Turkey Sausage Recipe

With Fresh Chiles and Cilantro

Use this fresh turkey sausage recipe the same way you would chorizo. It's easy to make and very tasty.

The secret to this sausage's great flavor is the use of fresh chile peppers. Obviously, the more chile you add, the spicier the sausage will be.

I like to use two average sized jalapeno chiles for a five pound batch of sausage, and I remove the seeds to help hold down the heat a bit.

You can certainly experiment with other kinds of chiles until you get the level of heat that you and your family like, but I recommend you go slowly at first. You can always add heat to a dish, but you can't take it away once it is there.

By the way, the recipe works just as well with chicken, and I've even made a small batch with sharptail grouse after a successful hunting trip. It was great!

Recipe

5 lbs boned turkey meat, both dark and light, including skin

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon medium ground black pepper

3 tablespoons commercial chili powder

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

6 cloves finely chopped fresh garlic

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 medium sized jalapeno peppers, chopped, seeds removed

1 cup cold dry red wine

Cut the meat and skin into small pieces, then grind it through the coarse plate on your meat grinder.
Mix the wine, spices and herbs into the ground sausage meat.
Grind the sausage mixture once again, this time using the medium plate on your meat grinder.
Stuff immediately into casings or package in bulk portions.
Store the finished sausage in the refrigerator for up to three days or package and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you object to using wine in your sausage, you can replace it with 3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth and 1/4 cup cider vinegar.

I really prefer this sausage stuffed into 32mm natural or collagen casings, and find that it tastes better after it has had a chance to rest in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.