Tina’s Garlic Sausage

Although making this sausage is a multi-day procedure, it only takes a minute or two each day. You end up with a delicious filler-free sausage that is great for snacking, dipping or using as a base for canapés.

5 pounds ground beef (or 4 pounds ground beef + 1 pound ground pork)
4 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. Splenda or equivalent sugar substitute
¼ tsp. potassium nitrate (saltpetre) – can be purchased at a pharmacy
1 tbsp. mustard seed
1 tbsp. coarsely ground pepper
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Hickory salt

Day 1: Mix all ingredients thoroughly, cover and refrigerate.

Day 2: Remove from refrigerator, and knead meat mixture well with hands for a few minutes, return to refrigerator.

Day 3: As Day 2

Day 4: As Day 2

Day 5: Shape the meat mixture into 6 rolls, about 8 inches long, and 1 ½ to 2 inches across. Place on rack over a cookie sheet and bake for 8 ½ hours at 200 degree Fahrenheit. Remove from oven: cool to room temperature, then wrap each sausage in plastic wrap and refrigerate. This makes a firm “cured” sausage with excellent keeping qualities.

Notes and Variations:

• Don’t fool with the quantities of the spices in the original spice list. The salts and the potassium nitrate are required to “cure” the meat. If you do not like the taste of garlic, replace the garlic salt with onion salt or table salt (the key is that it must be a salt, not a powder).
• Experiment with additional flavorings. The addition of thyme, rosemary, tarragon or sage will give the sausage more of a European flavor. Onion powder might be an interesting addition. Basil and oregano will add an Italian taste. The addition of cayenne, dried crushed chilies and/or paprika will make a good pepperoni-type sausage.
• If you want to make several flavors of sausage from this recipe, make the original version, and let it cure for the required time. On Day 5, separate the meat mixture into six portions, and add different spices to each portion of the meat (kneading spices thoroughly into the meat mixture) to end up with a variety of sausage flavors.
• To taste for additional flavorings, take a small pinch of the meat mixture, flatten into a small patty and cook in small frying pan until done. Although the texture will be different than the finished sausage, it will be a fairly accurate reflection of the final flavor. Add more seasonings to taste.
• This sausage freezes well.

This sausage, in any reasonable serving size, has close to zero grams of carbohydrates and is appropriate for induction.