Along with the hot dog, andouille is the quintessential American sausage.
And like the hot dog, it too owes at least part of its origins to Germans, even though with a French name it sounds counterintuitive. So far as I can tell, Louisiana-style andouille sausages are a product of early German immigration — and when I mean early I mean the 1750s, when Louisiana was part of France. France still has versions of andouille, but the American variety has been evolving independently for centuries, and no longer resembles its ancestors.
Andouille is a Cajun food, most at home in southern Louisiana, but it also appears a lot in New Orleans Creole cooking, too. It is almost always smoked and heavily seasoned. What makes an andouille unique? Typically onions, garlic, cayenne or other hot chiles, black pepper and usually thyme.
But remember, there are as many versions as there are cooks, and Louisianans guard their recipes closely. (Note: If you are looking for that other quintessential Cajun sausage, boudin, my recipe for that is here.)
Normally andouille is a pork sausage, but my homemade version is a mix of venison and pork. Why? It’s what I had lying around in the freezer. Frankly, andouille is so heavily spiced and smoked you can make it with whatever meat you have on hand.
There is no reason you can’t just eat an andouille sausage: A link served on a bun with green peppers, minced celery, onions and Creole mustard would be damn good — Cajun hot dog! But it is typically tossed into other dishes, like gumbo or jambalaya.
Although fresh versions do exist, if you are looking for that authentic andouille flavor, you’ll need to smoke your sausages. Pecan or hickory wood are classic fuels, but apple or walnut or even oak will be fine.
Once smoked, andouille sausages last in the fridge a week or so, and they freeze very well. Remember these will be cooked sausages, so once you decide to use your andouille you’ll just be reheating them, not cooking them.
For hunters: If you are starting with frozen wild game, you can thaw it, make these sausages, smoke the links and then refreeze them. So long as you cook them to an internal temperature of at least 150°F, the texture of the sausages will not suffer too much.
Cajun Andouille Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon lard or peanut oil
- 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 heaping teaspoon
- 25 grams dry milk, about 1/3 cup (optional)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
- 1/2 cup red wine or beer (put in fridge to keep it cold)
- Hog casings
Instructions
- Heat the lard or peanut oil in a small saute pan and cook the onions over medium heat until they are soft, translucent and slightly browned on the edges. Remove from the pan and let cool.
- While the onions are cooking, take about 10 to 15 feet of casings (typically three lengths) and submerge them in warm water.
- Make sure you remove as much silverskin as possible from your meat. Cut the meat and fat into 1 to 2 inch chunks and toss with the salt, Instacure, dry milk, garlic, cayenne, paprika, clove, allspice, thyme and powdered mustard. 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. You need the dry milk to help the links hold onto their moisture: If you skip this, they will still taste good, but they will shrivel up when you chill them. Put everything in a container and freeze for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the mixture is 35°F or colder.
- Grind the onions, meat and fat through the coarse die. (If you are using the KitchenAid Food Grinder set the mixer on the No. 4 speed) Andouille is most typically a country-style, coarse sausage. If you want, you can even hand-mince the meat yourself. TIP: 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 red wine 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. This turns what was essentially flavored ground meat into a cohesive sausage. 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 length of link with one hand, and another link with the other to create a second link next to the end sausage. Flip this second link over to create the sausage. Gently compress the meat in both the end link and this second one. Flip the second link over several times to tighten it. Move down the coil and create two more links. This time, flip the link back toward you to tighten it. 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 for at least 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.
Nutrition
I made these for the 3rd time and have used lamb, pork and black bear. Black bear was my favourite.
I used to be able to get kosher andouille sausage but no one makes it anymore. Going to try your recipe. Since I won’t use pork, would chicken or turkey be an ok substitute? Can I used already ground poultry or grind it myself? Also for the fat can I use rendered chicken fat or should I just use the fat from a whole chicken. Can’t wait to try this.
Toby: I’d use beef. You need fat in sausage, and beef or lamb will get you there, where poultry will not. And you cannot use rendered fat in this sausage, and I would not use unrendered poultry fat, either.
