Since this event was late in the year and we were uncertain about the weather, we choose to keep things simple and offer two very different sausages. One was from a local-ish purveyor, and one we had custom made just a few miles away.
This blend of all three of our Estate white wines (Madeleine Angevine, Siegerrebe and Müller Thurgau) paired surprisingly well the smoke, pepper and garlic rich sausage. None of us were left wanting a German beer!
5 lbs. Zenner's German Smoked Sausage
1 dozen large shallots, peeled and sliced thin
2 bottles Isletage
Bring the wine and shallots to a simmer split between 2 large skillets for 10 minutes.
Spread the sausages in one layer split between the 2 skillets.
Bring back to a barest simmer, cover and cook on one side for 10 minutes.
Flip sausages and simmer another 10 minutes.
Let cool in the liquid for another 10 minutes.
Drain, slice and serve with toothpicks.
This was a very succesful experiment. Instead of our normal choice of pairing a crisp white with spicy and full flavored Asian cuisines, we picked the fresh fruity Lemberger.
5 lbs. fatty pork shoulder or belly
2 T. Kosher salt
1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
1 t. ground black pepper
1/4 C. minced fresh ginger
4 chopped green onions
1 C. chopped fresh cilantro
5-10 chopped fresh thai green chiles
1/4 C. lime juice
1/4 C. ice water
2 T. fish sauce
hog casings
Chop the pork into 1" cubes. Mix with the salt and set in the fridge overnight.
Mix in the remaining ingredients except the liquids.
Grind the mixture per your machine instructions using a coarse die.
Hand mix in the liquids until the mixture is sticky.
Stuff the casings.
Hang the sausages in a cool place for an hour+ to set the meat and dry the casings.
Lightly coat the sausages with a neutral oil and grill until cooked through.
Let rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve with toothpicks.