Homemade Andouille Sausage
Smoky, coarse-ground pork sausage seasoned with garlic and Cajun spice, smoked low and slow.
Dietary
Keto, Wheat free, Dairy free, Nut free
This Louisiana-style andouille relies on a generous hand with garlic, cayenne, and smoked paprika, then hours over pecan or hickory wood for real smokehouse flavor. Stuff it into natural hog casings and use it in gumbo, red beans and rice, or sliced and seared for breakfast. Plan ahead, as the sausage benefits from an overnight cure before smoking.
Ingredients
- 10 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (mix of lean and fatty)
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cure #1 (pink curing salt), measured precisely
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, additional if desired heat
- 1 cup ice water
- 18 feet natural hog casings, soaked and rinsed
Method
-
Cut pork shoulder into 1-inch cubes, keeping fat and lean meat separate, and chill thoroughly in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm.
-
In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, cure #1, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, onion powder, garlic, thyme, and oregano.
-
Toss the chilled pork cubes with the seasoning mixture until evenly coated.
-
Grind the seasoned pork through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (3/8-inch) plate, keeping the meat cold throughout.
-
Mix the ground pork with ice water using stand mixer paddle or by hand for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes slightly sticky and well bound.
-
Cook a small test patty in a skillet over medium heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side, and taste for seasoning adjustment.
-
Stuff the seasoned meat into soaked hog casings using a sausage stuffer, twisting into 6-inch links and avoiding air pockets.
-
Prick any visible air pockets with a sausage pricker, then refrigerate the links uncovered on a rack overnight to firm and let flavors meld.
-
Preheat a smoker to 200°F using pecan or hickory wood for smoke.
-
Smoke the sausages until they reach an internal temperature of 152°F, about 3 to 4 hours, rotating occasionally for even color.
-
Remove sausages from the smoker and plunge briefly into an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking and set the casing.
-
Pat sausages dry and let bloom at room temperature for 30 minutes before refrigerating or vacuum sealing for storage.
Rate this recipe
Homemade Andouille Sausage
This Louisiana-style andouille relies on a generous hand with garlic, cayenne, and smoked paprika, then hours over pecan or hickory wood for real smokehouse flavor. Stuff it into natural hog casings and use it in gumbo, red beans and rice, or sliced and seared for breakfast. Plan ahead, as the sausage benefits from an overnight cure before smoking.
17 hr 10 pounds 210 cal
Ingredients
- 10 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (mix of lean and fatty)
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cure #1 (pink curing salt), measured precisely
- 1/4 cup smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 3 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, additional if desired heat
- 1 cup ice water
- 18 feet natural hog casings, soaked and rinsed
Method
- 1
Cut pork shoulder into 1-inch cubes, keeping fat and lean meat separate, and chill thoroughly in the freezer for 30 minutes until firm.
- 2
In a small bowl, combine kosher salt, cure #1, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, onion powder, garlic, thyme, and oregano.
- 3
Toss the chilled pork cubes with the seasoning mixture until evenly coated.
- 4
Grind the seasoned pork through a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (3/8-inch) plate, keeping the meat cold throughout.
- 5
Mix the ground pork with ice water using stand mixer paddle or by hand for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes slightly sticky and well bound.
- 6
Cook a small test patty in a skillet over medium heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side, and taste for seasoning adjustment.
- 7
Stuff the seasoned meat into soaked hog casings using a sausage stuffer, twisting into 6-inch links and avoiding air pockets.
- 8
Prick any visible air pockets with a sausage pricker, then refrigerate the links uncovered on a rack overnight to firm and let flavors meld.
- 9
Preheat a smoker to 200°F using pecan or hickory wood for smoke.
- 10
Smoke the sausages until they reach an internal temperature of 152°F, about 3 to 4 hours, rotating occasionally for even color.
- 11
Remove sausages from the smoker and plunge briefly into an ice bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking and set the casing.
- 12
Pat sausages dry and let bloom at room temperature for 30 minutes before refrigerating or vacuum sealing for storage.