Customer Rating: 
Summary: What do you really want to know?
Comment: The ratings seem to be waffling around on this one so maybe I can help. I own this book and love it but you may or may not depending on what you really want this for.
If you want a book that is jammed full of recipes of different sorts and help you come up with some on your own this thing is a treasure.
If you want a hard core how-to on sausage making, then you need to look somewhere else. This book is pretty light in my opinion on the technical details.
The most complete book bar none is Rytek Kutas's book. I've seen that book selling second hand for $165. You don't need to pay anything near that amount though.
Here's a tip though. If you want to make "fresh sausage" let me tell you, it ain't rocket science. You grind the meat and stuff it in a casing. Let it sit in the fridge for a day and fry up what you want and freeze the rest. The finer points will come to you I promise. Cured sausage is a little different though. You can make yourself mighty dang sick if you don't do it right. If you want to try "fresh sausage" making, don't get wrapped around the axel on the technical details. With practice you will get it right and it doesn't take long. Buy this book for the recipes alone.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Too Vague To Be of Value To Beginners
Comment: "The Sausage Making Cookbook" is the first of three sausage making cookbooks I own and it is definitely the least valuable. This book leaves too many questions unanswered if you go beyond the basics of making a fresh sausage. The author recommends processes that directly conflict standard USDA food safety recommendations. I would definitely get better information before I would start smoking or dry curing sausages & meats. Two other books that I own offer more and better beginner's info, how-to's and also good technical data, they are:1. "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas.
2. "Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Pates" by John Kinsella, David T. Harvey.
My first choice is the book by Rytek Kutas. I think "The Sausage Making Cookbook" is best for someone that already knows the basics of making the different types of sausages; fresh, smoked and cooked, semi-dry and dry, as it has a lot of variety in the recipes, I got some good flavor combinations that the other books don't have.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Too Vague To Be of Value To Beginners
Comment: "The Sausage Making Cookbook" is the first of three sausage making cookbooks I own and it is definitely the least valuable. This book leaves too many questions unanswered if you go beyond the basics of making a fresh sausage. The author recommends processes that directly conflict standard USDA food safety recommendations. I would definitely get better information before I would start smoking or dry curing sausages & meats. Two other books that I own offer more and better beginner's info, how-to's and also good technical data, they are:1. "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas.
2. "Professional Charcuterie: Sausage Making, Curing, Terrines, and Pates" by John Kinsella, David T. Harvey.
My first choice is the book by Rytek Kutas. I think "The Sausage Making Cookbook" is best for someone that already knows the basics of making the different types of sausages; fresh, smoked and cooked, semi-dry and dry, as it has a lot of variety in the recipes, I got some good flavor combinations that the other books don't have.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good starting book
Comment: You will probably end up experimenting , even with all the recipes included. I have been trying to find an incredibly good Mexican chorizo recipe and I am afraid this book didn't give it to me. Though it did have several different versions. I am lucky and can get hog casing locally, but you don't have to have it to make good sausage. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer(with sausage stuffer attachment and grinder attachment from Amazon) and it worked like a charm!!! I did notice that fresh sausage is definitely better. Try it sometime!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Starter Book!
Comment: This book is great for the first time sausage maker! Great recipes and easy directions. From start to end this book makes it easy.
