# Andouille time!!



## indaswamp (Oct 17, 2017)

Pork butts went on sale for $1.17 so I bought 2 double packs; about 45lbs. of meat. With cooler weather coming, it's time to make andouille for the gumbos! I'm sitting outside enjoying this first good cold snap of the year here in south Louisiana tending the smoker. Made a 30# batch of Andouille to use up the 2" casing I had on hand. And 15# of smoked sausage.

This pic. is one hour in when I added more wood for smoke...new smoker walls are getting nice and dark!






I'm using Hickory pellets, Pecan saw dust, and Brown sugar for the smoke...


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## gearloose (Oct 17, 2017)

Which recipe are you using?


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## indaswamp (Oct 17, 2017)

gearloose said:


> Which recipe are you using?



Both the andouille and smoke sausage recipe are family recipes. The andouille recipe is over 100 years old and 120lbs. of it was made weekly at a little restaurant along the river road in St. James Parish Louisiana. The smoke sausage recipe is 20 years old and one I have been making for a long time. It's a simple country cajun smoke sausage used in everything from redbeans to jambalaya.


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

3 hours in...


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

Smoking these links @ night for 2 reasons. 1. The temp is on the cool side with a low tonight of 54*. Which makes it eaiser to control the temp at a low setting in my propane smoker because I can run the flame a little higher and that helps prevent flame out. 2. The humidity is high @ 87% so no need for a water pan.
FWIW, Always a higher relative humidity @ night. As the temp. falls, the moisture in the air gets concentrated because cold air is less dense than warm air. So the moisture per volume of air spikes, and some of it condenses out-that is why we have dew in the morning.


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## SmokinAl (Oct 18, 2017)

They look fantastic!
I think every family has their own Andouille recipe!
Al


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

smokinal said:


> They look fantastic!
> I think every family has their own Andouille recipe!
> Al


Thanks Al.
That may be true, but the Cajuns were simple people and used what they had available from the swamp floor. They did not use exotic spices when the recipe was developed long ago. No mace, no nutmeg, no cloves. As you get into New Orleans which was heavily influenced by French cooking, you will find old Andouille recipes that used thyme.

Now, I'm not claiming Andouille made with exotic spices are not good, I'm just stating for clarity what is considered 'authentic' by the locals that developed cajun andouille.

Pic. just before pulling the sausage links to put in water bath....






Andouille links have about another hour and a half to go.

This is the first batch of andouille in my new smoker. The links look a little light in color. Might need to use more sugar on the next batch but I'll reserve judgement until they are done.


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## ab canuck (Oct 18, 2017)

They look wonderful. I am so looking forward to going back down there and eat more that cajun food and sausages....... Point.....


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## isitdoneyet (Oct 18, 2017)

Those look great. 
I have not seen adding brown sugar to smoking wood before. What does it do for smoking process?


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

Finally got the temp up to 154* and held it there for 12 minutes. Pic. right before I pulled them off the smoker:







They're done, but not quite as dark as I would have liked. I think the ambient temp. had something to do with it. My extended family never smoked andouille unless the temp outside was at least 30*. This allows for a higher flame which smokes off the sugar more readily; and it's the sugar that coats the links and makes them look darker. The links smell awesome though-just like andouille should!


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

isitdoneyet said:


> Those look great.
> I have not seen adding brown sugar to smoking wood before. What does it do for smoking process?



Traditionally, pecan and sugar cane stalks were used to smoke andouille. As the above post describes-it's the sugar syrup that when it burns off, coats the links and makes them dark-almost black. That sweet smoke is the hallmark of what andouille should smell like. 
Since most people do not have access to sugar cane stalks, dark brown sugar is an excellent substitute and readily available to most everyone. Be liberal with the sugar on top of your smoking wood. Though I do have access to sugar cane stalks, the brown sugar is just too convenient to pick up while out buying the pork for the sausages... 

And thanks for the points fellas.


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

BTW, I used 4" zip ties on the links. Worked excellent-fast, easy, and did not slip. I used kitchen twine for the hanging loops, then added another zip tie around both the twine and tag end of the casing for insurance. Some of those links were almost 4' long and they held. 

