Real Sausages ??

[Sam99]

Not sure if this has been covered before, but here goes.

In my teens and 20’s I used to love sausages and beans
Then I saw a documentary, read a health magazine and saw a Kerry Catona advert for 1000 or so sausages for a quid and it all put me off them.

Can you actually buy a proper sausage any more??
100 % meat as near as possible??

Maybe I should try a real local butcher??

Any thoughts, please??

Thanks,

Sam

[BoRED S2upid]

Try a real butchers or farmers market. I only buy sausages from the local farmers market and am pleased to see the lack of fat and water that comes out during cooking. Plus theres the flavour Pork and Black pudding are V Nice as are venison.

[joewilliams]

We use local farm shops for most of our meat - similar pricing to 'premium' supermarket products, and you can see the raw material in the field outside

[escargot]

A butcher near me makes up his own course 'olde english' snags. Wonderful and a million miles away from the cack walls throw out.

[thetapeworm]

100% would be a pork loin wouldn't it? Even the 97% ones I get sometimes (Debbie & Andrew's Harrogate 97% Pork Sausage) are a bit too "meaty" for a sausage, you need something else in there to get a decent texture IMO. Obviously I'm not talking "bangers" from Iceland here but I don't think you can go too far wrong with a "Porky White".

[NorthDave]

I buy from my local butchers - personally I dont care about 97% meat. You need some back fat in there or otherwise they dont work properly. People get fixated on the meat content but meat is a very generic term and covers fillet through to aholes. Supermarkets use the cheapest possible cuts whereas farmers markets and good butchers tend to use less popular cuts which are perhaps tougher to eat before mincing.

If you can look the man who made them in the eye as you pay for them he is less likely to have filled them with st is my theory!

[HarryFlatters]

A bit of cereal absorbs the fat and keeps the meat moist. It also gives it a nicer texture (IMHO) than a 100% meat sausage like a Toulouse.

[Odie]

Sam, have you thought about making your own sausages?

Perhaps start off making your own mince to make Burgers/meatballs

then 'graduate' onto sausages

[LordGrover]

If you have the time and inclination; click.

[escargot]

HarryFlatters said:

A bit of cereal absorbs the fat and keeps the meat moist. It also gives it a nicer texture (IMHO) than a 100% meat sausage like a Toulouse.

I agree usually, the two exceptions for me are Saucisse and Merguez, straight off the barbecue and hot fat shooting all over your chin. Delightful.

[DarrenL]

Debbie & Andrews Perfect Pork Sausages.

One of the few things I miss about the UK (because German Wurst, frankly, aint that great!)

[HarryFlatters]

escargot said:

I agree usually, the two exceptions for me are Saucisse and Merguez, straight off the barbecue and hot fat shooting all over your chin. Delightful.

In three weeks time I shall be in Provence doing exactly that

[blindswelledrat]

Proper butchers sausages are mostly meat and quite expensive.
THey cost me over £1 each from my local one.
I realised recently that sausages are supposed to be bad for you and the cheaper and nastier they are, the better they taste.
For the price of good butchers sausages you can actually buy decent cuts of meat so it seems pointless really

[Sam99]

Hello all,

Good comments and advice.
Many thanks.

Sausages and beans are looming on the horizon.

Sam

[MaxMX5]

If you buy the top end sausages in the supermarket then they are over 85% meat. I wont eat un meaty sausage, waste of money and I dont want to eat rubbish. Morrisons do a really nice chilli sausage.

[whoami]

joewilliams said:

We use local farm shops for most of our meat - similar pricing to 'premium' supermarket products, and you can see the raw material in the field outside

If that's where they source their meat.

[wattsie_2004]

If you're in the supermarket there are some called "The Black Farmer" that seem to be rather good. Normally I go to the butcher in our local butter market which (IMO) is the best one locally but this does mean a trip into the town centre which is sometimes a hassle.

[tenex]

I make my own with homegrown meat, properly hung.(mainly lamb and venison)
To get the texture right at least 15% 'fillers' has to go in and about half the meat whizzed as opposed to minced. Venison also needs added fat.
It is a complete waste to use decent cuts. Trimmings,flank etc make perfectly good tasty sausages.

[calibrax]

Porky Whites Surrey Sausages. Best supermarket sausages I've tasted... really delicious. Two packs of six for £4, can't go wrong!

http://www.porkywhites.co.uk/surrey/index.html

[Mastodon2]

I really like the Co-ops Truly Irresistible range sausages, they have a few really nice flavours, sweet chilli, caramelised onion etc. They always have a good texture and plenty of moisture, I think they are about 85% meat.

I cannot stand cheap bangers though, like Richmonds or cack like that, they are disgusting. They don't even look like real sausages, which should be an early warning that they are crap, they have no texture at all (due to the "meat" being filled into them as a sloppy paste) and taste rank. I think they are just oversized hot dogs designed to be stuck on the grill. Never again!