In a large mixing bowl, all all ingredients except the casings.
Mix together with your hands.
If using natural hog casings, salted or dry, follow the instructions on the package to prep them. If using collagen casings, use them dry.
Stuff the casings with your preferred method, such as a sausage stuffer, a stuffer tube on a meat grinder, a hand held stuffer (my preference), or even a funnel.
I use 28 mm (1.10 inches) collagen casings. To prep them, I tie a knot on the end then pull it out to 7 1/2 inches and cut it off, use a pin or toothpick and poke a hole near the knotted end, this allows air to escape when you start filling, and repeat for 10 or so casings. The following are the procedure I use when I use my manual hand held stuffing device.
This is a common hand held manual sausage stuffer, disregard that handle, it is absolutely worthless as you need to hold the device by the tube end so you can release the casing as you stuff. First thing you do is is using the correct tube size for the casings you are using and add that to either end of the device with the retaining ring. Then spin the retaining ring on the plunger all the way to the front of the plunger (opposite end of the t-handle). Use a spoon and fill the hopper with the meat mixture, then screw on the plunger. Twist the t-handle until the tube is filled with meat. Remove the plunger, add a little more meat, about 1/2 inch from the top, then spin the retaining ring to the front again, then screw the plunger onto the device. This shows the stuffer is full and ready for use. If any meat comes out of the tube, just scrape that off with a spoon and return that the bowl with the meat.
Take a casing you prepared and open up the end and slide that onto the tube all the way.
Pick up the device and hold it with either hand by the end of the tube, you will release the casing as you screw the plunger in with your other hand. Now when you screw the plunger in, keep in mind, you are not blowing up a balloon, so don't over stuff the casing, you will get the feel for this after 1-2 tries, it is very easy.
Screw the plunger in and slowly let out some casing as the casing fills, important to keep the end of the tube in the meat mixture, this is to prevent you from making air bubbles. The tube here is about 1/4 inch into the meat.
Just keep turning the plunger in and letting casing out, when you get to about ¾ of an inch from the end of the casing, simply turn the plunger handle back 1 turn, the pinch off the meat at the end of the tube. Place the sausage on a plate. I can get two sausages from one filling of the stuffer. Repeat the steps of filling and stuffing until all the meat mixture is used.
Now this step requires two people. Pick up a sausage, pinch the open end down to the meat, get the air out, and twist two times, have another person tie with a string. Repeat for all of the links.
Trim off the excess string and casing, then use a toothpick or needle, and poke 3 holes in each sausage, one on each end, one in the middle, this reduces the possibility of it "banging" or popping during cooking. Sausages are now ready to be pan fried or frozen. Once cooked, simply snip off the strings before serving.
To serve, simply pan fry and pair with mashed potatoes and brown gravy.
