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Rating: 
Summary: a really helpful guide
Review: I bought this book because I wanted an introduction to sausage making, something that I didn't know much about and very much wanted to learn how to do. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, ( I just got the book a few hours ago ) but I am already really glad I chose this book. Not only are there a lot of recipes for various sausages, both fresh and smoked, there is also a lot of basic sausage-making information perfect for a beginner like myself. There are some great sounding recipes (including how to make your own salami, pepperoni and hot dogs)as well as recipes for dishes that use your homemade sausage. The only thing that is missing from this book is a more detailed discussion of the various sausage casings available and how to store and use them. All the recipes use natural hog casings (intestines).
Rating: 
Summary: Good Coaching, weak sausage
Review: I've had this book for a while now, and have made a few different sausage recipes from it. First off, the book is very good on encouraging readers to try making their own sausages, and it gives a lot of detail on what's involved in the process for various styles of sausage (smoked, loose, dried, links, etc.). The information about dealing with casings was right on the money and very easy to follow--I'm not sure I'd have gotten the good results I have without this particular section. Overall, the instructions are very clear, accurate, and really encouraging and helpful for beginners. Unfortunately, this is kind of where the good news ends. So far, I've found the recipes to be kind of wanting. They're clever, and it's a comprehensive selection of sausages, but all the ones I've made have been pretty weakly spiced. I'm not talking about them not being hot enough--I like spicy food, but I don't think everything needs to be spicy--I'm talking about not having sufficient quantities of spices. For example, the bratwurst I made from their recipe didn't taste much like anything except meat. This is a fairly subtle sausage at the best of times, but as recommended in the book it's flavorless. I have consistently found that I need to greatly increase the amount of spices in the sausages beyond what the recipes call for to get a flavor that seems appropriate. I'm a serious and very experienced cook, so I don't think it's a problem on my end. But your mileage may vary. With that said, though, I still can recommend the book as a good starter into the concepts and techniques of sausage making. Would I buy it again? Maybe not. Will I refer to it again now that I have it? Definitely--on the technical side, it won't steer you wrong, and it's very user-friendly.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT INTRODUCTION FOR HOME SAUSAGE MAKERS
Review: This is an excellent introduction to sausage making. It has tips on technique, ingredients and equipment and is also chock full of recipes, many of which have been geared to the production of "healthy" product--including sections on fish and poultry. It's only weakness is that it doesn't discuss any particular topic in great depth--but that can (most likely) be forgiven in a text designed to be an introduction, albeit a complete one. If you're going to make sausage on an occasional basis, this would be an excellent book to have as your only text on sausage making.
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