Andouille & Cajun Smoked Sausage

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foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
First 30 pounds made today, I guess smoking to commence tomorrow. Of course we'll be back up into the mid 70's again in time for the smoking...>LOL The upside I don't have to shovel snow I guess. Trying to see if I can upload some of todays pictures. <Crosses Fingers>

BTW Butts was on sale, its the middle of February, and I am out of sausage and andouille!


Holy Cow! I deboned and chopped and ground 4 butts yesterday. Came out with about 34 lbs. I still have more butts in the reefer and I am wondering right now why....LOL


I'll say this it loads faster if you can just find it....LOL


I can't figure out rotate yet...LOL It keeps telling me I am in the wrong mode. This was so si,ple the olden way! Pfffft!

I was showing you the plates, large for andouille, medium for cajun sausage, and the small is for the 6 pounds ground for breakfast maybe, Italian, Boudin, who knows? It will find a use.

This is Andouille, its usually processed into beef middles, I tryed that before and I assume you no one I ever knew here used beef middles. They all used LARGE pork casings. These are 46+MM. Why do they use bigger? First they are not sausage, andouille sausage is a whole new current type thing I assume to save manufacturing costs. Could be because its bigger chunks of of meat and fat involved in the andouille, yeppers its chunky! Or it might be so that they didn't get the andouille mixed and confussed with sausage while smoking. Why would that matter, sausage then was not cured and andouille was. 


Sausage! This batch will make your nose run but not take the hide off your tongue. BTW I think I had mentioned before the butcher buddy and I had discussed before about the SMF suggestion to add cure to everything just to be safe. He told me he now also adds it to his sausages also. This guy is totally awesome, he makes stuff that you slap you forehead and think, why didn't I ever thing of trying that.


Andouile & Sausage


Well of course tomorrow its supposed to be back up in the mid 70's again. Grrrrr....... I still have I think 6 or 8 blocks of cheese and I am wondering if it will ever get cold enough to even kill off last years bugs and mosquitos. 

I have not yet done bacon or hocks....... <sighs>

More to come I hope.....Oh BTW I am hoping those links fit perfectly in the new Vac Master Pro!! They'll fit perfect in a qt freezer ziploc!

Bloom tonight first smoke tomorrow.
 
Lookin' great!

I moved up here from NOLA about a decade ago. Wisconsin has a lot of stuff going for it, but Cajun food just ain't one of 'em. Their "andouille" just isn't up to snuff. Feel free to send me some... save me from this madness!
 
Looks great! If you need cold weather we can work out a trade free room for sausages!
 
Foamheart, that is beautiful Andouille and sausage!   I can't wait to see the smoked pictures.     Is your Andouille a secret recipe or can you share it.    I would sure like to give that a try.
 
Looking good Foam. Perfect links
Thank you sir but I must confess, I have never had so much air in my casings before. I can't say why either? Maybe I just need some practice, ya think?
 
Lookin' great!

I moved up here from NOLA about a decade ago. Wisconsin has a lot of stuff going for it, but Cajun food just ain't one of 'em. Their "andouille" just isn't up to snuff. Feel free to send me some... save me from this madness!
If you make sausage, and what about as good a recipe as I have found to what I consider real andouille, you can either try Craig's or the NOLA's recipe. Both are lose to what I make. I would NOT add anymore cayenne, but I do normally add more cracked black. Thats what andouille's taste comes from, cured meat and cracked black, throw in a pinch of garlic , onion, that's andouille. I say make your own, its not nearly as hard as most think. Its always better than store bought, even if its not exactly what you want. 
Looks great! If you need cold weather we can work out a trade free room for sausages!
We still have huge mosquitos cruising around, we have not killed off the insects in two years!  And thank you for the compliment, I now go thru a load of andouille. Its a country thing, some share their gardens, some their venison, some their fresh eggs, I now seem to do the smoking and everyone can see the smoke rising, its why TBS is so important....ROFLMAO
 
Thank you sir but I must confess, I have never had so much air in my casings before. I can't say why either? Maybe I just need some practice, ya think?


My last sausage I made last week had some air in them. Maybe it the time of the year?
 
 
Foamheart, that is beautiful Andouille and sausage!   I can't wait to see the smoked pictures.     Is your Andouille a secret recipe or can you share it.    I would sure like to give that a try.
Well its not my recipe, all my life a local butcher made the best sausage and andouille and meat products. Seriously, he's what we all wish we could be...LOL. Its his spice blend and I don't know what it is.

As I said above NOLA recipes, as well as Craig here on the boards is very very close. 

Thank you for the compliment, and I am sorry I could not be of more help.

Just wait until its been double smoked, it really gets beautiful.
 
