# Texan Jalapeno Sausage - Take 1



## xutfuzzy (May 29, 2013)

I recently posted that I had gone to Houston, TX and fell in love with a jalapeno cheddar sausage there.  Here is a pic of what I am talking about (along with some brisket).













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 16, 2013






I decided that my goal this summer was to do my best to emulate this sausage back at home.  I've never really made sausage before, so this was a dual learning experience.  Here we go!

*Day 1*

First, I put all the bowls I thought I might use into the fridge for a few hours.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






I then put an ice-water mixture into one bowl, then placed the other bowl into that so as I cut up the pork shoulder it I could place the pieces into a cold bowl.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013


















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__ xutfuzzy
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Then I cut up the fatback (recipe to follow at the end).













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__ xutfuzzy
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I set this into the freezer to firm up (about 30 minutes) before grinding.













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__ xutfuzzy
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I worked with two sets of ice-water setups to try to keep everything as cold as possible.













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__ xutfuzzy
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Here's the course-ground meat/fat.













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__ xutfuzzy
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Spices were measured out.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Fry test to make sure I liked the spice levels.  I did, so it all went into the fridge overnight so that the cure would work a little magic.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






*Day 2 *

The next day, after getting home from work, I started by soaking the casings.  I did one water change, and with the second water I added a little vinegar to soften them up even more.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






While they were soaking, I ran the sausage mixture through the smaller grind.  On the left is the second (finer) grind, on the right is just the course grind.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






While those were setting back up in the fridge, I prepped the cheddar and jalapeno.













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__ xutfuzzy
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All mixed up and ready for stuffing!













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__ xutfuzzy
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I got to use my new LEM 5 pound stuffer...that thing is worth every penny!













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__ xutfuzzy
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Twisted into links.













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__ xutfuzzy
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The first casing took most of the sausage, I did have to add a second casing to finish off the batch.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Into the smoker!













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






I ran it at 110 for one hour without smoke to dry off the casings (had an IT of 80 at the end of that hour).  For the second hour I bumped it up to 140 and started smoking with hickory (had an IT of 100 at the end).  Then it was bumped to 160 for the third hour (IT of 140 at the end of that hour).   Finally, for the last hour (really only 45 minutes) the smoker was bumped up to 175 until the sausages had an IT of 154.  Then they were pulled from the smoker.  Here is what they looked like before heading to the ice water bath.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Into the water bath they went! 













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__ xutfuzzy
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I then set them out to "bloom" for a couple of hours.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Here they are after about 3 hours of blooming...they weren't getting much darker, and besides, I was already pretty pleased with their color, so I called it done.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Cut apart.













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Here's what the insides looked like.  













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__ xutfuzzy
__ May 29, 2013






Overall, I am pretty happy.  From what I can remember, the one I had in Texas had a little more of a beef flavor, even though on the menu it says it is a pork sausage.  I'll just have to keep tinkering.

Here is the recipe I was using, which I cut in half.

4 lbs pork shoulder

1 lb fatback

6 diced jalapenos

4 oz extra sharp cheddar (could not readily find high temperature cheddar)

5 tsp salt

4 tsp brown sugar

2.5 tsp black pepper

1 T paprika

1.5 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp cure #1

1.5 tsp oregano

As this was my first sausage, please critique so that I can get better!


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## fwismoker (May 29, 2013)

No critique...they look FANTASTIC!!!!!!!


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## rippinntearin (May 29, 2013)

Looks pretty good to me!!!  I'm no expert on sausage making...just finished my second attempt over the weekend (pics will come), but I would recommend a pin or needle to pop out the air bubbles in the casings.  Plus...no blowouts is always a plus!  Great job!


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## slonaker (May 29, 2013)

That looks AMAZING! Copying the recipe - I want to try it with turkey, instead of pork.  Thanks for sharing this!


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## kc5tpy (May 29, 2013)

Looks good enough to me!  If that's the first try, may be hard to improve on that.  Most Tx. sausage is a mix of beef and pork.  About twice as much pork to beef.  Use something like chuck roast for some beef fat.  Depending where you get it, Tx. sausage can be a little German, a little Polish, a little Italian or a mix of all three.  So for that amount of meat try 1tsp. fennel ( ground ) and 1tsp. marjoram in your next batch.  Also, I doubt it was done this way but for a Tx. Hill Country flavor try using a little oak with mostly pecan for the smoke if you can get it.  Eaten an awful lot of Tx. sausage ( LOVE THE STUFF ) so just a couple variations for you to try.  I can't get anything like it here in England so I am trying to develop my own recipe by combining several different ones.  Will be posting when I get it right.  Do you ship internationally?  Keep Smokin!


