www.sausagemaking.org

hi followed the thurston sausage recipe on localfood heroes site.have to say they were great,taste and texture just to my liking .trouble is there is a lot of shrinkage .any advise please.I let them hang about 5 hours before I cooked a couple,the rest are now in the fridge.hopefully that may help.thanks

To me, 5 hours seems a short wait for the sausages to 'bloom' and settle down. Give them at least a day after making them and they should be fine.

thanks,just cooked a couple more.not so much shrinkage.roughly what lenghth do you make them to start with please.thanks again.

Depends on how long you want them ! Seriously though, it depends on the size of your hands if you are linking in threes, but the world is your oyster if you are tying them off with string. Personally I link the to between 4 - 5 inches.

Re' the shrinkage, fresh meat contains water and usually more water is added to make sausage so give them time to lose some excess and they won't shrink as much.

By the way - where about's are you in the world ?

Fat content can also affect it, as can coking at too hot a temperature.

Phil

thanks for the replies.think I.ve soved it...I.m in south wales uk