Uncased sausages spread out flavors

What’s not to love about sausages? They’re hearty, flavorful and come in such variety they satisfy all palates. You like heat? Cook up an andouille. Flavor that packs a punch? Try chorizo. Local style? Portuguese, of course. Whatever your favorite meat, you’re likely to find it in sausage form.

Though endless sausage products are on the market, retired hog farmer Glenn Shinsato says there are good reasons to make your own.

“Why do we make sausage? Because there are no chemical preservatives, no scraps — we only use what we would eat,” Shinsato said, pointing out that some commercial sausages have a shelf life of 120 days. “Every chemical that they can put in it, they do.”

One afternoon, Shinsato invited me to join him and his buddies — longtime sausage-maker Manny Decambra of Waianae and chef Justus Keliehor — for a lesson in the task using ground pork. Though the afternoon was instructive, I quickly realized that making sausages in casings is not something for this column on basics.

No problem, said the men. Ever heard of uncased sausage?

That’s simply sausage without a casing — loose, seasoned and mixed meat formed into patties or meatballs, or simply cooked as is. It is just like ground beef in that respect.

“Anything that you can stuff, you can make into a patty,” said Shinsato, a mad scientist in the kitchen who’s never short on ideas. “You can make a different hamburger or hot dog. We have tried (our) recipes with hot rice and a fried egg — it is so good. The sausages can be fried and crumbled and combined with vegetables of your choice for a main dish or side dish.”

Decambra sometimes makes meatballs and freezes them. He pulls them out as necessary.

Keliehor regularly prepares uncased sausage for the Biscuit & Bacon business that he runs with his wife, Nicole Prince, who handles the biscuit end of the menu. They serve their food at Eat the Street events and two Hawaii Farm Bureau markets with the help of Shinsato and his wife, Amy.

Both Decambra and Shinsato say ground pork butt makes ideal sausage meat, with the best balance of fat to lean meat. Keliehor says the proper amount of fat distinguishes sausage meat from general ground meat.

“For every 2 pounds of meat, you want 1/2 pound of fat to go in,” he said. “That makes the sausage moist. If not, no matter how much flavor is there, it’s dry. From there, it’s really about how you want to flavor it.”

Decambra, who’s been making sausage for more than 35 years, agrees. “Sausage is easy. It’s very versatile. The key is the recipe.”

Keliehor makes breakfast sausage, herby with sage and thyme and a bit of chili pepper. He cooks it and crumbles it into a white gravy that’s served with Prince’s biscuits. His other suggestions: Cook classic Italian sausage — made with red wine (which helps keep the meat moist), fennel, coriander, caraway and fresh Italian herbs — in tomato sauce, for serving with pasta. Or use the sausage as filling for homemade ravioli, alongside mushrooms and a piece of Parmesan in each square.

He’s also developing a sausage for won ton, perhaps seasoned with oyster sauce and mixed with items like water chestnuts, cilantro, lemongrass or kaffir lime.

Decambra has been making sausage so long he’s like a walking, talking catalog of sausage recipes. He recites an idea off the top of his head: “Sage, thyme, rosemary, cayenne, chili flakes, brown sugar, salt — sweet chili sausage.”

He says it’s good to season to taste, but start conservatively. Then, fry a small patty of the sausage and taste. Adjust as necessary. “Remember, you can always add, but you cannot take out.”

Another from Decambra: Ground pork with curing salt that keeps pork pink and moist, brown sugar, liquid smoke, black pepper and paprika, for “ham without a knife.”

“That’s sausage!” he said.

How sausage is made

The instructions for all these recipes are the same: Combine ingredients and mix until sticky. Shape into 4-inch patties about 3/4-inch thick. Heat oil in pan and fry patties. The Hamlike Sausage recipe makes 10 patties; the other recipes make 3 to 4.

Basic Cured Sausage

Courtesy Glenn Shinsato

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 2 teaspoons Morton’s Tender Quick (available at Chef Zone, some markets or online)
• 2-1/2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• Oil, for frying
• Optional add-ins: 1/3 to 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 cups chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped dried fruit or nuts

Approximate nutritional information, per patty, based on 4 patties and not including optional add-ins): 700 calories, 55 g fat, 19 g saturated fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 1,300 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 9 g sugar, 38 g protein

Korean Kochujang Sausage

Courtesy Glenn Shinsato

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 1/2 cup kochujang sauce
• 6 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 ounce honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup fruit jam
• Won bok kim chee, chopped (optional)

Approximate nutritional information, per patty (based on 4 patties and not including optional kim chee): 850 calories, 58 g fat, 19 g saturated fat, 210 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,500 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 18 g sugar, 45 g protein

Hamlike Sausage

Courtesy Manny Decambra

• 5 pounds ground pork
• 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid smoke, or to taste
• 1/4 cup curing salt (such as Tender Quick; available at Chef Zone, some markets or online)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 heaping teaspoon paprika

Approximate nutritional information, per patty (based on 4 patties): 670 calories, 54 g fat, 18 g saturated fat, 165 mg cholesterol, 2,900 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 5 g sugar, 38 g protein

Oyster Sauce Sausage

Courtesy Glenn Shinsato

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 4 ounces oyster sauce
• 1-1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 large egg
• Optional add-ins: Chopped garlic, chives, water chestnuts, chung choi (soak and rinse to remove salt) or parsley

Approximate nutritional information, per patty (based on 4 patties and not including optional add-ins): 700 calories, 56 g fat, 19 g saturated fat, 210 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, no sugar, 41 g protein

Is there a cooking technique you’d like explained? Email food editor Joleen Oshiro, joshiro@staradvertiser.com. Nutritonal analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.