What Are Lamb Sausages?

Sausages made from ground or minced lamb meat are called lamb sausages. Usually made in combination with herbs like rosemary or mint and salt, these sausages are quite popular in countries like Turkey or Greece. Typically, they are made in places where pork meat isn't favored for religious or other reasons. They contain plenty of vitamins and minerals such as selenium, iron, and zinc. While they can be found at certain stores, it is quite easy to prepare healthy and delicious lamb sausages at home.

These sausages aren't that common for a variety of reasons. Butchers find it too expensive to use boneless lamb to make these sausages. The meat lacks natural gelatin, and it doesn't bind very well as a result. Made without any chemical additives that help with binding, the sausage can fall apart quite easily. One way to combat this problem is to use eggs.

Lamb fat makes for a rather chewy sausage too. Some may try to overcome this problem by adding other meats like pork, but this tends to change the taste. In earlier times, butchers made these sausages to use up leftover meat and trims. These small shops have decreased over time, and lamb sausages are less prevalent as a result.

Traditionally, these sausages are made with natural casings such as lamb intestines. Currently, synthetic casings are available to use. Many prefer to use natural casings over synthetic ones as the later can be difficult to stuff when they get wet. The casing may be removed during processing after the sausages have been cooked.

Sausages have been made for hundreds of years as an easy way to preserve food for long periods. Salted and stuffed into clean lamb intestines, the finished products have the classical cylindrical shape. Processing sausages is done in a number of ways.

Curing, smoking, and drying in cool air are some of the main ways that people preserve sausages. Dry lamb sausages are cured by fermenting and drying the meat. These store well for long periods of time and can be consumed cold. Smoked sausages can be eaten cold or hot but do need refrigeration. The meat gets a smoky flavor from first cooking and then smoking the meat.

When made with uncured fresh meat, these sausages are first cooked and then consumed immediately or refrigerated. Some popular recipes for lamb sausages include sausages with red cabbage, spicy arrabiata sauce, and pan-grilled with risotto. Lamb sausages with fried rice, sausages in prosciutto, and sausage pulao are other well-known dishes.

These sausages are very versatile and can be grilled, roasted, or baked. They taste delicious breaded and deep-fried, chopped up into salads, or used as the base for curries. They are mouthwatering to barbecue and easy to use in hot dogs, tortillas, sandwiches, and stews.