Cajun Andouille Sausage
If you are not familiar with making sausages at home, I wrote a basic tutorial on how to make sausage. If you are smoking these sausages, you’ll need the curing salt No. 1, which you can buy online.
Prep: 120min
Total: 300min
Yield: 20
Serving Size: 1 serving
Nutrition Facts: calories 146 kcal, Carbohydrate 2 g, Protein 23 g, Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 81 mg, Sodium 697 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, servingSize 1 serving
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 pounds venison, (pork, beef or other meat)
- 1 1/2 pounds pork belly or fatty shoulder
- 33 grams kosher salt, (about 3 tablespoons)
- 4 grams Instacure No. 1, (about a teaspoon)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1/2 cup ice water or beer ((put in fridge to keep it cold))
- Hog casings
Instruction:
- Take about 10 to 15 feet of casings (typically three lengths) and submerge them in warm water.
- Cut the meat and fat into chunks and toss with the salt, Instacure, garlic, cayenne, paprika and thyme. You need the Instacure No. 1 as a safety measure when you smoke the links; if you don’t plan on smoking them, you need not use this. Put everything in a container and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the mixture is 35°F or colder. You can also put the mix in the fridge overnight; this will help the bind.
- Grind everything through the coarse die, 7 or 8 mm. Andouille is most typically a country-style, coarse sausage. If you want, you can even hand-mince the meat yourself. If you want to do this, hand mince 1/4 of the meat and fat mixture to get a more interesting texture for your sausage.
- Make sure the mixture is very cold, about 30°F; you will probably need to freeze it again for a while. When it’s cold enough, take it out and add the chilled water or beer to the bowl and mix on the lowest setting for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or with your very clean hands for 2 minutes. The look of the meat will change as it binds to itself, and will look more like thick batter than ground meat and fat.
- If you are making patties, you’re done. Store each patty between pieces of wax paper and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, before freezing. If you are making links, load up a sausage stuffer with the meat and fat. Rinse the casings by running warm water through them: You want to flush some salt and check for any holes in the casings. Thread an entire casing onto the stuffer and fill it slowly. Coil the filled casing as you go. Fill all the casings before making individual links.
- To make individual links, tie off one end of a casing. Compress the sausage inside it to fill that end link. Pinch off a link and flip it away from you several times to tighten it. Move down the coil and pinch down another link. This time, flip the link back toward you to tighten it. (Here’s a quick video on making the links) Repeat this process down the coil until you get to the end. Tie off the end link. Repeat with all the other casings.
- Hang your sausages to dry for an hour or more. Hang for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, or up to overnight where your temperatures are below 45°F. I use a standard clothes drying rack to hang my links. When the sausages are hanging, use a large needle to pierce any spots on the links where there is air trapped underneath. Sterilize the needle in the flames of a gas burner or with a lighter until it glows. You need to pierce any trapped air or your links could burst when you cook them.
- Once the sausages have hung, smoke them over pecan wood for 3 to 4 hours. If you hot-smoke your links, pull them when they reach an internal temperature of 155°F. If your links don’t get to that temperature in time, you can either smoke them longer, or you can finish the cooking in an oven set at 200°F. Once they’re fully cooked, let them cool before freezing.
Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet
This easy Cajun Sausage and Rice Skillet is the perfect easy and filling weeknight dinner, packed with plenty of smoky-spicy flavor!
Prep: 15min
Total: 45min
Yield: 4
Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1.5 cups, calories 547.75 kcal, Carbohydrate 50.8 g, Protein 22.23 g, Fat 28.8 g, Sodium 1328.93 mg, Fiber 4.15 g
Ingredients:
- 14 oz. Andouille sausage* ($3.99)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 bell pepper ($0.89)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
- 1 15oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 cup long grain white rice ($0.62)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instruction:
- Slice the sausage into ¼-½ inch thick slices. Add the sausage and cooking oil to a deep skillet or Dutch oven and sauté over medium heat until the sausage is well browned. Don’t worry if the sausage begins to brown on the bottom of the skillet. That’s extra flavor that will cook into the rice later.
- While the sausage is cooking, dice the bell pepper. Once the sausage is browned, add the bell pepper to the skillet and continue to sauté for about one more minute.
- Add the spices (smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and black pepper) to the skillet with the sausage and bell pepper and continue to sauté for one minute more to toast the spices.
- Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices), rice, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let the skillet simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat and let it rest, with the lid on, for an additional 5 minutes.
- After the skillet has rested, remove the lid, and fold the sausage and rice to redistribute the rice and sausage throughout. Top with sliced green onions and serve!
17 Andouille Sausage Foods
Ingredients:
- Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Andouille-Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Andouille-Stuffed Peppers with Roasted Green Beans
- Andouille Sausage Pot Pie
- Butternut Squash Stew with Andouille and Quinoa
- Stuffed Pork Chops
- Cornbread Stuffing with Andouille Sausage
- Andouille Sausage with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts
- Skillet Cajun Potatoes with Andouille Sausage
- Andouille Sausage Vegetable Soup
- Braised Greens with Andouille
- Cajun Shrimp Lasagna Roll-Ups
- Black-Eyed Peas with Andouille Sausage
- One-Pot Andouille Sausage Skillet Pasta
- Instant Pot Black Bean Soup With Andouille Sausage
- Andouille Chicken Sausage Veggie Kabobs (Deconstructed)
Instruction:
- Select your favorite recipe.
- Organize all the required ingredients.
- Prep an Andouille sausage recipe in 30 minutes or less!
How to Make Cajun Andouille Sausage
FAQ
What makes andouille sausage different?
What’s the best way to cook andouille sausage?
Place sausage in a skillet. Add 1/2-inch of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until heated through, turning links once.
What is the spice in andouille sausage?
Do I remove casing from andouille sausage?