Sausage Making: The Definitive Guide with Recipes

by Ryan Farr, Ed Anderson (Photographer), Jessica Battilana (Contributor)

From the author of Whole Beast Butchery, “practical and delicious ways to use the most under-appreciated parts of the animal” (David Chang, chef/owner of Momofuku).   With the rise of the handcrafted food movement, food lovers are going crazy for the all-natural, uniquely flavored, handmade sausages they’re finding in butcher cases everywhere. At San Francisco’s 4505 Meats, butcher Ryan Farr takes the craft of sausage making to a whole new level with his fiery chorizo, maple-bacon breakfast links, smoky bratwurst, creamy boudin blanc, and best-ever all-natural hot dogs. Sausage Making is Farr’s master course for all skill levels, featuring an overview of tools and ingredients, step-by-step sausage-making instructions, more than 175 full-color technique photos, and fifty recipes for his favorite classic and contemporary links. This comprehensive, all-in-one manual welcomes a new generation of meat lovers and DIY enthusiasts to one of the most satisfying and tasty culinary crafts.  “It’s great to see some coarse, English-style sausage being championed so ably over the pond. For too long sausages have been made cheaply and without care—here’s a book to set that right.” —Tim Wilson, owner of The Ginger Pig, London, UK  “You hold in your hands the La Technique of sausage-making. Loaded with beautiful photo-process and unparalleled information, this is the new gold standard for books on the subject.” —John Currence, chef/owner, City Grocery Restaurant Group  “Farr, chef and owner of 4505 Meats in San Francisco, and Battilana use precise instructions and step-by-step photographs to teach readers how to make sausages, condiments, buns, and classical French preparations . . . Recommended for seasoned home cooks who’d like to advance their technique and expand their repertoire.” —Library Journal

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Culinary, Reference, Nonfiction

405 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2014

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start with, Sausage Making is a fine book in appearance and use. The authorial tone is to the point, informative, gentle, and encouraging. There is no pomposity from Mr. Farr - no looking down his nose at us - only helpful hints and tips. Further, the photographs in this book are quite incredible: the cooked meats arranged in ways so as to be instructional as well as artistic. I got hungry looking at them.

After reading this book, I came away with several appreciations:
1) An appreciation for sausage as a relatively healthy way to consume meat
2) An appreciation for the diversity of sausages as well as its flexibility in bending to consumers desires, needs, and ingredient availability
3) An appreciation for the complexity of sausage making
4) An appreciation for those who craft sausages.

I realize now that most all of the sausage I've ever eaten has been commercially mass produced, contains numerous unhealthy ingredients, and is flavored mostly by salt and synthetic flavors. Mr. Farr didn't even need to point that out to me - I just realized it as I read over his recipes and suggestions.

I have come away from this book both with a sense of appreciation for finely crafted sausages and with a sense of loss at my own inability to craft such sausages due to a lack of space, time, and resources. Still, I thank you, Mr. Farr, for opening my eyes to the wonderful world of sausage making.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to read this whole thing, right now, but if ever decide to make a whole suckling pig ballotine, I'll know where to look. But I do think I'll begin making my own Italian sausage. We use it for a few good dishes, and it's up to $4 per pound just about everywhere, but i can often find pork shoulder for less than $1.50, and I have one of those hand-cranked grinders. How hard can it be?

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for anyone wanting to make their own sausage. My mom's side of the family has their own sausage recipe and I've been curious about other varieties in a "maybe someday I'll try this" kind of way. Farr has made the recipes easily adaptable and I love how he also included recipes for accompaniments, like beer mustard and harissa.

[Mike Escott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting recipes. The author was easy to follow and seemed to have a passion for sausage. Enjoyable easy read.


I enjoyed the book and will try several of the recipes. Recommend for anyone interested in making their own sausages.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best laid out guides for sausage making that I've looked at. The pictures are perfect visual aids. The only improvement I would make it to make more unusual sausages instead of the classic recipes that are already available from other books.

[Joseph Passarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

STRAIGHTFORWARD AND UPFRONT

Very informative. Very well organized. I’m not sure if I’ll ever make anything from this book, I bought it more for the knowledge of how to do it rather than the need to want to do it. But from what I could tell, it doesn’t seem to be too difficult.

[Mike Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sausage Making is an exceptional book to learn the fundamentals of making sausage. There is a broad range of recipes available to experience.

[David Reber · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my recent run with boudin I'm really looking forward to getting into some of these recipes. Farr brings the basics in recipe and technique in an easy to understand format without being too elementary. I can't wait to get into beef links, bierwurst, guinea hen and kimchee links, merges, chorizo, goat sausage, and boudin blanc.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really neat cookbook. The pictures are so lifelike and the recipes are simple, and well explained. If I had the time, space, and equipment to start a project I would definitely try one of the simpler sausages from this book.

(I borrowed it from the Finger Lakes Library System.)

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more challenging than an intro book. Some inspiring ideas.