Bacon sausage

Oh crumbs. We got linked from Mr. Baconpants's blog, due to my post about the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour. I guess we have to get back on the ball and start updating more often. And since we'd like to retain readers, let's start with some more bacon!

Now then. I would like to make a bold proclamation. I am a god.

Not buying it? Can I get at least a saint?

Why? Did you not read the title of this post?

I have made bacon sausage. Think about that for a second. Roll those two words around in your mind for a bit.

Bacon.

Sausage.

Okay, enough self-congratulatory babbling, let's talk procedure. Remember that $70 Kitchenaid doohickey I bought from the pasta trilogy? Well, one of the things it comes with is a grinder. Use a coarse grind on slightly frozen bacon. That's about 3 pounds sitting in the $10 feeder tray attachment. Grind it, in case you haven't figured that out yet.

Next, you'll need some sausage casing. This may be a little tricky to find. I got mine from Wholey's, the crazy high-end wacky grocery store that has just about any obscure infrequently used ingredient you could ask for. And if they don't have it, someone in Pittsburgh's Strip District will. Follow the directions. Soak it in water first to untangle it and rinse off some of the salt. Clamp it on to your $10 sausage stuffer with a bit of butcher's twine, then tie a knot in the end to keep it from escaping.

Twist the links about 1/3 longer than the length of your bun. That's because you'll lose about 1/4 of its length to shrinkage.

Now, isn't this a thing of beauty?

C'moooooooooooooooooooooooooooon.

A little precaution: Yes, it's bacon. Yes, it's greasy. If you grill it, do so with a piece of aluminum foil, or you'll have grease fires and flareups out the ying yang.

But to be honest, I'd recommend against the grill for that reason. Go with a half an inch of water in a frying pan to steam the sausages through, then let them develop some color once the water all evaporates. If you must have grill marks, may I suggest a grill pan?

Serve on a hot dog bun or sausage roll. Add some mayo, lettuce, and tomato to create a cylindrical BLT. Or hell, just eat it straight up.

How could you not love that?

How?

Ya heretic.