I'm definitely sold on the zip ties for andouille! Just need to use needle nose pliers to pull them tight tight tight!


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## isitdoneyet (Oct 18, 2017)

Great info. I will have to try that next time. Do you use a certain amount? Have you done it with pellets on an A-MAZE-N pellet smoker tube or tray? I have some Pecan pellets and would like to try this next time I make andouille.


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

Have not tried it on an A-MAZE-N pellet tray, I use an 18" cast iron skillet on top of my propane burner in my smoker as a diffuser and wood tray. You could try and fill the tray with pellets, then top with about 1/8" of brown sugar. Report back how it goes.


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

Here ya go Gearloose:
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html

That one is REAL close to the recipe I use. Simple ingredients and heavy sweet smoke. Though if you use the full amount of Black Pepper, it will be hot. I suggest backing off and using half the stated amount.

I also suggest subtracting 1tsp. of salt and adding 1tsp. of cure #1 to the recipe.


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

A word on Black pepper vs. white pepper-
Tastes have changed over the years. 100+ years ago, white pepper was more prevalent and people preferred the taste of it to black pepper. It's the same fruit, only white pepper is the mature seed with the skin removed while black pepper is the immature fruit. Slight difference in taste. It is better for the grower to sell black pepper than white because they do not need to wait for the fruit to ripen. Faster to market, thus faster to profit. Just like with most everything nowadays. It's also less processing to sell black pepper....

From wiki:


> White pepper consists solely of the seed of the pepper plant, with the darker-coloured skin of the pepper fruit removed. This is usually accomplished by a process known as retting, where fully ripe red pepper berries are soaked in water for about a week, during which the flesh of the pepper softens and decomposes. Rubbing then removes what remains of the fruit, and the naked seed is dried. Sometimes alternative processes are used for removing the outer pepper from the seed, including removing the outer layer through mechanical, chemical, or biological methods.[6]



I use white pepper because it is traditional....YMMV.


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## ab canuck (Oct 18, 2017)

*indaswamp. Thx for posting that link. I went to check it out and have bookmarked that page, There are a few fav's in there I am going to try again. I have only been down there once and it has hooked me. We plan on going back again this spring for awhile, but we will have to see how the economy and future looks like for us this spring. *


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## gearloose (Oct 18, 2017)

indaswamp said:


> Here ya go Gearloose:
> http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html
> 
> That one is REAL close to the recipe I use. Simple ingredients and heavy sweet smoke. Though if you use the full amount of Black Pepper, it will be hot. I suggest backing off and using half the stated amount.
> ...



Thanks!


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## indaswamp (Oct 18, 2017)

On the zip ties-
I grip the tab of the zip tie right above the zipper and twist/rotate the needle nose pliers to leverage against the zipper in order to snug the sip tie tab down as tight as possible to prevent slippage. I repeat this 2~3 times to cinch it down all the way.

IMPORTANT- I leave the zip tie long for when putting them on ice over night. I trim the tab right before putting them on the smoker. This helps keep the sharp cut edge from tearing the casings when rubbing against each other piled in the ice chest.


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## gearloose (Oct 18, 2017)

This idea of using zip ties really appeals to me.  I use a lot of collagen casings, and they just will not stay twisted.  Tying with kitchen string is a time consuming PITA.  I'm going to try the zip ties on my next batch of sausage.


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## foamheart (Oct 18, 2017)

Nice looking andouille and sausage.

Just a thought, if you want more smoke/color you can try a different wood mixture. I now usually use pecan and apple or corn cob. I also now always double smoke mine. Slightly different procedure, but not too much and it works better with the no freeze winters here now. Mine come out with about the same color as Verons. 

You must not be in St James these days, still loads of cane to chose from...<Chuckles>

*"I think every family has their own Andouille recipe!"*

LOL.... Doh! Trying to steal a good family recipe for anything is just like trying to eat a soup sandwich with your hands tied. Its always a hoot to watch the attempt though....


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks Foamy, I got family living in 'back' Vacherie. Yep-plenty of cane out that way, but I would never just stroll out into a farmers field and take it. Could pick through a cut field, but the brown sugar is just so much easier and gives good results.

