Outside, everything is buried under snow. Inside, our pantry had a few suspiciously empty corners whispering, “You call this winter preparedness?”
So my husband and I decided it was time to do the most logical thing a couple can do in mid-winter: make sausage.
We started with 5 kg of pork loin, added fatback (because flavor is not optional), stuffed it, and then cold-smoked it. Honestly? It felt like one of those cozy, old-school home rituals that makes winter feel less… wintery.
By the time the garden wakes up—when the spring onions, radishes, and salad greens start showing off—we’ll be slicing our own sausage. Future-us is going to be very pleased.
The setup: meat, fat, and good intentions
This batch was simple, rustic, and deeply satisfying.
We used:
- Pork loin (5 kg)
- Fatback (to keep everything juicy)
- Natural casings (we bought ours from a local butcher shop)
- Spices (sweet paprika is the star)
- A sausage stuffer (more on that below)
The sausage stuffer we used (and why we liked it)
We used this one:
HOTMALLL 6Lbs Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Manual Sausage Stuffer (11 tubes, vertical hand-crank)
👉 https://temu.to/k/p8vb6l9w70s
It was on sale, arrived quickly, and made the process feel surprisingly smooth—especially once we found our rhythm: one person guiding the casing, the other cranking like they’re auditioning for a medieval bakery.
What I appreciated most:
- Sturdy stainless steel build (feels solid, not flimsy)
- Vertical design (doesn’t take over the whole counter)
- Multiple tubes (handy for different casing sizes)
- Cleaning wasn’t a nightmare (a true love language)
A few things we learned (so you don’t have to learn them the hard way)
1) Don’t skip the fat.
Pork loin is lean. Fatback makes the texture tender and the slices actually satisfying.
2) Keep everything cold.
Cold meat is easier to work with and stuffs better. Warm meat turns into chaos.
3) Go slow at the start.
Once the casing fills evenly and you find your pace, it becomes oddly calming.
4) Make extra.
Because you will “taste-test.” And then you’ll taste-test again. For quality control. Obviously.
Sweet Paprika Cold-Smoked Sausage (Printable-Style Recipe)
Note: Cold smoking does not cook sausage. For cold-smoked/dried sausage, curing salt and proper drying conditions matter—always follow trusted local food-safety guidance for your region and setup.
Ingredients (per 1 kg / 1000 g meat + fat)
- Cure #1 (pink curing salt): 2.5 g
- Salt (non-iodized): 14 g
- Sweet paprika: 10 g
- Black pepper: 2 g
- Garlic: 10 g fresh, minced (or 2 g garlic powder)
- Marjoram (optional): 1 g
- Caraway (optional): 0.5 g
- Ice-cold water: 30–50 ml
Casings: Natural casings from a local butcher.
Method (short version)
- Chill meat + tools
- Grind (medium grind works great)
- Mix spices + cold water until tacky/sticky (“bind”)
- Rest 8–24 hours in the fridge (recommended)
- Stuff into casings, twist links
- Dry 12–24 hours until casings feel dry
- Cold smoke below 25°C / 77°F in gentle sessions
- Dry/age until firmer (time varies by thickness and environment)
Cold smoking = winter happiness (quiet version)
Hot-smoke days are loud and celebratory. Cold-smoke days are more… patient. You check on things, you wait, you pretend you’re very calm and not obsessed with whether the smoke is “just right.”
And then you peek again five minutes later.
Now we’ve got homemade sausage tucked away, ready for quick meals, soups, breakfasts, and those early spring days when the garden starts producing again.
If you want to try sausage-making at home…
If you’re curious and want a sturdy starter setup, here’s the stuffer we used:
👉 https://temu.to/k/p8vb6l9w70s
And if you already make sausage, tell me your favorite seasoning combo—because we’re absolutely doing this again.
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Get Your free recipe here! https://littlehomerituals.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/sausage-recipe-card.pdf
