Italian sausage

2 lb pork butt, cubed
4 lb pork picnic shoulder, cubed
1 lb bacon, chopped
3 T. fennel
1 head garlic, chopped
1 ½ C. fresh basil, chopped
3 T. coarse ground black pepper
2 T. kosher salt
½ C. Valpolicella

Soak 16 feet of hog casing in water, rinse to remove excess salt.

Combine all ingredients except bourbon in a bowl, mix and chill for 1 hour.

Coarsely grind seasoned meat, add bourbon and mix well.

Stuff ground meat into hog casing, avoiding air bubbles.

After all the meat has been used, twist the sausage into hand width lengths, chill for about an hour to set then cut to separate.