On the color, I think the ambient temp had more to do with it than anything. When it is colder, The flame must be higher to keep the heat in the smoker and that higher heat flashes of and burns more sugar. I look forward to trying another batch late january when it gets really cold.


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

I am also using a propane in my smoker- not wood logs. That probably has something to do with it too.


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

gearloose said:


> This idea of using zip ties really appeals to me.  I use a lot of collagen casings, and they just will not stay twisted.  Tying with kitchen string is a time consuming PITA.  I'm going to try the zip ties on my next batch of sausage.



Yea, using twine to tie the ends while making sausage alone is a PITA. Much faster with the zipties. I can not stress enough-get them tight as you can with pliers.


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

For more smoke, I may try and hold the temp around 120~130 for a longer period of time. The meat really sucks up smoke before the casing gets to 140*.


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

Good read...
https://www.bestofneworleans.com/bl...corn-dogs-andouille-queens-andouille-desserts



> but *a handful of specialist smokehouses in and around LaPlace still make a deeply traditional version* that is like no other. This homegrown andouille looks different — the links are huge, thick and a dark, burnished brown—and it tastes different too, with an intense *smoke flavor that’s nearly strong enough to trip fire alarms.*


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## foamheart (Oct 19, 2017)

I find that a 1 hour dewater cycle prior to starting the smoke makes a HUGE difference. I take the box up to about 275, leave the door on latch but cracked and the vent full open and I watch the andouille or sausage IT. Not letting it get over 120. It seems to work best for me.

Because of the temps here, I warm smoke, maintaining >120 degrees IT for 4 to 6 hours, then I return to the reefer overnight then the next night I do it again. Afterwards I either water bathe it, or I cook it in the smoker (which I normally dislike) but I always re-chill for a couple a days then before packaging. Cured meat always profits from a little mellow time before freezing. 

Have you ever tried making andouille with #2?


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

Cure #2? No I have never tried it.


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## driedstick (Oct 19, 2017)

Dang it Indaswamp,,, Great info and nice looking snausages - POINT

A full smoker is a happy smoker,,, is your smoker happy today


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

I packaged the links tonight. Thought I'd snap a pic. of the zipties and twine for you guys...








Ziptied the link, then tied the twine onto the end between the ziptie and the link, then added a safety ziptie on the tag end of the casing and around the twine.


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## indaswamp (Oct 19, 2017)

I took some of the andouille and diced it up to put in the stuffing for dinner tonight. Baked flounder stuffed with crab and andouille stuffing...


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## foamheart (Oct 19, 2017)

indaswamp said:


> I took some of the andouille and diced it up to put in the stuffing for dinner tonight. Baked flounder stuffed with crab and andouille stuffing...
> 
> View attachment 341439



Man ya killing me........


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## charcoal junkie (Oct 21, 2017)

indaswamp said:


> Pork butts went on sale for $1.17 so I bought 2 double packs; about 45lbs. of meat. With cooler weather coming, it's time to make andouille for the gumbos! I'm sitting outside enjoying this first good cold snap of the year here in south Louisiana tending the smoker. Made a 30# batch of Andouille to use up the 2" casing I had on hand. And 15# of smoked sausage.
> 
> This pic. is one hour in when I added more wood for smoke...new smoker walls are getting nice and dark!
> View attachment 341299
> ...


How do u smoke with brown sugar?


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## indaswamp (Oct 21, 2017)

charcoal junkie said:


> How do u smoke with brown sugar?






indaswamp said:


> Traditionally, pecan and sugar cane stalks were used to smoke andouille. As the above post describes-it's the sugar syrup that when it burns off, coats the links and makes them dark-almost black. That sweet smoke is the hallmark of what andouille should smell like.
> Since most people do not have access to sugar cane stalks, dark brown sugar is an excellent substitute and readily available to most everyone. Be liberal with the sugar on top of your smoking wood. Though I do have access to sugar cane stalks, the brown sugar is just too convenient to pick up while out buying the pork for the sausages...
> 
> And thanks for the points fellas.


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## doubles shooter (Dec 5, 2017)

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I thought you zip tie guys might like this tool.