So I should use fatty beef or lamb and not add chunks of fat? I just ordered the meat grinder attachment but can’t find kosher casings to buy in a small quantity but this isn’t an issue
Toby: I would use very fatty beef, but not chunks of beef fat because using fatty cuts, or fat trimmed off a steak, will be less waxy than fat from, say, the kidney, which is where you get tallow. Kosher casings? Easy. Buy the collagen ones, or sheep casings. They’re not made from pork. I use these: https://www.sausagemaker.com/22-24mm-natural-sheep-casings-p/17-1114.htm
Fantastic flavor and easy recipe to follow! I just finished smoking a small batch (5 lbs) using elk. Great flavor. I ate a couple while waiting for the full batch to cool and wish I would have slowed down long enough to enjoy them with some grainy mustard! One question — when smoking do you have a tip for keeping the casing as soft as possible? I was multitasking while working from home and ended up cooking them to around 165F internal — so the longer cook time may have affected the finished product. And I started at 180F but bumped to 225F cooking temp — any idea if a lower, slower smoke process yields a more tender casing? I’ll do some experimenting but would welcome any input.
I am looking for a Scandinavian sausage that has berries in it. Any ideas?
Any particular size casing that works best? I moved to the UK and need my Andouille fix. Lots of sizes to choose from here. Not sure if it’ll affect the cooking/smoking or not. Never made sausage before but the wife’s got a kitchen aid mixer so why not. Thanks!
Stuart: Any size hog casings will do.
Thanks! Heading to my local butcher to get supplies! Much appreciated!
I’m looking forward to trying several of your recipes. Which one would you recommend first to use with black bear? The meat I have is very mild having eaten mostly corn and acorns before being harvested. Fat content is fairly low.
Matt: Definitely be sure that whatever recipe you choose, you have enough fat to get to at least 20% by weight. You might need to add pork fatback or fatty shoulder or belly. I’d use bear in any venison sausage recipe, though.
Made the andouille and was great recipe.
Many thanks!
Made 20 lbs
After the sausages have hung, can I freeze them and them smoke them later?
Kim: Yes you can.
Followed your recipe to the tee, first class .best sausage in a log
I have an electric smoker. At what temp do you recommend smoking the sausages?
Trey: I’d smoke them at about 180 to 200F.
Made my second batch of andouille today 23/02/2020, both turned out perfect.keep them coming,rothbury bob northumberland.
When freezing sausages in my Foodsaver vacuum sealer, ( the ONLY way to freeze!) I put the links, still connected together on a cookie sheet, and slide it into the freezer for a while. This freezes the sausage which I then separate with scissors, and vacuum seal. This gives a nice air-free bag without squeezing the filling out of the casings.
I am smoking 2 big summer sausages and 6 lbs of links my smoker has a setting and it’s running at 150. Should I smoke them the same amout of time 3-4 hours or should the summer sausage go longer. I don’t wanna dry them out
Robert: Not sure about the summer sausage, but I would not smoke andouille more than 3 hours.
It would be nice if you went into detail on how to smoke this and other sausage recipes on your site – whether they are to be cold or hot smoked. It is really not clear which smoke you use but you do mention here that with a hot smoke the internal temp needs to get to 155 degrees. If you were cold smoking this sausage, what smoke temperaturis ideal and for how long, and my guess is you would have to cook it afterwards (whether eating it fresh-smoked or frozen then thawed?). If hot smoking, what is the ideal temperature to smoke it? thanks for these details
Cathy: I never cold smoke, as it is not easy for 99% of households to do. Cold smoking is such a niche way to smoke foods it is assumed that I am not doing it.
I love Jimmy Dean’s Sage and Hot sausage but after reading the ingredients I don’t buy it anymore. It has sugar and msg and some other mystery stuff. I can’t have the sugar. Do you have a recipe that I could make without the sugar and msg? Could I use Monk Fruit as my sweetener? Would my sausage taste odd without the sugar? I am extremely chemically sensitive to food.
Judy: Leave out the sugar, and I don’t use MSG.
It’s been a few years since I’ve been able to make a trip to Louisiana, and it’s been near impossible to find some decent Andouille in my area of Northern California. I just finished smoking a batch of this recipe using venison and wild pig (along with some pork fat from my local market) that was harvested this season. It’s definitely what I’ve been looking for, and I can’t wait to use it in some gumbo! Thanks for another killer recipe, Hank!
Thank you Hank. I just ordered a scale.
When I did a “grams of kosher salt to Tbsp conversion” I get just under 2 Tbsp not 3. This seems like it could be an issue. Am I wrong?
Michael: It all depends on which brand of kosher salt you use. They are cut differently, which is why I use grams.
