cranky, I make my own also, but not in the quantity that you do. How do you flavor your sweet Italian sausage beside the usual salt, pepper, fennel seeds and perhaps garlic? Any secrets you're will to give away?
I buy chunks of pork loins that are odd shapes vacuum packed. You have the basic ingredients already. Instead of loading the ground meat with pork fat I use lean pork. That would make the sausage dry, so I use olive oil and ice cold chicken broth to keep it juicy and moist. I sometimes add fresh garlic mashed in a blender with a little oil to make a paste (optional). In 20-30 lbs I probably put a pound and a half of grated parmesan. Minor ingredients are oregano and red pepper flakes, just a little, maybe some dried basil if you want. As you add oil and broth and mix in the cheese and spices the more you mix and massage the meat with your hands the firmer it gets and the more liquid it will hold. It kind of gels up. In 25 lbs I probably add a quart and a half of broth and a pint or more of oil. That sounds like a lot, but remember there is no fat. Grind your pepper fresh.
I use a garden hose powered stuffer and probably stuff 30 lbs in less than a half hour including the twists. Pinch and twist in one direction and the next twist in the other. Start in the middle and work towards the ends.
Friends just about beg to help me make sausage and take some home. Family on the east coast (NYC) want me to bring some when I visit. I have never given out the ingredients before. It is a very messy event to stuff sausage. I do it outside.
