Apple-Fennel Crepinettes

On Friday, my local market had a sale on bulk meat-- I think we managed to buy nearly 25 pounds of meat for just under $50. I bought about 15 lbs. of pork shoulder to use in making sausages, with the intention of spending all weekend doing so. I haven't gotten hugely far as of yet, but I have made apple-fennel crepinettes and breakfast sausages. Today, I'm planning to make spicy sausages of some sort, as well as something that's more strongly cumin-flavored.

Last night's dinner was the apple-fennel crepinettes with farro and a salad, eaten entirely too late at night, because things always take longer than I think they will.

Apple-Fennel Crepinettes

2 3/4 lb. pork shoulder, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/3 lb. pork fat (I used belly)
2 small braeburn apples, peeled and cut into thumbnail-sized pieces
3 very small fennel bulbs (save some fronds for decoration, if desired)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 large shallot, cut into rings
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dill
1 sheet caul fat

Meat grinder
8- or 10-ounce ramekin, with straight sides

A note before we begin: it is very important to keep things cold when you're making sausages. Not only do cold ingredients and equipment give the sausage a better texture, you're working with raw meat. I stick my grinder in the freezer before I start anything else.

Chop the fennel into thin rings. Sautee over meduim heat until they are just starting to caramelize; add the apples and cook for another minute.

Remove the apples and fennel from the pan and set aside to cool. Do not clean the pan-- add the shallots, balsamic vinegar, dill, and cumin. Cook over medium heat until the shallots are limp and translucent.

Once the vegetables are cool, combine them with the shoulder, fat, and salt in a gallon-sized plastic bag. You can either mix everything together in a bowl and then transfer them to the bag, or start with everything in the bag, and mix it there, which is what I did.

Put the bag in the freezer for at least an hour, or until it the ingredients are cold through, but not all the way frozen.

While the meat is chilling, soak your caul fat in luke-warm water.

Grind the meat in a meat grinder (I use an attachment for my stand mixer, which works well but isn't ideal). If it's as warm as it was yesterday, set the bowl you're grinding into in ice to keep things chilled as you go. If the meat gets warm while you're grinding, chill it again in the freezer before continuing.

Line the ramekin with caul fat-- you'll want to get as many crepinettes out of the sheet as possible, so start near an edge and work your way in. Place a small piece of fennel frond in the center of the ramekin, then fill to the line with ground meat-- it should be about 1/2 cup, perhaps slightly more. Trim the caul fat around the edges, about half an inch from the top of the ramekin, and fold it over the meat. Be careful with the fat and don't pull it to hard, as it can tear.

Flip over the ramekin and tap on the bottom to loosen the crepinette. You should be able to get at least eight crepinettes out of this; I ran out of caul fat before I ran out of meat.

If you don't have a grinder, buy ground pork and chop the apples, fennel, and shallots finely before adding them to the meat.

To cook the crepinettes, I am going to direct you over to El Salchichero, which is where I bought both the belly and the caul fat: cooking directions here! They are genuinely good people, and they carry truly awesome meat. I bought a duck from them last weekend, and it was one of the more delicious things I've eaten recently.

A note on caul fat: I am lucky enough to have a butcher who is willing to sell me sheets of caul fat. I know that you can order it online.