When these are done in the smoker, should they be plunged into ice water (like in Kielbalsa recipe), or allowed to cool slowly. The Kielbalsa shrinks a lot if cooled slowly, but the plunge keeps them plump. Wouldn’t the same principle work with these sausage?
Scott: It does, and yes, I do that sometimes.
Actually, Andouille is reported to have originated in France and was brought to the US by the immigrants who would become the Creoles.
John: In name only. The actual sausage has more of a German influence. I did a lot of reading on this, and I was surprised to learn of the German influence, too.
Howdy there. Just curious; why the dried mustard? Recipe looks fantastic!
I’m nearly 100% Cajun and as such I can assure everyone that the meat in andouille is strictly pork!
Sheesh, it originated in France. Brittany area … It was brought to Louisiana by the French immigrants that would merge to create much of Creole Culture. The town of LaPlace, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River, is nicknamed “The Andouille Capital of the World,” is especially noted for its Creole andouille. .. not German.
we use heart meat in our andoullie. it’s not typical, but it steps it up a notch in my opinion
Hello Hank
Gave these a go. I’m in the true deep south…South Pacific that is , Wellington New Zealand! Just been through the process culminating with my first try smoking – well I’m “gutted” as we would say here…my full moist and fat sausages have ended up tight rubbish dry sticks with most of the fat gone (did use the dried milk btw). It’s my fault for not keeping a regular eye on it – was watching the Rugby Test last night. Hank more detailed tips for the likes of us first time smokers (lol) would be appreciated. I didn’t think about the fat dissipating…I know F…-all about smoking tbh. Alchemy it seems! Back to the drawing board for me. Incidentally my daughter (13 year old) suggested I experiment with quality shop bought sausages to understand smoking instead of all the effort from scratch…out of the mouth of babes… ..Keep up you enjoyable site, Michael
Receita bem diferente, vou fazer para a famÃlia, acredito que todos irão adorar.
Second time making. First was great but no kick. Friends who tried it loved it. I am ratcheting up the spices though for kick. Couple tablespoons redpepper, tablespoon cayenne, couple tablespoons paprika, couple of fresh jalapenos. Should be moderately spiced. I’m Polish and we eat spicy food..
I’m a Cajun from Evangeline parish we audouille made our audouille with hog casting stuffed with hog casing we season it very well no celery ,and they was smoked with hickory or pecan wood ,I love them. Not many Cajun use celery around here,Creole used celery and more spices.we also used the pigs stomach we stuff it some
similar to audouille,I like to add green onions,yellow or white onions, parsley and jalapenos then smoked
I have tried a few recipes and this has got to be the best one. I smoked the links over low heat for 2 hours and then finished them for a hour in the oven at 200 degrees. For my taste I cut the salt to 2 TBS, increased the cayenne, and cut the cloves to 1/4 tsp. Used Beef, Venison and pork. Dark beer made a nice smooth flavor, and the smoke and seasonings were perfect.
This is the best andullie that I have ever eaten. My husband agrees and so does my neighbor who I shared it with.
I made emeril Lagasse,s recipe, buy yours is by far the best.
Thank you for sharing it. I have one question . I seem to have to throw away too much me by trying to remove the silverskin. Does pork butt Oporto shoulder have any less silverskin?
Made the Boudin first. Then I made this Andouille. Never made sausage before but got interested on a trip to South Louisiana this past Spring. Turns out what my father (born in Crowley) called Rice Dressing is basically Boudin stuffing. The Andouille was a lot easier to make and I was a little further up on the learning curve. I popped several links of Boudin while twisting them, only one of the Andouille. I couldn’t resist frying up a couple of patties for quality control. WOW!!! Chicken and Andouille gumbo coming up!
I used the KitchenAid grinder and a “Kitchener” vertical stuffer I got at Northern Tool (yes, Northern Tool). It is identical to the “Lem” sold elsewhere and was half the price. Worked Great!
I made this recipe last week and it is incredible, as is all your stuff ! Toughest part now is being able to keep some for myself after friends and family tasted it. Thank you
Does a certain type of wine or beer matter? For example does using use a Lager, Domestic, or Malt provide a better result? Same question for wine?
You mention Andouille as having a French version. This is a salami type sausage made with veal tripe and pigs intestines, Andouillette is the fresh version, definitely not for everyone you either love them or hate them, personally I love them!
