Pressure Canning Sausage Links and Patties

Sausages, in their simplest form, are ground meat seasoned with salt and spices, encased in a skin, and often cured, smoked, or cooked. They’ve been a staple of human diets for millennia, evolving across different cultures and regions. From humble beginnings as a way to preserve meat, sausages now represent diverse culinary traditions. This history delves into various types of sausages, natural casings, and their evolution, including the famous chorizo.

The Origins of Sausage

The history of sausage dates back to ancient times. Evidence suggests that sausages were being made as early as 2000 BCE in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The need to preserve food before refrigeration led to the creation of this efficient method, as ground meat mixed with salt could be stored longer when encased and dried. Sausage making quickly spread to other parts of the world, with the ancient Greeks and Romans refining the process. Homer’s Odyssey even makes reference to a type of blood sausage, which was popular during ancient Roman feasts.

Types of Sausages

Different regions have given rise to a vast array of sausage types, each reflecting local ingredients, techniques, and preferences. Here are some of the most prominent varieties:

• Fresh Sausages: These are made with fresh, raw meat and need to be cooked before consumption. Examples include Italian sausages, often flavored with fennel and garlic, and Bratwurst, a German staple usually made with pork or veal and seasoned with herbs and spices.
• Cooked Sausages: These sausages are made with meat that is pre-cooked before encasing. The best-known example is the Frankfurter, a precursor to the modern hot dog. Originally from Frankfurt, Germany, it is made with finely minced pork and beef.
• Smoked Sausages: Smoked sausages are cured through smoking after they’ve been made. Kielbasa, a Polish sausage, is typically smoked and flavored with garlic, marjoram, and pepper. It has countless regional variations, with different levels of smoke, spice, and sweetness.
• Cured Sausages: These are dry-cured, meaning the meat is fermented and aged. Salami is one of the most famous examples, originating from Italy. It’s made from finely ground meat mixed with salt, spices, and wine, which is then fermented over time to develop its tangy flavor.

I highly recommend using uncooked sausages when preserving just the sausages in the jar without any other ingredient. If you which to use cooked sausages as an ingredient in a canning recipe you may do so as the other ingredients help keep the cooked sausage tender during processing.

Smoked and cured sausages may also be safely preserved in a jar and are the perfect addition to any canning recipe. You may safely preserve smoked sausages in a jar by themselves. Due to the lack of moisture in cured, aged meats/sausages, these are better used as an ingredient within a canning recipe rather than preserved alone in a jar.

Chorizo: A Spanish and Mexican Classic

No history of sausage would be complete without mentioning chorizo, a sausage with distinct varieties across different regions. Chorizo originated in Spain and is traditionally made from ground pork, paprika, and garlic, which give it its bright red color and spicy, smoky flavor. Spanish chorizo can either be fresh or cured, and is often used in stews, soups, and tapas. In Spain, the key ingredient is smoked paprika (pimentón), which gives the sausage its characteristic taste.

Across the Atlantic, Mexican chorizo is an entirely different sausage. It’s made from fresh ground pork (or beef) and seasoned with chili peppers, vinegar, and other spices. Unlike its Spanish counterpart, Mexican chorizo must be cooked before eating. It’s used as a filling for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas, or as a flavorful ingredient in other dishes like scrambled eggs.

Sausage Casings: Natural and Synthetic

Traditionally, sausages were encased in natural casings, which are made from the cleaned intestines of animals like pigs, sheep, or cows. These casings are valued for their durability and flexibility, as well as their ability to allow smoke and air to permeate, which is essential for curing and smoking processes.

Natural casings have been used for thousands of years, and many sausage purists believe they provide the best texture and flavor. They offer a snap when bitten into, which many people find desirable. These casings are cleaned thoroughly and preserved in salt before being filled with meat. For certain sausages, like Cotechino, a traditional Italian variety, the natural casing is a critical part of the product’s authenticity.

In the modern sausage-making industry, synthetic casings are now widely used. These are often made from collagen, cellulose, or disgustingly often plastic is used. Collagen casings, derived from animal hides, are similar in texture to natural casings but are easier to work with on an industrial scale. Plastic casings are used for sausages that are meant to be peeled, like some types of hot dogs.

While synthetic casings have their advantages, many artisanal producers still prefer natural casings for their superior quality. And I believe many of us do too. We were not designed, nor created, to eat plastic. And frankly, I wouldn’t preserve sausage with these artificial casings in my canning recipes either!

