Andouille is a spicy smoked sausage made with pork, red and black pepper, and garlic. It`s widely used in Cajun cooking, including jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice. This versatile sausage can be used in any dish that calls for a spicy smoked sausage. It`s also excellent thinly sliced and served cold as an appetizer.

5 lbs fatty pork butt (2.27 kg)
2 1/2 tbsp pickling salt (47.3 g)
1 tsp Prague Powder #1 (5.7 g)
1/4 tsp bay leaf, ground (0.25 g)
1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (2.75 g)
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (3.15 g)
1 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper (3.9 g)
1 tbsp thyme powder (5.7 g)
1 1/2 tbsp paprika (10.8 g)
6 cloves garlic, minced (34 g)
1/2 cup ice cold water (118 ml)
32-35mm prepared hog casings

1. Chill pork butt to 34°F (1°C), grind one time through a 3/8" (10 mm) plate.
2. Combine ground pork with remaining ingredients in a large bowl or tub; mix well until the mixture is sticky and batter like.
3. Stuff freshly mixed sausage batter into 32-35mm hog casings, twist into 10" (25 cm) links, refrigerate overnight to cure.
4. Hang sausage links in preheated 130°F (54°C) smoker with the dampers wide open; hold this temperature for one hour.
5. Add chips, close vents, gradually raise temp to 170°F (77°C). Hold until sausage has an internal temp of 152°F (67°C).
6. Remove links from smoker, shower with cold water until internal temperature drops to 110°F (43°C).
7. Hang andouille at room temperature for 1 hour to bloom.
8. Refrigerate up to 7 days or vacuum seal and freeze up to 6 months.

Notes:
Reduce the cooking time by removing the product from the smokehouse when it reaches an internal temperature of 120°F (49°C). Submerge in a 170°F (77°C) hot water bath until the internal temperature of the product is 152°F (67°C). Do not allow the water to get hotter than 170°F (77°C). USDA suggests cooking sausage to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C).

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