Andouille is one of my favorite smoked sausages. I love it in Gumbo and had it this morning mixed in with my hash brown potatoes and eggs. Because of the robust spices in this recipe, I use standard supermarket pork shoulder. Also, my recipes will back down on the amount of salt, so feel free to adjust if you like things salty. I use hog casings and hickory wood for smoke. Make sure you use true charcoal for the fire, not the kingsford type brickets. This recipe has been adapted from one of my go-to cookbooks, "Home Sausage Making" by Charles G. Reavis and Evelyn Battaglia.
Ingredients:
5 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 head of garlic crushed thru a garlic press
1/4 cup of black pepper. Preferably fresh crushed
2 Tablespoons Mortons kosher salt.
5 Teaspoons cayenne pepper
4 Teaspoons dried whole thyme
1/4 cup of dry white wine (I use Black Box sauvignon blanc)
Medium hog casings as needed
Steps:
1. Cut the pork shoulder into cubes that can be processed by your grinder. 1.5 inch for me. Place the cubes in a freezer for about 30 minutes before grinding.
2. Place the crushed garlic in a cup that has the white wine in it so the flavors can meld.
3. Mix all the remaining dried ingredients in another cup so they are evenly mixed.
4. Grind the pork thru the fine disk of your grinder. I always put my grinding attachment in the freezer before grinding for about 15 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, mix the meat, dried spices, and the wine garlic mixture with your hands. If your hands don't feel numb from the cold your grinding your meat too warm. Make sure everything is well incorporated.
6. Mold the meat into a ball on the large bowl and cover it as best as possible with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the sausage overnight to let the flavors meld.
7. The next day, prepare the casings and get the sausage stuffer ready for action.
8. Stuff the mixture into the casings, prick any air pockets.
7. Setup your smoker to be 175-210 degrees. Add Hickory or your favorite wood for smoking. Smoke the sausage for 2 hours. The internal temperature should be 160 degrees. If you cant get your smoker that hot (I have issues when smoking in the winter), Smoke for 2 hours and then finish them off in a 200 degree oven.
8. The sausage can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or freeze them for later use.