Wow. so happy to have found your website. have had very little success with our home made sausage, but after choosing to try this recipe, and following your instructions to a T, we had great success! Used the appropriate ingredients in our our sausage mix, and had equally good results. Thank you for taking the time to explain the meed for the dry NF milk, cure#1, and added moisture. The sausage was a thing of beauty when I pulled it form the smoker, and when we sampled it, my wife yelled, “This is It’! Everything was spot on moisture, fat content, bind, perfect. really looking forward to making this, and a couple more very soon.
Thanks Again!
The two things that make Andouille distinctive to me are the larger pieces of meat and the sugar cane with pecan and hackberry smoking. This can almost blacken the casing but gives it a delicious flavor. If you don’t have access to the sugar cane you can put some molasses on the smoking wood.
Now to figure out how to make Audad sheep palatable.
Just found your site and started reading. Very interesting. Really enjoyed the comments. Hank, I am from Mississippi but lived in Louisiana for 24 years, and for the last 10 years i live in the Philippines. There is no sausage here eatable so i make my own. I started selling my homemade sausage about 4 years ago and now people are coming from all over the world to get some good Cajun Sausage, it is the best. I have really met some nice people here and they always come back for more sausage .
Made this with javelina. Lots of people don’t eat javelina, claiming it’s not good. Many others say as long as you don’t contaminate the meat with musk, it’s good (although very lean). Most people recommended sausage, as the individual cuts of meat aren’t really big, and they are very lean. This recipe was great, although very spicey, and it was hard to judge what the flavor of the javelina really was. I think I will use the rest of the meat to make a different, less spicey sausage, maybe the juniper and sage. We don’t have a stuffer, made patties. However, I think this recipe with javelina in hog casings would be fantastic!
I just saw a food show that was talking about making andouille saussage with pork belly. It looked amazing! Would this be possible with this recipe? Any changes to the recipe?
from southeast Louisiana. we use left over ham to make andouille and smoke with pear wood. also, we smoke turkey with pecan wood and make andouille and resmoke with aged pecan wood
Thanks for the recipe, Hank. I really like the idea of using beer instead of wine; it seems more authentic. I can’t imagine that my Grandfather’s parents had red wine and that’s probably the last generation of my family that would have made their own sausage- until I started a few years ago. I’m pretty happy with mine and I grind ? of my meat through the coarse die and hand-chop the rest into ¼ inch pieces. Having the actual pieces of meat in there is part of what makes it andouille.
Starriddin, I’m a native also and my Mother used to live in Laplace! I’m in middle Tennessee now so if I want good andouille, I better be looking to make it myself. Thanks for sharing the recipe that is so similar to Jacobs; they are the gold standard I am striving for, too. I used 1 ½ tsp cayenne/ 3 lbs of meat and it had a little zing to it. You are using 3 T cayenne and 1 T pepper flakes/ 5 lbs of meat. That sounds REALLY spicy! I like mine spicy but usually dumb it down a bit to accommodate more delicate palates. How spicy is yours compared to Jacob’s?
Hi Hank,
I live in Laplace, La – the Andouille capital of the world. As a 7th generation Louisianian, I thought I would give you the original recipe.
For 5 Lbs pork butt ground ( traditionally, the pork is cut into 1/2″ cubes, fat included) use 1/2 tbsp Morton’s Tender Quick cure per pound of meat. This is important as Morton’s is about 80% salt and 20% sugar. Do not add additional salt. Add 2 Tbsp red pepper, 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper, 1 and 1/2 tbsp black pepper, 1/2 cup minced garlic, 1 cup dry red wine. That’s it! Mix well and let marinate overnight in the fridge. Stuff into middle Beef casings, not hog casings. Smoke with only Pecan wood and sugarcane if you can get it. It’s okay without the sugarcane. Start with sausage at room temperature and smoker at 130 degrees. Gradually increase the temperature about 10 degrees per hour until the smoker is at 170 degrees. Smoke until meat temperature is 155 degrees. Usually this takes about 9 or 10 hours. Place in ice water bath for 30 minutes.
The old Cajuns were simple folk who rarely had access to more spices than these. This must be cold smoked so the fat does not render. The fat is what flavors the dishes like gumbo and Jambalaya. I make it this way and it is nearly identical to Bailey’s and Jacob’s Andouille, two famous local Andouille shops here in Laplace. I hope you like it!
Just made a batch of andouille with venison yesterday. Came out great. Love the taste. Just one thing…our sausages shriveled up (hog casings) despite dipping them immediately in water after taking them out of the smoker. Is there something we could have done better to prevent this?
