Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Grilling: Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes

Posted by Joshua Bousel, June 19, 2009 at 8:30 PM

Each week Joshua Bousel drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

I'm a man of tradition. After adding meat grinding and sausage stuffing capabilities to my kitchen, a chicken-apple was the first type of sausage I made for my friend's first annual grilling birthday bash in Prospect Park. Ever since then, my friend has kept up her spring birthday picnic, and I've kept churning out a different chicken sausage each year, and now it doesn't feel like spring until this tradition has been fulfilled.

This year, however, was extra-special—my friend emerged from the long winter as both a doctor and carnivore, able to enjoy the chicken sausage with basil and tomato I cooked up. Although I had initial doubts about the rather small ratio of tomatoes and basil to the massive amounts of chicken, all the flavors came through perfectly in the end, making this fresh-tasting sausage a perfect fit for the beautiful spring party in the park.

Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes

Adapted from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Poleyn.

Ingredients

5 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 1/2 ounces kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons tightly packed chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh diced Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled

10 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 min and rinsed

Procedure

1. Combine the meat, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, and tomatoes and toss together until evenly mixed. Chill until ready to grind.

2. Grind the mixture trough the small die into a bowl set in ice.

3. Using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, oil, and wine, increase the speed to medium, and mix for 1 more minute, or until liquid is incorporated and the sausage has a uniform, sticky appearance.

4. Fry a bite-sized portion of the sausage, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

6. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill the sausage over direct heat until cooked through, having an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

9 Comments Favorite this!  (1)

Tags: chicken, grilling, sausage