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## roller (May 29, 2013)

Looks like you did your homework...Looks great !


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## whargoul (May 29, 2013)

That looks delicious! Making your own sausage is preferable over going to Houston any day!


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## smoothsmoker (May 29, 2013)

They look great! How hot were they?


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## alamar (May 29, 2013)

They look great. Will try this one for sure......


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## frosty (May 29, 2013)

For a first attempt, it looks like a complete success!  Those actually look as good as some found locally here in Houston.   GREAT WORK!!!


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## 05sprcrw (May 29, 2013)

I could sure go for a couple links of that right about now.


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## jmcrig (May 29, 2013)

What you made looks great. If you are cooking at temps above 180 degrees, you won't need the cure. You can treat as you would fresh sausage and it will be great. You can also add ground chuck to it, I would do an amount equal to the total pork and fat. Experiment with your spices that you enjoy, and add a little binder to it to help retain moisture, non fat dry milk works. Looks like you've got a great start going, just continue with your flavor profile. Good Luck.


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## lilricky (May 29, 2013)

My complaint- I didn't get any.

Looks awesome, two thumbs up!


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## spinnaker (May 29, 2013)

The pork shoulder itself should have enough fat content, try eliminating the backfat.and choose great looking shoulders, or pork butts.

Looks great!


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## reinhard (May 29, 2013)

Nothing but compliments Sir!!!! I'm taking down that recipe. I know it may be too hot for my wife but that 5 pounds will go real nice for me and some at deer camp. One thing i use in all my smoked and fresh sausage is non fat powderd dry milk as a binder. One cup per 5 pounds of meat mix. Just personal preference. Thanks for the recipe as well. Did you leave the seeds in the mix from the peppers? Thanks.  Reinhard


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## driedstick (May 29, 2013)

Dang nab it man that looks great, great job for a first try.


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## dirtsailor2003 (May 29, 2013)

xutfuzzy said:


> Here's what the insides looked like.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That right there is the money shot! Looks great!


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## leroyvdh (May 29, 2013)

> Overall, I am pretty happy.  From what I can remember, the one I had in Texas had a little more of a beef flavor, even though on the menu it says it is a pork sausage.  I'll just have to keep tinkering.
> 
> Here is the recipe I was using, which I cut in half.
> 
> ...


Texas = beef ....I live in Alberta. Beef is not an ingredient it's a staple. We don't add beef to stuff we add stuff to beef..

Try some beef fat with your fatback...Won't change your texture...

They look great..Turned out real nice...

Leroy


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## rong (May 29, 2013)

Critique? I'm copy cattin you ALL THE WAY!!!! Thanks for sharing the pics, AND the recipe.


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## boykjo (May 29, 2013)

> As this was my first sausage, please critique so that I can get better!


Very nice sausage for your first time  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





.............         I like the recipe except one thing.. You asked for it..................Fresh garlic next time...........


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## bloosmoke (May 29, 2013)

lilricky said:


> My complaint- I didn't get any.
> 
> Looks awesome, two thumbs up!


LOL!  What he said!    
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I'm not a big fan of the potential 'hot' of the ribs and seeds of the jalapeno, but the flavor can be quite nice.  They look sooo very yummie!  Kudos!


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## seenred (May 29, 2013)

Man, those looks deelicious! 

Red


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## chef willie (May 30, 2013)

Yep, agree with everybody else. Looks great for your first batch....the bar is now set for your future batches.


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## kathrynn (May 30, 2013)

Looks amazing!  I am so going to do Sausages on my Vacation in July!  Yours look first rate! (and you know exactly what is "in" them too)

Kat


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## kathrynn (May 30, 2013)

jmcrig said:


> What you made looks great. If you are cooking at temps above 180 degrees, you won't need the cure. You can treat as you would fresh sausage and it will be great. You can also add ground chuck to it, I would do an amount equal to the total pork and fat. Experiment with your spices that you enjoy, and add a little binder to it to help retain moisture, non fat dry milk works. Looks like you've got a great start going, just continue with your flavor profile. Good Luck.


