Andouille Sausage

Andouille is a spicy Cajun smoke sausage made from pork butt and seasoned with cayenne pepper and garlic. It is used in gumbos, jambalaya and many other dishes from south Louisiana.

1 lb. Ground Pork Butt

1/4 pounds pork, fat rough Chopped

1/2 tablespoon Salt

1/3 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Rubbed Sage

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/2 teaspoon Ground Mace

1/2 teaspoon Ground Allspice

1/3 teaspoonGround Black Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Ground Bayleaf

1/4 teaspoon Thyme

1/2 clove Crushed Garlic

Rinse the casings thoroughly in cold water, then place in luke-warm water to soak.

Using a meat grinder fitted with a coarse (3/8″ or 1/2″) plate, grind meat and pork fat.

In a 4-quart mixing bowl, combine ground pork mixture with remaining ingredients; knead well using hands. Taste test by frying a small quarter-size patty to see if you approve of the flavor as is.  Make changes if needed. Make a small patty about the size of a quarter. Place the sausage patty in a 7-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat and fry until crisp and no longer pink in the center, about 3 minutes on each side. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Carefully stuff the sausage mixture into the casing, filling the casing snugly but not so tight it will burst during the linking process.  Continue until the entire casing is filled. Every 4 inches pinch the filled casing gently between thumb and forefinger; twist four or five times in one direction. Move down another 4 inches and repeat the process, twisting in the opposite direction. Repeat until all the sausage has been twisted into links. Smoke over your choice of chips — hickory, apple, or pecan. Use a water tray over the heat source and watch out for fire from the fat drippings. Smoke slowly under 200 degrees until the sausages reach 175 degrees. They'll be fully cooked at that temperature, and ready to eat or to be frozen. Don't smoke them too fast. Cut the sausages on the diagonal and use in your favorite recipes.