Here's our italian family sausage recipe:5 lbs coarse ground pork (fat content is up to the maker) I've used pork shoulder with fat trimmed down,for hot use 2 TBS crushed Hot Red Pepper flakes,1 TBS salt & 1 TBS fennel seed;for Medium 1 TBS or less of Crushed Hot Red Pepper flakes & 1 TBS Black Pepper or less ,1 TBS Salt & 1 TBS fennel seed and for mild use 1 1/2 TBS Black Pepper, 1 TBS Salt & 1 TBS Fennel seed. Mix thoroughly we don't put it in casings instead we make it into patties and wrap it with saran wrap and freeze it for later use:Sausage & Fried Green Bell Pepper Sandwiches,sausage & eggs for bkfst,used in my sauce or lasagna.We used this sausage on a pizza which we served to a hunter who said this recipe would taste great using venison & pork mixed together.My grandparents who emigrated from Italy in the middle 1800's used this recipe to make pepperoni but they added more pepper & salt packing the mix in cleaned hog intestines which they tied off in long links,they'd take it up into the attic where temps in summer would be over 100 degrees and hang it with lots of paper beneath it to absorb the fat, then in the fall they'd store it in the basement hanging it from the joices but none of the rats or mice would go near it due to the fiery hot pepper content.When I was about 2 1/2 to 3 yrs old my father would take me to the hotel ,bar & restaurant basement and slice off some pepperoni for me.
