Merguez Sausages

As far as my memory allows, growing up on the farm meant hard work and long hours. We would get up early to feed the animals and our days did not end until late at night. We spent most of our days outside but also in the kitchen. This is where we all connected, the six of us, for meals and all activities like playing cards or doing our homework. Life on the farm made me happy. At a young age I started helping my mom in the kitchen. When I turned eight years old she let me prepare desserts and make simple meals when she was helping my dad on the farm. Like any farmers in the fall we would choose a cow and the butcher would prepare the cow for us. We had enough meat for the year.

Some nights I would find my mom using an old meat grinder to grind the beef for recipes. She taught me that grinding our own meat is safer and it has a better flavor. It was also a great arm workout. Thankfully those days are gone. Now with the Kenwood Chef Kitchen Machine fitted with the multi food grinder attachment you can grind your meat in a few minutes with this machine that offers optimized performance. My mom used the ground meat to make shepherd’s pies or patties that she would serve with a brown sauce and mashed potatoes. She never made sausages but I always wanted to try to make my own. The flavor of homemade sausages surpasses any sausages that you buy at the store. For my first experience I was challenged to make Merguez Sausages.

Making sausages is a two-day process. Marinating the meat overnight will improve the flavor of the sausages. Don’t skip that step.

The next day, with the help of my son, we started by grinding the lamb with the coarse screen installed on the Kenwood Chef Multi Food grinder attachment. A second grind is important using the medium screen to obtain the perfect sausage texture.

Before making the sausages, you will need to soak the casing in warm water for 30 minutes, and then you will be ready to stuff the meat mixture. I replaced the screen with the nozzle attachment on the Kenwood Chef and loaded the sausage casing on the nozzle. My son loaded the sausage mixture into the canister while I stuffed the sausages. It will be a breeze to make sausages if you have someone helping you. It took a couple minutes to master the technique of making the sausages. At first there was too much air in my sausages, and we had to start all over.

Once your sausages are done, you need to twist them into links. Place the sausages on a cookie sheet and prick them with a toothpick. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour before cooking. We decided to cook our sausages on the Kamado Joe for a wood-fire flavor.

I finally mastered the art of making sausages at home. I will make them again using different meats and spices, and using the Kenwood Chef Machine. This machine is a workhorse. It simplified my life, and when my parents come visit I will surprise them with my creations.