Hello jmcrig!  Noticed this is your first post here on SMF!  Would you mind popping by Roll Call so we can give you a proper SMF Welcome and Howdy Do?  We would like to know a bit more about you and what you like to do!  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/133/roll-call

Kat


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## chef jimmyj (May 31, 2013)

I have tried some Hot Link Recipes that have too much " Stuff " going on. I like the sound of your simple approach...JJ


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## toesmasher (Jun 2, 2013)

Those look great.Have never made any sausage so I have a question.....why the ice water bath?


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## dougmays (Jun 2, 2013)

This is great! thanks for the nice write up! i'm going to save this for when i finally get my sausage making done.


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## xutfuzzy (Jun 2, 2013)

Toesmasher said:


> Those look great.Have never made any sausage so I have a question.....why the ice water bath?


In doing my research, I learned that the casings will shrink and wrinkle if they stay at that high temperature too long.  It won't affect the flavor, but just looks a little funny.  The idea of the ice water bath is to quickly cool the internal temperature of the meat to prevent this from happening.  Smoke flavor is very sticky (think about the inside of your smoker and how much of a pain it is to clean) so you don't have to worry about losing smoky flavor in this process.  So in short, it's for aesthetics.


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## smoke slinger (Jun 3, 2013)

Sausage really looks good, it is something that I am wanting to try. Just got to talk the wife into letting me buy the stuff.......lol.......


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## roger davis (Jun 17, 2013)

I'd love to critique them for you. Please ship four-five to New Hampshire. :-). They look and smell great !!!! :-)


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## tksgc (Jun 28, 2013)

you can get your high temp cheddar at Butcher and Packer out of Michigan...best prices


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## mike johnson (Oct 11, 2013)

They look amazing!!! Great job!!!


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## darwin101 (Nov 10, 2013)

Nice looking sausage, I bet they taste great and they are on my to do list.  Does the fresh jalapenos (or other fresh vegetables) shorten the shelf life of such products?  I am just trying to think how large of a batch I can make and how best to store them.

Thanks!


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## raastros2 (Nov 10, 2013)

love that jalapeno sausage!  grew up snacking on it with my dad while riding to go see my grandad and nana in Victoria, Texas


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## pipinchaz (Nov 13, 2013)

Looks great, I'm going to try it later this month when I get time. Thank you for the info and the recipes everyone.


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## gatejumper dale (Nov 18, 2013)

Looks great!  I am going to have to give your recipe a try.  Just out of curiousity, how does yours measure up to the sausage that you are trying to emulate?

Great first run.


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## NJbeernque (Feb 20, 2018)

Hey sir, I stumbled across your sausage recipe and I have always wanted to make this style of sausage. I have 2 questions (I am a novice at smoking)
1. What kind of smoker are you using to manipulate the temps so steady during the time period? I purchased a WSM would I be able to replicate this using that equipment
2. Do you place them back in the smoker to heat up after the cold water bath?

Thanks in advance.


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## ab canuck (Feb 20, 2018)

Thinking I am going to try this recipe as well....


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## xutfuzzy (Feb 20, 2018)

NJbeernque said:


> Hey sir, I stumbled across your sausage recipe and I have always wanted to make this style of sausage. I have 2 questions (I am a novice at smoking)
> 1. What kind of smoker are you using to manipulate the temps so steady during the time period? I purchased a WSM would I be able to replicate this using that equipment
> 2. Do you place them back in the smoker to heat up after the cold water bath?
> 
> Thanks in advance.




1.  I am/was using a Masterbuilt 40" electric smoker.  With a couple of button pushes, I can set the temperature rather easily and have it be consistant.  When I started, I had a propane smoker, and while I COULD have done something similar, it wouldn't have been as easy.  It would have required more babysitting. 

2.  Once cooled and bloomed, it's up to you how to heat them up.  Grill them, griddle them, oven them, whatever. The way I see it, how could it be a bad idea to heat them back up with a little more smoke?  Try one just griddled up first to see if you are happy with the current smoke level.  If you think it could stand some more smoke, go ahead and heat them up in the smoker.


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## jeremy5431 (Aug 6, 2018)

Quick question for you. I don’t have a smoker that I can regulate the heat on. Could I hot smoke these for a couple of hours and omit the cure?


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