With over 90 years of butchery heritage behind us, the team at Porky Whites has picked up a fair bit of sausage-making knowledge along the way. From banger basics to butcher's jargon, we’ve broken down some of the most common terminology into easy categories and explained them in plain English.
The Meat Glossary
Pork Shoulder - one of the most popular cuts used in premium sausage making. Pork shoulder has a naturally good fat-to-lean ratio, giving sausages a well-rounded flavour and satisfying texture.
Lean Meat Content - this refers to the percentage of actual muscle meat in the sausage, excluding fat, water, and other ingredients. In the UK, a pork sausage must legally contain a minimum of 42% pork (which includes a proportion of fat).
Fat Content - fat is essential in sausage making. The right balance of fat keeps a sausage juicy, carries flavour, and prevents it drying out during cooking. Too little fat and you end up with a dry, crumbly sausage. Too much and it becomes greasy. Getting the ratio right is a craft skill.
Trim / Pork Trim - the cuts and offcuts of meat and fat used in sausage making, prepared once the prime cuts have been broken down. High-quality trim is still proper pork — it simply comes from different parts of the animal.
The Ingredients Glossary
Rusk – this is a baked, dried, and ground cereal typically made from wheat flour. It's a traditional ingredient used to bind the sausage mixture together, absorb fat and moisture during cooking, and give the sausage its characteristic texture. Without rusk (or a similar binder), a sausage would fall apart and lose a lot of its juiciness when cooked. Rusk is a functional ingredient that skilled sausage makers have relied on for generations.
Binders - the category of ingredients (including rusk) that hold a sausage together and help it retain moisture. Alternative binders such as rice flour and potato starch are used for gluten-free recipes.
Water – added during the mixing process, water helps achieve the right consistency in the sausage mix. It also assists with binding and ensures the finished sausage stays moist when cooked.
Seasoning - the blend of salt, pepper, herbs, and spices that gives each sausage its character. Seasoning is where a sausage maker's personality really comes through.
Salt - beyond flavour, salt plays an important role in sausage making. It helps extract proteins from the meat that act as a natural binder, and it contributes to food safety by controlling moisture activity.
Sulphites – a preservative used in many processed meat products that helps prevent discolouration and extend shelf life by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and yeasts.
Herbs & Spices - fresh or dried herbs and spices are what give flavoured sausages their identity. Common additions include sage, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, mace, and cayenne. More adventurous recipes might use chilli, fennel seeds, smoked paprika, or even dried fruit.
Preservatives - other food safe preservatives may be used to extend shelf life and maintain safety.
Common Flavours Glossary
Traditional Pork - the classic well-seasoned blend of pork, rusk, and a simple seasoning of salt, white pepper, and sometimes a hint of sage or mace. This is the benchmark against which all other sausages are judged.
Pork & Leek - a hugely popular favourite thanks to the sweetness of leek that works beautifully alongside the richness of the pork.
Pork & Herb - a fragrant sausage using fresh or dried herbs like sage, thyme, or rosemary. Sage in particular has been paired with pork for centuries in British cooking.
Pork & Apple - apple adds a natural sweetness and gentle acidity that cuts through the richness of the pork.
Pork & Black Pudding - a nod to the full British breakfast, the black pudding adds an earthy depth and richness to the sausage.
Pork & Caramelised Onion - sweet, slow-cooked onions folded into the sausage mix to create a rich and savoury crowd-pleaser.
Cumberland - a traditional sausage from Cumbria in northwest England and sold in a long coil rather than links, the Cumberland is known for its coarsely minced pork and bold seasoning of black and white pepper, sage, and thyme.
Lincolnshire – these sausages are characterised by their coarse grind and heavy use of sage, giving them a distinctive herby flavour.
Merguez – these North African andMiddle Eastern inspired sausages are often made with lamb or beef and are heavily spiced with harissa, cumin, and paprika.
Sausage Casings Glossary
Natural Casings - made from the cleaned intestines of animals — most commonly pigs (for standard sausages), sheep (for thinner sausages and Chipolatas), or cattle (for larger sausages like bratwurst or chorizo). Natural casings are permeable, which means the sausage can breathe as it cooks, creating the characteristic"snap" when you bite into it. They are the casing of choice for premium, traditionally made sausages.
Hog Casings – these are the cleaned small intestine of a pig. The most widely used natural casing for standard British sausages. Hog casings give a good bite and allow for even cooking.
Sheep Casings (Lamb Casings) - thinner and more delicate than hog casings, sheep casings are used for Chipolatas and other slim sausages. They give an especially tender skin.
Ox (Beef) Casings - larger diameter casings and used for bigger, continental-style sausages such as bratwurst.
Collagen Casings - made from processed animal collagen, these casings are a manufactured alternative to natural casings. They are consistent in size and easier to work with at scale.
Butchers' Sizing and Portions Glossary
Links per Pound (lb) - The traditional British way of sizing sausages, dating back long before metric measurements. A butcher will typically refer to sausages by how many fit into a pound (approximately 454g).
The Most Common Sausage Sizes
8s (Eights) - 8 sausages per pound. The standard breakfast sausage size. Each sausage weighs approximately 57g. This is the most common size you'll find in a butcher's shop and the one most people think of as a classic banger.
6s (Sixes) - 6 sausages per pound. A larger, thicker sausage. Weightier and more substantial which makes it great for a proper sit-down meal or a hearty sandwich.
4s (Fours) - 4 sausages per pound. Big, generously sized sausages. Excellent for the barbecue or for serving as a centrepiece.
12s (Twelves) - 12 sausages per pound. Thinner sausages, similar in size to a Chipolata and are great for canapés, pigs in blankets, or children's portions.
16s (Sixteens) - 16 sausages per pound. Very slim and often viewed as a cocktail sausage or party sausage size.
Chipolata - Typically around 20–25g each, Chipolatas are the slimmer cousin of the standard sausage. Made with sheep casings, these slim, finely seasoned sausages are a typical accompaniment to the Christmas turkey or as "Pigs in Blankets".
Cocktail Sausages - Miniature sausages and the staple of buffets and party platters, these are usually around 16–20 per pound or smaller.
The Sausage Making Process Glossary
Mincing - the meat is passed through a mincer (also called a grinder) fitted with a plate that determines how coarse or fine the mince is - different sausages require different textures.
Mince Plate – this perforated disc inside a mincer controls the texture of the meat. Plates are measured by the diameter of the holes for example a 3mm plate gives a fine mince, while an 8mm or 10mm plate gives a coarser texture.
Mixing - once the meat is minced, it is mixed with rusk, water, seasoning, and any additional ingredients to ensure an even distribution of flavour. This also helps develop the protein bonds that bind the sausage together. Over-mixing can make a sausage rubbery; under-mixing results in uneven seasoning.
Emulsification – for some sausage styles (such as frankfurters), the meat is bowl chopped or emulsified to create a very fine, smooth, paste-like consistency – the classic hot dog texture.
Stuffing – this is the process of filling the casing with the sausage mix, using a sausage stuffer (also called a filler). The mix is pushed through a nozzle (the horn) into the casing at a consistent pressure.
Linking - once the casing is stuffed, the sausages are twisted or tied into individual links at regular intervals either by hand or by machine.
Cold Chain – this is the unbroken sequence of refrigerated conditions from production through to the consumer. Maintaining the cold chain is essential for food safety with fresh meat products.
We hope this glossary helps you feel more confident about what goes into a great sausage and why it matters. After more than 90 years of making premium sausages, we believe that transparency, quality ingredients, and proper craft are what set a truly great sausage apart.
