Corned Beef Sausage (Pastrami Sausage)

Step 1

Rinse: Remove the brisket from the packaging and rinse it off under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Step 2

Trim: Using a sharp knife, trim off the fat and separate it from the meat. Save one pound of the good fat.

Step 3

Cube: Cut the brisket into 2-inch cubes. Place on a sheet pan with the fat and freeze for one hour.

Step 4

Grind: Pass the meat and fat through a meat grinder, using a course blade.

Step 5

Mix: Gently mix the ground beef and beer together with your hands. You want to work the meat as little as possible.

Step 6

Chill: Place the ground meat into the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 7

Prep Casings: Remove four long casings from the salt. Rinse under cold water. Open one end and allow water to rinse through the casing twice. Place in a bowl of water and let sit while the meat is chilling.

Step 8

Knot: Slide one casing onto the stuffing tube. Place the meat into the sausage stuffer, and rotate the handle slowly until the meat reaches the end of the tube. Pull about two inches of the casing off the end and tie in a knot. Slide it back on until the knot touches the end.

Step 9

Case: Hold onto the casing and rotate the handle on the stuffer. As the meat extracts into the tube, gently push the sausage toward the mixer, so you don’t get any air pockets.

Step 10

Twist: Determine how long you want your sausages to be. Then, twist three times at that length. Continue extracting sausage, twisting the opposite direction each time. Finish by tying a knot in the end.

Step 11

Pierce: With a toothpick, pierce each sausage in a few places to remove air pockets. Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 12

Cut Links: Remove from the freezer and cut each link at the twist.

Step 13

Grill the links over medium heat for about 10 minutes per side or until the inside reaches 165F degrees.

Step 14

Set the smoker to 180F degrees. Smoke for 4-5 hours, until the internal temperature reaches 165F degrees.