Foam, you've been a busy man ! looking good ! You need our temps for your cheese,20 below predicted for the weekend !
 
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Now that is a nice load of sausage.I'll be sure to check out the smoked when ya post

Richie
 
 
Foamheart, that is beautiful Andouille and sausage!   I can't wait to see the smoked pictures.     Is your Andouille a secret recipe or can you share it.    I would sure like to give that a try.
 
Thank you sir but I must confess, I have never had so much air in my casings before. I can't say why either? Maybe I just need some practice, ya think?


My last sausage I made last week had some air in them. Maybe it the time of the year?
I am thinking we were making LEM sausage, and that would mean..................(all together now).................. "We needed more water!"
 
 
That's some fine looking sausage you have there Kevin. Nice Job

Thank you very much...... We learn something new and forget to do something learned every time! LOL
 
Foam, you've been a busy man ! looking good ! You need our temps for your cheese,20 below predicted for the weekend !
That's because it takes longer to do stuff these days. ROFLMAO Ya know, it really makes me appreciate my Pop. He's still motivating around and that is damn impressive!

I know I have all this cheese, I just ordered 30 lb.s of fresh hocks, and a ridiculice amount of veal. Yes sir, Veal I am going down town this year! And of course I have a second round of what I just did again....LOL  I have now decided I need lugs, a bigger stuffer and a larger smoker. LOL  Quick someone shoot me!!
 
 
Now that is a nice load of sausage.I'll be sure to check out the smoked when ya post

Richie
Thanks Richie..... its taking some nice color already, and have a second batch to do today afterward. 
 
Great job, Kevin!

Looking forward to seeing them smoked!

Al
Thanks Al. I gotta get it all done and ready for the Vac Master to show up! Wubba wubba! 

Been smoking now 4 hours high IT was 114, now its just cruising at 108.

Fixing to swap the sausage for andouille.
 
This forum has created a monster. All these awesome sausages and so little freezer space. Wicked nice sausage FH!
If you are not making cured meat products now, Please I beg of you, leave before it starts! LOL... you never get enough space, your equipment is never large or fast enough, and the price of meat will no doubt drive you to either fencing in the back yard or make you an auction house lurker....LOL Remember the left pants leg in the boots means your selling and the right pants leg above the boot means your buying. Don't get 'em confused......

Thank you Rob.
 
Ok, today's update if I can get this picture thingie to work for me.

Started by smoking the sausages, couldn't get the andouille in with them so two smokes.And I can say I don't remember the last time I smelled so good!!! 


Preheat the smoker to 275, light and insert new oval adjustable smoker tube from AMAZIN. Look at all that smoke! Wonderful! Next I open the vent completely, I put the door on latch but not closed and let it go about an hour ( I call it the de-water cycle)


Now the sausage has dried, and will start to take smoke and color. I insert a probe and maintain between 95 and 110 IT. I closed the door and regulated the vent. It required about 110 to 120 box temp to maintain the it. I can't seem to ever be able to get one of these NS smokers to handle hot, but they dang sure can hold low temps.


Taking color and smoke. Not the butt bones in the bottom, those are for the neighbors dog. 


Off the smoker. This is the first smoke, I may not be able to stand 'em after two smokes. 


The oval tube, I just stood on it's end and refilled, I didn't need light it its started smoking immediately where it had previously burnt down to. Seriously, you need one of these!


Like the shampoo bottle says, rinse and repeat. Load the Andouille this time.


For some reason I could not get it 100 percent dry which hurt its color. Still smells good though.


Brought inside and because still hot I threw it in the roaster first to cook. I have greater control of the IT this way, I can also immediately chill it to reduce some of the winkles which form when allowed to cool on its own. I believe, My opinion is that it also keeps the casing from getting hard.


This is a roaster every little old lady when I was growing up, had one or wanted one. I understand in some places its called a NESCO


This is the tray insert for the roaster, the perfect place to stick cold/ice water for cooling.


Sausages in.


Here's the line up, roaster, chill pan, drying then to the 1/2 sheet tray.


And there is the sausages... Ain't they lovely?


The same with the andouille, rinse and repeat. They are currently in the reefer til tomorrow. The first time I did this, I decided that the water bath had zapped some of that smokiness, so I tried double smoking to get it back. I mean heck Bear's double smoked ham is totally awesome, whats sausage but ham in a casing? That double smoke is why everyone shows up when they see the smoke rising for the back yard.

Tomorrow they will be smoked again. I'll get some more pictures but its doesn't change the color too much, you'll see. Then again overnite in the reefer and hopefully my new Sealer will be here. Wubba Wubba!!
 
You are a true artisan! Once I complete my coaching session with Mr T to get over my cheese meltdown I'm gonna have to see how I can get into screwing up the cured meats. You are always an inspiration!
 
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