Hot Italian Sausage Recipe

This Hot Italian Sausage Recipe turns boring ground pork into something your family will rave about. It's the perfect ingredient for Italian dishes like Pasta e Fagioli Soup, Baked Lasagna Bowls, or a topping for your homemade pizza. Easy to make and customizable to the spice and heat levels you prefer.

I like all types of sausage: mild, sweet, but especially spicy hot Italian sausage.

The problem is that grocery store sausage lacks flavor and isn't nearly as spicy as I like it.

Because of this, I decided to make my own. It's not only simple to make but also packs a ton of flavor...and HEAT!

It's time to save money and enjoy better hot Italian sausage from home.

This sausage is great in our Easy Cheat Bolognese Sauce (and, of course, Lasagna Bolognese), Baked Lasagna Bowls, Easy Pasta e Fagioli Soup, and more!

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Pork	Fennel Seed
Red Pepper Flake	Garlic Powder
Ground Cayenne	Ground Black Pepper
Sugar	Salt *

* I always leave salt out of my hot Italian sausage spice mix and add it later.

IMPORTANT: WHEN and HOW you add salt to ground meats affects the texture after cooking it.

I cover all this important information further down in the post. Make sure to check it out!

How to make hot Italian sausage

First, toast the fennel

Toasting the fennel releases its oils and makes it more flavorful.

To do this, add fennel seeds to a dry skillet and set the burner to medium. Toss every 20-30 seconds to ensure the seeds don't burn.

Do your best to keep them in a single layer after each toss.

Once the fennel becomes fragrant and you see slight browning, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Keep whole, crush, or grind?

I prefer to crush the fennel a little bit in a mortar and pestle.

But leaving them whole or even a quick grind in a coffee mill would be fine as well.

However, make sure to leave some bigger pieces. You don't want a powder.

Next, assemble your spices

In a small ramekin, add the red pepper flakes, ground cayenne, sugar, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Mix the spices into the pork

In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork, the spice mix, and the toasted fennel.

Now it's time to mix the spices throughout the pork.

I find that an electric hand beater set to low is perfect for this job. 20-30 seconds of mixing is plenty.

But feel free to use a spatula, wooden spoon, or even your hands!

If you're mixing with your hands, these cheap disposable plastic gloves are great.

Last, let the sausage rest

Simply wrap the hot Italian sausage in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. Let it rest a minimum of one hour but up to three days. The longer, the better.

The rest time allows the spices to permeate the meat, enhancing its flavor.

Now the fun part: what recipe you are going to use it in?

When to add salt into ground pork?

Let's talk about what happens when you salt meat.

To put it simply, salt pulls water molecules out to the surface of the meat and starts breaking down the meat's proteins. That moisture is eventually reabsorbed into the meat.

This is a good thing for steaks because it makes them juicy and tender. But for ground meat...the answer is NO. Pre-salting tends to make the texture dense and a bit springy or tough.

If you're curious, Serious Eats has an experiment on salting ground beef at different times (the results will be true of ground pork as well).

So, when should I add the salt to ground meats?

When and how you salt will depend on how you want the texture of the sausage to come out.

If you prefer a more tender and slightly crumbly texture, salt it right before cooking. This is perfect for sausage patties or browning ground sausage for soups and sauces.

Mix in the salt if you prefer a slightly springy texture that you see in meatballs, sausage links, and meatloaf.

If you're unsure, try it both ways and determine which way YOU like it best.

How much salt do I add?

Regardless of when you add it, the standard salt recommendation is a ratio of 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to 1 pound of meat. (Scale it back to ¾ teaspoon if you are using fine table salt.)

Spice variations

Want to change up the spices a bit? Add more/less heat?

Go ahead. Be creative!

Below are some other popular spices to consider when crafting your next sausage:

• Paprika
• Anise
• Oregano
• Sage
• Nutmeg
• Onion powder
• Cinnamon

And there you go, homemade hot Italian sausage. It's far better than any grocery store sausage...I promise you that!