Hot Links

Combine 900g cubed boneless pork shoulder and 225g cubed pork fatback on a rimmed baking sheet, spread in an even single layer, and freeze for 30 minutes until firm (not fully solid frozen) to ensure clean, even grinding. While the meat chills, rinse 2 meters of natural hog casings under cool running water to remove packing salt, then submerge in a bowl of cold tap water to soak for 25 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 3 tbsp sweet paprika, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1.5 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1 tsp Prague powder #1 until fully blended. Stir in 60ml ice-cold water to create a smooth, loose red spice slurry, then set aside in the fridge to keep cold.

Fit a manual or electric meat grinder with a 6mm (1/4-inch) coarse grinding plate. Remove the partially frozen meat from the freezer, and feed the pork and fatback through the grinder into a large pre-chilled stainless steel bowl, working quickly to keep meat temperature below 4°C (40°F) to prevent fat smearing. Pour the cold spice slurry over the ground meat, then mix vigorously by clean hand for 2 minutes until the mixture is uniformly sticky and well-seasoned.

Fit a sausage stuffer with a 1.9cm (3/4-inch) wide stuffing tube. Slide the soaked, rinsed hog casing fully onto the tube, tying a tight overhand knot at the hanging end of the casing. Feed the seasoned meat mixture through the stuffer at a steady pace, filling the casing evenly to form one long, plump coil—do not overstuff, as this will cause links to burst during cooking. Twist the filled coil at 15cm (6-inch) intervals to form individual links, then prick any visible air bubbles with a sterilized straight pin.

Preheat your offset or electric smoker to a steady 107°C (225°F). While the smoker heats, drain 2 cups of pre-soaked hickory wood chips, and add them to the smoker’s wood chip box once the unit reaches target temperature. Wait 10 minutes until the smoker produces thin, wispy blue smoke (not thick white smoke) before adding sausage.

Arrange the twisted sausage links directly on the smoker’s middle rack, leaving 2.5cm (1 inch) of open space between each link to allow even smoke and air flow. Smoke for 1.5 hours, adding a ½ cup of fresh soaked hickory chips at the 45-minute mark to maintain consistent smoke, until links reach an internal temperature of 71°C (160°F) as measured with a calibrated instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a link, avoiding contact with the casing.

Use long-handled tongs to transfer the fully cooked hot links to a clean wooden cutting board, and let them rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to let juices redistribute through the sausage. For extra crispy casings, sear rested links on a hot cast iron pan or grill grate for 1 minute per side before serving with toasted buns, dill pickles, and tangy tomato-based BBQ sauce.