Good country sausage is made of one-third fat pork and two-thirds lean pork. When too much fat meat or poor quality trimmings are added to the sausage, too much fat melts out in cooking, leaving the sausage greasy. Conversely, if the mixture is too lean, the cooked meat will be dry or hard. One old-fashioned method for evening up the fat and lean is to add a pork shoulder to the pile of meat for sausage making.

1 (12 lb.) ground pork shoulder
4 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. rubbed sage, more if desired (but too much sage will leave a soap like taste)
2 tsp. black pepper, more if desired
1 tsp. ground red pepper (optional)
2 tsp. dried sweet marjoram, pulverized
2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Spread the meat out in a very large pan or in a freshly scrubbed sink. Sprinkle the salt and spices over the meat; mix and knead with your hands, using a little cold water if necessary to aid in the mixing and binding. Divide into 1- or 2-pound portions and package immediately for the freezer. Each package makes from 4 to 8 servings, depending on the weight of the package.

Makes 12 pounds.