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## nanuk (Apr 17, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> FWIW, Always a higher relative humidity @ night. As the temp. falls, the moisture in the air gets concentrated because cold air is less dense than warm air. So the moisture per volume of air spikes, and some of it condenses out-that is why we have dew in the morning.



sorry to pull up a necrothread but just wanted to clarify:
cold air is MORE dense than warm, that is why it sinks and warm rises.
Warm air can hold more water vapour so can be at a higher dew point without saturation.
So as air cools, it sinks, contracts, and as the ambient temperature lowers to the dew point, we get 100% saturation (Ambient Temp meets DewPoint) and condensation (Dew) as the temp lowers even more.

Relative Humidity is just a term to define a ratio of water vapour to air.
Dew Point is an actual measurement of the water vapour in the air.


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## indaswamp (Apr 23, 2018)

nanuk said:


> sorry to pull up a necrothread but just wanted to clarify:
> cold air is MORE dense than warm, that is why it sinks and warm rises.
> Warm air can hold more water vapour so can be at a higher dew point without saturation.
> So as air cools, it sinks, contracts, and as the ambient temperature lowers to the dew point, we get 100% saturation (Ambient Temp meets DewPoint) and condensation (Dew) as the temp lowers even more.
> ...


My mistake...you are correct. cold air is more dense than hot air. Must have been a brain fart from late night posting.


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## Gwanger (Apr 29, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> On the zip ties-
> I grip the tab of the zip tie right above the zipper and twist/rotate the needle nose pliers to leverage against the zipper in order to snug the sip tie tab down as tight as possible to prevent slippage. I repeat this 2~3 times to cinch it down all the way.
> 
> IMPORTANT- I leave the zip tie long for when putting them on ice over night. I trim the tab right before putting them on the smoker. This helps keep the sharp cut edge from tearing the casings when rubbing against each other piled in the ice chest.


Inda-what about hog rings and hog ring pliers


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## foamheart (Apr 29, 2018)

Why hog rings? You'll definitely want to smoke andouille. If you'll just twist the links , smoke 'em, after they cool and you cut the links they'll stay closed.

Twisted






Smoked






Cut






So what do you need hog rings for?


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## Gwanger (Apr 30, 2018)

foamheart said:


> Why hog rings? You'll definitely want to smoke andouille. If you'll just twist the links , smoke 'em, after they cool and you cut the links they'll stay closed.
> 
> Twisted
> View attachment 362176
> ...


Nice batch of sausage,looks outstanding


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## Gwanger (Apr 30, 2018)

I was just responding to Inda's post using wire ties, I am a sausage twister also, your sausage looks great


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## ab canuck (Apr 30, 2018)

Foam that looks great, fantastic looking sausage. is that a family recipe you use?


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## foamheart (Apr 30, 2018)

ab canuck said:


> Foam that looks great, fantastic looking sausage. is that a family recipe you use?



I was just showing that you didn't need twist ties or hog rings to twist the ends of sausage. 

Its a priority recipe that belongs to some friend's family down the road which are in the sausage making business. Small little superette (what we call 'em, like a convenience store with a meat market). They used to be all over south Louisiana, back when folks could walk to the store, pretty much no matter where they lived. They for the most part gone these days.

I will link a public recipe below which is very close to what I use, You might add a bit more paprika and a pinch of brown sugar though.

http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/11/14/andouille-sausage-recipe/

Where most folks make there mistake with andouille is they do not allow enough time to bloom. Its like Dean Martin said to Kim Novak, "There can't be too much of you......... baby!"


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## CajunChris (May 7, 2018)

Excellent looking Andouille! Love the old school smoke shack as well.


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## Gwanger (May 24, 2018)

indaswamp said:


> Here ya go Gearloose:
> http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html
> 
> That one is REAL close to the recipe I use. Simple ingredients and heavy sweet smoke. Though if you use the full amount of Black Pepper, it will be hot. I suggest backing off and using half the stated amount.
> ...


Inda, thnx for link to John Folse recipe for Andouille, I made a 10 lb batch for my daughters  in laws craw fish boil this memorial day weekend let you know if it is well liked by all. Came out good but I reached 165* IT b4 It had 4 hrs of smoke w/hickory and brn. sugar looks real good, air dried w/good color, not black though. had temp problem with gasser had hard time keeping temps down, pulled at 165* IT in order to not get fat out


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