrange on a platter with the marinated red onion, niçoise olive and pepperoncini salad. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing, and crusty bread if desired.