Can someone tell me what goes into sausages?

[Annpan]

Sausages in normal shops - I am in a discussion with someone on another forum and I reckon that eyes, brains, feet,etc all go into generic sausages.

Can anyone tell me otherwise, or confirm my reckoning?

[red]

I wouldn't have thought any brains or other offal. otherwise.. yes.. everything.

have to say, I'm ok witht hat - everything but the oink etc...

[Annpan]

Yeah, I wasn't sure about beef brains (BSE and all) but top ingredient of haggis is offal so I was thinking it is probably in cheapo sausages.

Anyway, it is a discussion about how grosse it is to eat eye balls, etc and I said it probably all goes into sausages anyway....

[the.fee.fairy]

Aren't most cheap sausages rusk?

[Green Aura]

I saw a programme on it once - Richard Hammond

Cheap sausages are made of something called "mechanically recovered meat".

Essentially this is everything legal - so no spinal column etc, but includes bone and gristle and suchlike, which is pulverised to mush, mixed with rusk and laughingly called sausage.

I wasn't keen on them before but haven't bought any since!

[Cornelian]

Sausages = SNAGS = Skin, Nose, Arse, Guts.

I am getting into making my own snags this year - I love gourmet sausages but they are way too expensive to buy, so will try my hand at making my own.

[JulieSherris]

I turned my ex-step-daughter into a vegetarian for a few months, after I told her that she was virtually giving a pig a bl.... well, go figure.....

Hehe, I was a mean step-mum!

[Millymollymandy]

And I always thought sausages were made from sawdust and the sweepings off the floor! I love bog standard UK flavour sausages and I don't care what goes in them (can't stand French ones). Tried some fancy high percentage meat ones (English) and they were so disgustingly strong and porky tasting that I couldn't eat them at all!

[Odsox]

Hmmm, I always make my own sausages and I know EXACTLY what goes in them.
Belly pork, dried home made bread crumbs, home grown sage and salt & pepper.
The only thing I'm not too sure of is the collagen skins.

[Odsox]

Sorry, that above post sounds a bit big headed

I forgot to mention the reason I make my own sausages is I have the same problem as MMM.
I was use to eating our local butchers sausages in the UK, solid meaty sausages .. not those pappy Walls type mushy things, and despite claims to the contrary there are NO decent sausages sold in Ireland (or at least I've yet to find any)
So, it was a case of DIY, and now I make them to a tried and tested recipe in batches of several kilos at a time.
And those are just Sunday breakfast sausages, I also make leek sausages, tomato & basil, herb & garlic etc, for Toad in the Hole or just a good old fry-up for dinner.

[JulieSherris]

Oh, I'll certainly agree with Tony about irish sausages

Pink limp things with no flavour, they're disgusting. And don't even think about looking for pork & beef, or flavoured - unless they are really expensive 'luxury' types with <gasp> apple, or even tomato, I saw once!!
We went to a little pub for dinner last year while we were out exploring & I had sausage & mash... they were rolled faggot-like sausages, home-made, no skins - absolutely gorgeous!!
Turns out that the chef was a brit who also got frustrated at the irish version of sausage, so makes his own & rolls them in flour before cooking them to help keep the shape. And that's what I do now too!

MUCH better

[Odsox]

or flavoured - unless they are really expensive 'luxury' types with <gasp> apple, or even tomato, I saw once!!

Nothing wrong with "tomato" ones Julie, or at least the ones I make with sun dried tomato and basil.
Actually that should be "dehydrator dried tomatoes" but it doesn't have the same ring, does it ?

[Millymollymandy]

Sounds like you have more choice than in France. Here were have fat sausages, thin sausages (which incidentally are also called chipolatas, whereas in the Netherlands chipolata was a dessert..... ) and merguez.

You two would probably actually like them because they DO have flavour, it's just that I don't like flavour and a hint of garlic in my sausages. Nor gristle and bits of bone which unfortunately all too often are found in French ones. And the amount of fat, you should see them on a BBQ - it's like one of those fountains with little boys peeing - great spurts of fat coming out the snags, quite revolting.

I think I'd like your Irish ones as I go for Walls, Richmond and T***o Value. Though I do like the ones flavoured with apple, chilli, herbs etc.

[Odsox]

You two would probably actually like them because they DO have flavour

Yes you're right MMM, when I lived there I used to buy the red coloured chipolatas which I assumed were that colour through having a lot of paprika in them.
Still not a patch on a good old English butchers sausage though.

[oldfella]

Hmmm, I always make my own sausages and I know EXACTLY what goes in them.
Belly pork, dried home made bread crumbs, home grown sage and salt & pepper.
The only thing I'm not too sure of is the collagen skins.

Make our own too, and smoke some for storage, and we use the natural casings ( skins ) and for a little extra flavour add beer, wine, fruit and of course whisky in our Haggis sausage,