Sarah sausages are simple. I try to do them as soon as the meat is back from the butcher. MOst important keep the meat for sausages in the fridge at 4 deg. c.
My recipe is to mince only once, through a smallish plate. 100 gramms breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, 3 ice cubes worth of very cold water mix well. Then mix into 1 kilo sausage meat.
Now the hard part, if you dont have a stuffer: find a large funnel, and a wooden spoon with a long very clean handle. Manouevre the skins on to the end of the funnel. (Its better to dampen the funnel first as this helps to slide them on. Also have the skins in salted water to keep them fresh. Keep everything as cold as possible). Keep sliding the skins on till the funnel will not take any more. Shove a good handful of the mix into the funnel, push down with the wooden spoon, then manipulate the end of the now forming sausage, its hard to explain but obvious when you are doing it. Keep going, play some soothing music and fill a wine glass with wine. Its tedious by this method but the results are well worth it.
Bacon: dry cure method : about 400 grammes of brown sugar to a kilo of salt. (Fine salt is best). 1 teaspoon of black pepper mix well. One piece of boned out (and preferably skinned) belly or loin. Rub the cure into all the crevices and cracks. Rub well over the whole piece. (Rubber gloves are essential as the salt "burns" the fingers"). If leaving the skin on use only 25% of the cure on the skin side. Seal into a large polythene food bag. Put in fridge for around a week. If the bag is well sealed its unnecessary to do anything until the week is up. Then wash well. Leave to dry in fridge for around 2 days. Chill to almost frozen before slicing. (Vary this recipe to taste).
Wet cure method: Boil up 6 litres water with aprox. 800 grammes salt and 350 grammes sugar and a half teaspoon of sel nitrate (optional) (don't know the English equivalent ask in the chemist) when salt and sugar are well melted skim off any scum, take off heat, leave to cool. (Using iceblocks helps). When cool enough pour into a plastic container and leave in fridge. In the meantime chill the meat for curing. Put the meat into the brine leave for around 1 day per half inch thickness of meat plus 1 day. Take out, wash, leave to dry,
Kate has put some brilliant recipes on here. Dont get stressed when doing this, chill out, have a couple of glasses of wine, (helps the bacon to taste better I always think) it will taste great. If its too salty just soak before cooking.
Sorry for poor English have had French hat on all day, brain is confused.