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Neighbor News

Italian Sausage - The Way It's Supposed to Be

Great Italian sausage is hard to find

Sometimes I wish there was an illustrated dictionary of food. There would be a photo, a list of ingredients, and a description of how the product is supposed to taste. If there was, beside the entry for “Italian Sausage” would be the hand-stuff sausages at Meeske’s and Haybeck’s butcher shops in Barrington and Palatine.

Just compare this list of ingredients to any other sausage on the market. Ready?

  • pork
  • water
  • salt
  • paprika
  • garlic
  • fennel

What? No nitrates? Celery juice? BHT? Corn syrup? Artificial flavors? “Natural” smoke flavor? Vegetable protein?

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Nope.

What does it taste like? Pork. Seasoned pork. Period. A hint of the paprika, garlic and fennel comes through, as it should, giving this sausage a little kick; it’s a perfect grind, not too large, not so small that it resembles an emulsified product.

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The shops have every type of meat/protein product you can imagine, in any quantity you desire. Whether you want a single weenie , a whole roast pig, or a holiday meal to take home and heat up, these are they guys in the NW burbs. I’m unclear how the two shops are affiliated, and wasn’t able to find out online. Doesn’t really matter tho, does it?

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