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The ground sausage flavor hack

The ground sausage flavor hack

+ Giveaway winner revealed, tepache, and Ethans #1 used cooking gear

Ethan Chlebowski & Keith McBrayer
June 16, 2024

Good morning. Congratulations to Sara Pereira from Dubai, UAE (!) for winning the June giveaway!

For the rest of us — stay tuned for more giveaway bundles in the future 👀.

Thanks for reading and being part of the largest home cooking newsletter!

COOKING PROTOCOL 🍳

The pre-mixed sausage flavor hack

In the recent migas video, Ethan upgraded the recipe by adding chorizo for an instant flavor boost.

We wanted to highlight this technique of using a pre-mixed loose sausage, such as chorizo or Italian sausage, as an easy way to add flavor to a dish without having to gather spices and prep a bunch of aromatics.

Why does this protocol matter?

Using a pre-mixed flavorful sausage can save time, money, and mental effort.

By using a sausage mix pre-loaded with spices, you’re getting tons of flavor through buying a single ingredient (and no requirement of knowing what aromatics pair together).

How does it work?

Pick a dish that already uses ground meat or could benefit from an added protein
- See example dishes below.
Choose a flavorful ground sausage product:
- Chorizo
- Italian sausage
- Breakfast sausage
- Merguez
Use it in the dish. Either...
- Replace standard ground meat with it.
- Add it to the aromatic base of the dish.

Notes

This protocol works best with ground sausage products since it can be swapped for plain ground meat or added to a dish without changing the texture too much

You can buy sausage loose or formed in a casing, which you can always cut and peel away, leaving you with the ground product inside.

RECIPE RECCOMENDATIONS🥡

Add flavor via ground sausage in these recipes…

Get some sausage and either:

1) Replace the plain ground meat in these types of recipes:

Chopped cheese hoagies
Arayes
Round sausage patties
Meatballs
Meatloaf
Skewers & Kebabs

2) Add to the aromatic base of these types of recipes:

Migas
Shakshuka
Breakfast tacos & other egg scrambles
Pastas
Rice dishes: dirty rice, fried rice variations, etc
On top of bowls or salads

For even more recipe ideas to try this technique on, check out this curated list:

FOOD TRENDS 🚀

Tepache

📸 Fermentation Adventure

Is tepache the new kombucha?

Tepache is a traditional Mexican fermented beverage made from pineapple rinds that has been steadily gaining popularity in home kitchens and restaurant menus over the last year or two. Why?

1) Fermented drinks like kombucha, kefir, prebiotic sodas, and now, tepache are becoming increasingly popular for their touted gut health benefits.

Unlike kombucha, which has a vinegary taste, tepache is sweet and fruity, making it a friendly menu item and a refreshing choice for hosting.

2) Making it at home is easier than other fermented beverages.

You just add sugar, spices, and water to pineapple scraps and let the natural fruit bacteria take over. After a few days of fermenting at room temp, you can bottle it up and keep it in the fridge, where it will carbonate further.
Unlike making yogurt or kombucha, you don’t need to source yeast strains or keep a scoby alive.

3) It’s zero-waste ♻️

Tepache is unique in that it uses the pineapple rind, which is normally thrown away. You can enjoy the flesh of the fruit and then make use of the scraps.

Big picture: Tepache is still a niche drink found mostly in Mexico or over-achieving kitchens, but we wager its popularity will increase along with other fermented beverages. We’re just waiting for the next trendy brand to package it in a colorful can…

READER Q&A 🧠 presented by Made In

Why this griddle lives on Ethan’s stove

Question: “What is your most used piece of cooking equipment?” - Kevin M

Answer: If you’ve been following Ethan for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed a few trends: ingredient deep dives, high-protein lunches, and a carbon steel griddle that seems to perpetually occupy the gas stove.

People ask all the time about Ethan’s most used cooking gear. At the top of the list is the Made In Carbon Steel Griddle.

Why?

1) The griddle spans 2 burners, so you can maximize your cooking space on top of your range. It can live on one-half of the stove (vertically or horizontally).

Independently control each burner to create different heat zones on the cooking surface.
Now you can prep large quantities or cook for multiple people without crowding the pan.

2) The griddle design is inspired by professional kitchen flattops, which changes how you cook at home.

Like in a bodega, you can easily sear smash burgers or make chopped cheese-style hoagies without awkwardly navigating the high sides of a standard pan.
You can simultaneously render bacon and brown pancakes, just like they do at the diner.

3) It’s heat-safe up to 1200 degrees, so you can use it outside on the grill or take camping and cook right over coals or an open flame.

You would think that could get messy, but it doesn’t. The griddle has raised, hand-welded side walls to keep everything contained, holding up to 40 ounces of liquid without spills.

Check out the Carbon Steel Griddle and Made In’s other cookware to upgrade your setup and support this newsletter. Thanks to Made In for being a longtime supporter of our content.