Sicilian-Style Hot or Sweet Sausage

Once you’ve made your own Italian sausage from scratch, you’ll never look at the supermarket stuff the same way again.

This Sicilian-style recipe keeps things beautifully simple: pork shoulder and pork fat ground together, then seasoned with fennel seeds, coarse black pepper, garlic, and salt.

That’s it. No fillers, no mystery ingredients, just pure pork flavor with that unmistakable fennel kick.

Stuff the mixture into natural casings, twist into links, and you’ve got sausage that’s ready for the grill, the skillet, or crumbled into your Sunday sauce.

Pro Tips

• Keep the meat and fat ice-cold while grinding. Warm fat smears instead of cutting cleanly, and you’ll end up with a mushy texture instead of a coarse, snappy sausage.
• For hot sausage, add 2 to 3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes to the mix. Start with less and fry a small patty to taste before committing.
• Don’t overstuff the casings. Leave some room so they don’t burst when you cook them. A slight squish when you squeeze a link means you’ve got it right.
• Freeze links in single layers on a sheet pan first, then transfer to bags. This prevents them from sticking together so you can grab just what you need.