Welcome Memorial Day with a Summer Grill and Graffigna

Mark Thompson READ TIME: 1 MIN.

Searching for a splendid Memorial Day picnic pairing?

Graffigna, Argentina's pioneering winery, asked Sara Bigelow of the Brooklyn-based Meat Hook butcher shop to create a recipe that captures the casual dining resurgence by elevating the everyday sausage to something extraordinary in both flavor and ingredients.

With quality meat, Bigelow assured us that this meal needs only a refined red wine, such as the Graffigna Centenario Malbec 2010. The meat's unctuous qualities are balanced by well-rounded tannins and hints of pepper mirror those found in the sausage.

Here's the perfect accompaniment to this year's barbecue season: Graffigna Centenario Malbec 2010.

Need the recipe? Look no further.


The Meat Hook's Malbec and Rosemary Sausage

Serves 8

2 1/2 lbs Fatty Pork
20 grams Kosher Salt
3 grams Cayenne
5 grams Paprika
3 grams Ground Black Pepper
2 grams White Sugar
8 grams Garlic
5 grams Minced Rosemary
2 ounces Graffigna Centenario Malbec 2010

Grind the pork and garlic together. Add salt, and mix well by hand. Add the rest of your spices, and continue mixing by hand for two minutes. Add red wine and continue mixing until liquid is fully incorporated.

Once the sausage has begun to bind to itself, form a small patty with your hand. Turn your hand upside down, and if the sausage does not stick, continue to mix.

Once the sausage will stick to your hand, form into patties or stuff into natural hog casing.

The Meat Hook recommends 4- to 5-inch links, or small pinwheels.

Grill and enjoy with a glass of Graffigna Centenario Malbec 2010.


by Mark Thompson , EDGE Style & Travel Editor

A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.

Read These Next