Smoked sausage is great to have on hand for quick and easy meals. We love to add it to Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo, Smoked Sausage and Potato Soup or as a great topping for pizza!
Smoked Sausage ~ Homemade Smoked Sausage Links
This smoked sausage has tons of flavor and is a pretty simple weekend project that is perfect for meal prep to make easy dinners for busy weeknights.
Ingredients Needed:
Pork Shoulder ~ Any fatty cut of pork will work for this sausage. Boneless country style ribs or pork butt are also great options. We started with a pork shoulder, cut out the bone and cut it into chunks.
Bell Peppers ~ Diced really fine adds amazing flavors to the pork.
Jalapeño ~ Diced really fine and easy to adjust to your own tastes. We like our sausage pretty mild, so we just use a bit for additional flavor.
Brown Sugar ~ Balances the flavors of the spices, does not make the sausage sweet.
Spices: Granulated Garlic, Onion Powder, Onion Flakes, Green (or Red) Chile Powder, Dried Thyme, Smoked Paprika, Dry Mustard.
Kosher Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil ~ adds additional fat and helps keep the sausage moist and provides texture.
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Tools Needed:
A good Meat Grinder & Sausage Stuffer will make quick work of this recipe.
Natural Sausage Casings are a must for making smoked sausage links. Find them online, butchers or we often find them at the local farm and ranch store that sells hunting supplies.
Vacuum Sealer and Bags are my favorite for making big batches of smoked sausage to freeze.
A digital thermometer is a must- have for grilling and smoking meat.
Tips for Making Homemade Sausage:
It is essential for your tools and ingredients to stay cold. Place your sausage grinder parts in the freezer while you prep the pork. This will ensure the best combining of the ingredients and best texture.
Work in batches while grinding and stuffing the sausage casings. We usually divide into two bowls, keeping one refrigerated. Repeating this through the entire process.
How to Make Smoked Sausage:
Place sausage grinder parts in the freezer.
Place 3-4 hog casings in cold water.
Mix brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper, set aside.
Cut pork into 2 inch chunks.
Place pork in the refrigerator in 2 bowls.
Assemble grinder.
Grind one bowl of pork at a time, keeping the other chilled.
Pour all of the ground pork onto a large sheet pan or one large bowl and combine with peppers.
Sprinkle spice mix over the ground pork. Mix well.
Add vegetable oil and mix to combine.
Divide mixture into 2 bowls. Refrigerate one.
Run pork mixture through the grinder one more time.
Divide mixture into two bowls and refrigerate.
Clean the grinder and add sausage stuffer attachments.
Rinse a casing with cold water running through it.
Thread onto sausage stuffer and tie off the end.
Run sausage mixture through the stuffer, filling the casing. You may need to prick the end with a toothpick to let the air escape at first.
When the casing is about full, stop the grinder and tie off the end.
Form sausage into a coil and refrigerate while you stuff the remaining sausages.
Chill sausage links until grill fire is ready.
How to Smoke Sausage on Grill:
Prepare a grill fire to about 300° using pecan or hickory for smoke flavor.
Place sausage on the grill over indirect heat. Our grill only had room for 2, so we used a baking rack to stack the third sausage.
Cook with the grill lid closed keeping the grill temperature between 250° - 300° for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Sausage needs to reach 165° using a digital thermometer to be cooked through. We removed ours at about 1 ½ hours and an internal temperature of about 180°.
Remove to a sheet pan and cool slightly before slicing.
We cut ours into about 3 inch slices and vacuum sealed them after they had cooled.
How to Store and Reheat:
Store vacuum sealed sausage in the refrigerator up to 4 days.
Freeze up to 6 months, make sure to label the bag with contents and date.
Thaw in refrigerator before using.
Heat in a skillet with about 1 -2 tablespoons of water over medium heat, turning to warm both sides.
Uses:
Smoked Sausage Pizza is always a favorite dinner at our house. It's loaded with cheese and lots of vegetables.
Slice sausage and enjoy cold for your favorite charcuterie boards. Smoked Sausage can be added to your favorite casseroles, soups, pasta or rice dishes and more.
More Homemade Sausage Recipes:
Andouille Sausage is a Cajun smoked sausage that is incredibly flavorful and delicious. Great for Gumbo, Jambalaya and more.
Breakfast Sausage is one of our go-to recipes to make in bulk. You can easily adjust the recipe to your favorite flavors and I have to say it's so much tastier than store bought.
Maple Sausage can be made into breakfast sausage or smoked into links. It is a great combination of sweet and savory flavors.
Boudin is another Cajun favorite that is a mix of ground meat, vegetables and rice. If you haven't tried this classic, you are missing out. It is true comfort food.
Venison Snack Sticks are great if you have some ground venison in the freezer. These are a huge hit and one of our most requested recipes.
Homemade smoked sausage is great to have on hand for quick and easy weeknight dinners. It's a great way to know exactly what ingredients you are eating and this recipe is made fresh with no preservatives like you would find in store bought sausages.
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Yield: 7 pounds
Smoked Sausage
Smoked Sausage starts with a pork shoulder that is ground and mixed with delicious peppers and flavorful seasonings. Delicious made into links and grilled with hickory smoke.
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
2 hours 4 seconds
Total Time
3 hours 4 seconds
Ingredients
8 pounds pork shoulder
½ green bell pepper, minced
½ red bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated garlic
¼ cup onion powder
¼ cup onion flakes
¼ cup chile powder (green or red)
¼ cup dried thyme
2 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
2 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
2 ½ tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
Place sausage grinder parts in the freezer.
Place 3-4 hog casings in cold water.
Mix brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper, set aside.
Cut pork into 2 inch chunks, divide into 2 bowls and refrigerate.
Assemble grinder and grind one bowl of pork at a time, keeping the other chilled.
Add all of the ground pork to a large sheet pan or bowl.
Use your hands to mix ground pork with peppers.
Mix in spices.
Add vegetable oil and mix to combine.
Divide mixture into 2 bowls. Refrigerate one.
Run all of the pork mixture through the grinder one more time.
Divide mixture into two bowls and refrigerate.
Clean the grinder and add sausage stuffer attachments.
Rinse a casing with cold water running through it.
Thread onto sausage stuffer and tie off the end.
Run sausage mixture through the stuffer, filling the casing. You may need to prick the end with a toothpick to let the air escape at first.
When the casing is about full, stop the grinder and tie off the end.
Form sausage into a coil and refrigerate while you stuff the remaining sausages.
Chill sausage links until grill fire is ready.
Prepare a grill fire to about 300° using pecan or hickory for smoke flavor.
Place sausage on the grill over indirect heat. Our grill only had room for 2, so we used a baking rack to stack the third sausage.
Cook with the grill lid closed keeping the grill temperature between 250° - 300° for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Sausage needs to reach 165° using a digital thermometer to be cooked through. We removed ours at about 1 ½ hours and an internal temperature of about 180°.
Remove to a sheet pan and cool slightly before slicing.
We cut ours into about 3 inch slices and vacuum sealed them after they had cooled.
Notes
Store in vacuum sealed bags or ziploc freezer bags.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze up to 6 months, be sure to label with contents and date. Thaw in refrigerator.
Sausage can be sliced and served cold or at room temperature.
Sliced sausage can be heated in a skillet with a tablespoon or two of water over medium heat. Flip to heat through on both sides.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 28
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 447Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 659mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 31g
Nutritional calculations are estimated and may not be accurate.
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© Milisa
Cuisine:
American
/
Category: Grilling
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