I Make Sausage; You Can Too.

Here's what you need to make unpreserved sausage :

Meat, fat, salt, spices.

Here's the ratio: for each pound of lean meat, you want an additional 4 oz of fat, a teaspoon of salt, and all the spiciness you desire.

I bet you can make a decent vegetarian sausage out of seitan and butter, actually.

The ground beef/turkey/chicken/whatever you can get at a grocery store is a good start, but it's too coarse. Whizzing it in a blender along with the fat, salt and spices is what turns it into sausage.

If you want a smoky sausage, add smoked paprika and/or BaconSalt.

• Italian: powdered onion, powdered garlic, dried basil, parsley, rosemary, ground or whole fennel seeds, red pepper flakes.


• Greek: powdered onion, oregano, sweet paprika, mint. Yes, mint. Lemon zest is good, too.


• "BBQ potato chip": powdered onion, powdered garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, something sweet -- sugar or whatever.


• Sage and onion: powdered onion, black pepper, more dried sage than you think is a good idea.


• "Tastes like chicken": CostCo's Kirkland No-Salt seasoning contains everything you would put in chicken soup except salt and chicken. Remember to add salt.

After you've whizzed it all in the blender until it's a smooth consistency, scrape it into a freezer-grade ziploc. Label it, including the date. Refrigerate immediately. Use as you would use raw sausage -- that is, cook it, don't just sprinkle it on things.