Regional Variations and Global Influence

The global popularity of sausages has led to endless regional variations. From Boudin in Louisiana, a rice-filled sausage, to Merguez, a North African lamb sausage seasoned with cumin and chili, each type reflects its local flavors and traditions. In Germany, where sausage-making is an art form, there are hundreds of varieties, from the mild Weisswurst (white sausage) to the spicy Currywurst.

The history of sausage in Italy dates back to ancient Roman times, when meats were preserved by salting and drying in casings made from animal intestines. Early Romans called these preparations salsus, meaning “salted.” Sausages became a way to extend the life of meats, especially during times when fresh food was scarce.

Over centuries, Italian sausage-making evolved regionally, with each area developing its own specialties based on local ingredients. From the spicy Nduja in Calabria to the fennel-laced Salsiccia in Tuscany, sausages became integral to Italy’s culinary heritage. Today, Italian sausages remain a beloved part of Italian cuisine, used in everything from pasta dishes to antipasti, reflecting a deep connection to traditional methods and flavors.

From the ancient world to modern-day kitchens, sausage has stood the test of time, adapting to various cultures and climates while retaining its basic formula: ground meat, spices, and a casing. Pressure canning sausages will continue to offer a versatile and delicious way to preserve and enjoy meat across the globe.

Pressure Canning Sausage Links and Patties Instructions

Because the width and length of the links may very, I will simply give instructions so you may pack jars full of your favorite sausages based on the quantity you have available. Here are the instructions so you may safely pressure can sausage for long-term storage. Please be sure to use wide mouth canning jars when preserving sausage links.

1. Place the canning jar in the palm of your hand and lay it on its side with the mouth of the jar facing you. Begin laying the links inside the jar and stack them on top of one another. Be sure the sausage does not exceed 1/2-inch of headspace. The meat will shrink down during processing so you will likely see 1-inch of headspace in each jar after processing.
2. Depending on their size, you may fit approximately 4-5 links per quart jar and 3-4 per pint jar. I recommend using quart jars for larger dinner sausages, and pint jars for breakfast sausages.
3. There is no need to add water to the jar. Meat is best dry packed. However, if you wish to cook the sausage in a gravy made with ClearJel (onion gravy is my favorite) or wish to cook the sausages in beef broth, you may do so.
4. Wipe each jar rim with a washcloth dipped in vinegar, which will cut through any grease or fat/oil residue. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
5. Using a pressure canner, process at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Quart jars process for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.
6. Be sure to let your jars rest in the canner for 10 minutes after your pressure canner has returned to zero PSI and you have removed the canner lid. Doing so will prevent the grease/fat from rising to the rim possibly causing your lid to not seal.

Pressure Canning Sausage Patties in a Jar

Whether you choose to preserve breakfast sausage patties, or enjoy a savory patty to use for lunch or dinner, use the below instructions to enjoy fully cooked sausage patties any time of the year. Be sure to use a wide mouth canning jar so you may easily remove the patties.

1. When handmaking the patty shape, be sure the diameter is the size of the opening of the wide mouth jar. Many do this by using the wide mouth jar ring as their guide.
2. After shaping the patties, place 3-4 patties into a frying pan on your stovetop. On medium-high heat, lightly brown both sides of the patty, about 4 minutes on each side. Only flip once. Be sure to not over crowd. Working in batches is best.
3. Because we are not fully cooking the patty, be sure to not over handle to avoid it crumbling. Once the exterior is lightly browned, remove patties and cool to touch.
4. Place a browned patty in the base of each jar and then layer additional patties until you reach a 1/2-inch headspace. (Some canners will place a piece of parchment paper in between each patty to prevent them from melding together during processing. Feel free to do so if you wish.)
5. Wipe each jar rim with a washcloth dipped in vinegar, which will cut through any grease or fat/oil residue. Place a lid and ring on each jar and hand tighten.
6. Using a pressure canner, process at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Quart jars process for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.
7. Be sure to let your jars rest in the canner for 10 minutes after your pressure canner has returned to zero PSI and you have removed the canner lid. Doing so will prevent the grease/fat from rising to the rim possibly causing your lid to not seal.

For a variety of recipes using sausage links, meat and many other delicious ingredients for home canning, be sure to check out my latest book, The Canning Diva Presents Meals in a Jar. Available wherever books are sold.

Happy Canning!
xo
Diane, The Canning Diva®
www.canningdiva.com