Making Sausages & Small Goods: The Complete Walkthrough

This guide covers making sausages & small goods, rated a moderate task, typically taking 2–4 hrs/batch.

Our printable card on making sausages & small goods covers the essentials at a glance — here's the fuller walkthrough.

Grind, season, stuff, rest

Fresh sausages are relatively quick — grind, season, stuff, and cook or freeze — while fermented products like salami involve a much longer, more carefully controlled curing and drying process.

Getting Set Up

Keep these points in mind:

• A meat grinder and sausage stuffer (combined units are common)
• Casings (natural or synthetic) appropriate to the product
• A tested recipe with correct seasoning and, for fermented products, correct starter culture and curing salt
• Controlled temperature/humidity space for fermented or dried products

The Method

Worth paying attention to:

• 1. Select and prepare meat and fat in the correct ratio for the sausage or small goods type.
• 2. Grind to the appropriate coarseness for the product.
• 3. Season according to a tested recipe, mixing thoroughly for even distribution.
• 4. Stuff into casings (natural or synthetic) at a consistent, moderate fill to avoid bursting.
• 5. Cook, freeze, or begin the appropriate curing/fermenting/drying process depending on the product.

Troubleshooting

Keep these points in mind:

• Casings bursting while stuffing — overfilled or air pockets; fill at a moderate, even pace and prick out visible air pockets.
• Sausage texture too dense or rubbery — often overworked meat during mixing; mix just enough for even seasoning distribution, no more.
• Fermented products not developing correctly — fermented salami-style products require careful temperature and humidity control and a proper starter culture; this is a more advanced, less forgiving process than fresh sausages.
• Uneven seasoning — mix thoroughly and consider a small test patty, cooked and tasted, before stuffing the full batch.

Ongoing Timing

Best time — fresh sausages any time; fermented, air-dried products in cooler months with more stable conditions. Duration — fresh sausages: a few hours. Fermented salami-style products: weeks to months. Maintenance — fresh: none beyond correct storage. Fermented: regular monitoring of temperature, humidity, and mould development during the process. Signs of success — fresh: good texture and flavour on a test cook. Fermented: correct weight loss, firmness, and characteristic aroma over the drying period.

For the condensed printable version, head to the main guide page linked below.

→ View the printable A4 guide for making sausages small goods