Learn How To Bake The Perfect Cake

the best thanksgiving sausage stuffing there ever was

  • Home
  • //the best thanksgiving sausage stuffing there ever was
Chicken

The Best Thanksgiving Sausage Stuffing There Ever Was

This stuffing is a Nicoletti family tradition. Unlike most sausage stuffings, which cook the sausage first and bind the stuffing with eggs, this one omits the eggs and uses the sausage as a binder.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds ground pork shoulder, chilled (or any mix of cuts that is 70% lean to 30% fat)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage, ground
  • 1 splash white wine (about 1/8 cup)
  • 1/4 cup ice water
  • For the stuffing
  • 1 pound sliced white sandwich bread (the cheaper the better!), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 4 large celery ribs, chopped
  • 3 green bell peppers, cored and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (you may want to adjust this is you're using a particularly salty stock)
  • 2 1/2 pounds sage sausage (recipe above)
  • 1 cup chicken or turkey stock

Directions

  • A note before starting: Make sure your pork is cold! Meat binding breaks down at 64° F, so if the meat gets warm, it’s going to be a lot harder to make it bind together, and your sausage will be a crumbly mess.
  • To make the sausage in a stand mixer:Place the ground pork shoulder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add the salt, pepper, and sage. Mix for exactly 1 minute (set a timer!), then add the white wine and mix for another timed minute, then add the ice water (just the water, not the ice) and mix for one more timed minute.
  • TO MAKE THE SAUSAGE BY HAND: Add the pork and spices to a large bowl and knead the meat like you would knead bread, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is tacky. Add the wine and the water and continue to knead until the surface is no longer outwardly wet—about 1 more minute. The sausage should resist slightly when you try to pull a chunk out. A good way to test if the sausage is done is to take a medium-sized piece of it and stick it to the palm of your hand. If the mixture stays stuck to your palm for 10 seconds when you hold your palm up in the air, you’re good to go!
  • For the stuffing
  • Heat the oven to 350° F and lay the bread cubes out in an even layer on two baking sheets. Bake until bread has dried out, rotating sheets halfway through—about 10 to 12 minutes.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet and add onions, mushrooms, celery, bell peppers, garlic, and salt. Cook until onions are translucent and the mushrooms and peppers are soft. Set aside to cool.
  • Once the vegetables have cooled enough to handle, transfer them to a very large bowl and add the toasted bread cubes and sausage to the bowl. Roll your sleeves up and mush the mixture together with clean hands, until everything is mixed evenly throughout (this was my favorite part as a kid).
  • Reserve 5 cups of sausage for stuffing your turkey. Transfer the remaining stuffing to a large casserole dish (10 x 14 inch, or 2 quarts), cover with aluminum foil, and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes, basting with chicken stock every 20 minutes or so.
  • After 40 minutes, uncover the pan and roast until internal temperature reaches 140° F, about 25 more minutes (if you aren’t sure about the quality of your pork, cook it until the internal temperature is 160° F).
  • Stuff your turkey with the remaining 5 cups of sausage. Cook your stuffed bird until the thickest part of the inner-thigh reads 175° F—the stuffing should reach at least 140° F.

Add To Shopping List