Andouille Sausage
intro
Bold, smoky, garlicky homemade Cajun andouille sausage with a signature spicy kick, perfect for serving straight from the smoker or adding to gumbos and jambalaya.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep meat and seasonings
Toss cubed pork shoulder and fatback in a large mixing bowl with kosher salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and Prague powder #1 until evenly coated. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour at 4°C (40°F) to keep the meat firm for grinding.
Grind the chilled meat
Set up a meat grinder fitted with a 10mm (3/8 inch) coarse grinding plate. Feed the chilled, seasoned meat and fat mixture through the grinder into a cold metal bowl set over a bed of crushed ice to keep the meat temperature below 4°C (40°F) throughout grinding, preventing fat from smearing.
Mix the sausage base
Pour 120ml (1/2 cup) ice-cold water over the ground meat mixture. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed (setting 2), mix for 2 minutes until the meat becomes tacky and binds together, with spices evenly distributed. Return the mixture to the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes while you prepare the sausage stuffer.
Stuff the hog casings
Thread the rinsed, soaked hog casings onto an 18mm (3/4 inch) sausage stuffer tube, tying a tight knot at the sealed end. Feed the chilled meat mixture through the stuffer at a steady, slow pace, filling casings to a firm (not tightly packed) 3cm (1.25 inch) diameter to prevent bursting during smoking. Twist the filled continuous casing into 15cm (6 inch) individual links, poking any visible air pockets with a sterilized straight pin.
Preheat the smoker
Preheat your offset smoker or pellet grill to 107°C (225°F), adding hickory wood chunks to the fire box for classic deep, woody Cajun smoke flavor. Let the smoker run for 15 minutes to produce consistent, thin blue smoke before adding sausages; avoid thick, white billowing smoke, which will leave a bitter, ashy taste on the meat.
Smoke the sausage links
Arrange the sausage links directly on the smoker racks, leaving 2cm (1 inch) of open space between each link to allow even smoke and air circulation. Smoke for 2 hours, until every sausage reaches an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F) as measured with a calibrated instant-read thermometer, rotating each link once at the 1-hour mark for even cooking and smoke exposure.
Rest before serving
Transfer the fully smoked sausages to a clean wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, and let them rest for 15 minutes at room temperature to let juices redistribute evenly through the meat. Serve immediately with Creole mustard and crusty bread, or cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week for use in gumbos, jambalaya, or po’boy sandwiches.
Tips
2.Do not overstuff casings: as sausages cook, fat renders and casings shrink, so tightly packed links will burst open during smoking and lose their flavorful juices.
3.If you do not have a dedicated smoker, set up a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, placing a foil packet of soaked hickory chips directly on the hot coals to generate consistent smoke for cooking the sausages at the required 225°F temperature.
OMG, this andouille recipe is an absolute game changer! I’ve been buying store-bought andouille for gumbo for years and it never hits right, but this homemade version? The smoke level is perfect, the Cajun spice has just the right kick without being overwhelming. I made a double batch for our family dinner last Sunday and everyone went back for seconds, even my super picky 8 year old! Already prepping another batch to freeze for meal prep this month.
Really solid recipe! I will say the difficulty is definitely medium like it says—my first time stuffing sausage casings and it was way messier than I expected, but the end result was SO good. I brought a bunch to our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were asking for the recipe left and right. Only note is I cut the cayenne in half because my husband can’t handle super spicy food, and it was still perfectly flavorful.
Made this on my new offset smoker last weekend and it turned out chef’s kiss. Used pork shoulder I got from the local farm down the road, followed the spice mix exactly, and the hickory smoke paired so perfectly with the paprika and garlic. My kids loved it sliced up with mac and cheese, I’ll definitely be keeping this in the regular rotation.
Wait, do I *have* to use a smoker for this? I live in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn and don’t have access to outdoor space, I’ve been dying to make real andouille for my Mardi Gras party next month but no smoker = sad times. Any workarounds?
I’ve made a lot of homemade sausage over the years, and this is hands down the best andouille recipe I’ve tried. The ratio of salt to spice is spot on, the smoke time is perfect, and it works for everything—jambalaya, breakfast hash, sliced on po’ boys, you name it. I did a 50/50 mix of pork shoulder and pork belly for extra fat and it was next level, highly recommend that swap if you like a richer sausage.
Tried this recipe yesterday for our game day spread and it was a total hit! Sliced it up and served it with spicy mustard and crackers as an appetizer, and the whole platter was gone in 15 minutes. Only mistake I made was not making a bigger batch, everyone was asking for seconds before I even got a second piece myself lol.
Game changer alert! I used this andouille in my red beans and rice this week and my roommate said it was the best batch I’ve ever made. The smoked flavor cuts through the creaminess of the beans so well, and the spice level builds just right without burning your mouth off. Already got the ingredients to make another batch this weekend for my dad’s birthday cookout.
Taste was great, but I had a little trouble with the casings splitting on me while smoking. I soaked them per the package directions, stuffed them pretty loosely, but a few still popped and let a bunch of the fat out. Ended up still being edible, just not as pretty as the photos. Any tips for next time?
Meal prep win for the whole month! I made 4 pounds of this andouille on Sunday, portioned it out into freezer bags, and it’s been perfect for quick weeknight dinners. Used it in pasta, breakfast scrambles, and even chopped up on pizza last night. SO good, way better than any grocery store sausage I’ve ever bought. Worth every minute of the 3+ hour cook time, trust me.