Yep. Two things: I find that if your heat is just about 180 degrees or so and you let the links cool after you’re done, they won’t shrink so bad. Your no-fail alternative is to add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of milk powder to the mix; it’s a professional’s trick. The milk absorbs moisture and helps the links keep it.
I made these yesterday (with goose) and they came out great. I just added them with the spices.
You ought to give Tasso a try. It’s a spicy cajun style smoked ham. That is one of the primary ingredients here for Cajun Cassoulet.
Hey Hank, long time follower and I’m a coonass from Louisiana. I love to cook! You asked for tips on andouille sausages, well traditionally andouille is spiced with cayenne,black pepper, salt garlic and thyme; then it is heavy smoked over Pecan wood and sugar cane stalks. the sugar from the cane coats the sausages and they become almost black. The sugar coating the sausages really sucks up the smoke!
Bob: Yes, you can skip it. Lots of people do, but I like the color and flavor you get by using No. 1, and you get that added safety factor, too.
First, I love your site and the recipes are great. My question for this recipe and many others calling for your short cures (cure #1), couldn’t I just cold smoke them around that 50 degree mark overnight and then finish them off either with hot smoke or in a dish?
As long as they were cooked after, I could also freeze them immediately after the cold smoking?
I made some with goose leg meat minus the Instacure….and smoked them over applewood with stovepipe porter beer. Wow!
Anthony: Yep. I’ve done it. Duck + pork fat = good eats!
Could you use duck for this ?
How about bacon grease in place of lard/oil?
Andrew
CURE #1
Some Other Names:
Pink Salt;
Tinted Cure Mix (TCM);
Tinted Curing Powder (TCP);
Prague powder #1;
InstaCure #1;
Modern cure;
D.Q. powder;
FLP;
L.E.M. cure;
Sure Cure;
Fast Cure;
Speed Cure
This premix is use in meats and sausages that require a short curing time, and will be smoked, cooked or canned. It is a blend of salt and sodium nitrite, and of course it has the curing properties of sodium nitrite. The salt is added as a carrier and to make it easier to measure. In the United States it is dyed pink, so chefs and the home user will not mistake it for salt or sugar. Though it goes by several different brand and generic names, they all have the same formula of 93.75% salt, and 6.25% sodium nitrite (1 pound of salt plus 1 ounce of sodium nitrite).
Cure #1 can be used as a dry brine (dry cure) or in a wet brine (pickle). It provides the same curing properties of sodium nitrite, and is considered a quick cure, because it starts curing immediately upon contact with the meat. As mentioned earlier, this type of cure is used for curing meats for a short period of time that will be cooked, smoked, or canned. This includes poultry, fish, ham, bacon, luncheon meats, corned beef, pates, sausages and other products too numerous to mention.
NOTE: This is not interchangeable with cure #2, or any of the Morton brand name cures. Also do not mistake this for recipes calling for sodium nitrite, which means pure sodium nitrite.
Use as directed, more is not better and it can be toxic. To ensure that the cure is distributed more evenly in your sausage, mix it with the liquid that your recipe calls for, or mix it with the meat prior to grinding.
Use as follows:
Cure per pound of ground meat/fat:
Amount of Meat/Fat Amount of Cure
Vol. Wt.
1 lb. 1/4 tsp. .05 oz.
2 lbs. 3/8 tsp. .08 oz.
3 lbs. 1/2 tsp. .10 oz.
4 lbs. 3/4 tsp. .15 oz.
5 lbs. 1 tsp. .20 oz.
10 lbs. 2 tsp. .40 oz.
15 lbs. 1 Tbsp. .60 oz.
20 lbs. 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. .80 oz.
25 lbs. 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. 1.00 oz.
50 lbs. 3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. 2.00 oz.
100 lbs. 6 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. 4.00 oz.
CURE #2
Some Other Names:
Prague powder #2;
InstaCure #2;
Modern cure #2;
D.Q. powder #2
his cure is a blend of salt and sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. The salt is added as a carrier and to make it easier to measure. In the United States it is dyed pink, so chefs and the home user will not mistake it for salt or sugar. It goes by several different brand and generic names, but they all have the same formula of 89.75% salt, and 6.25% sodium nitrite, and 4% sodium nitrate (1 pound of salt, plus 1 ounce of sodium nitrite, plus .64 ounce of sodium nitrate).
Cure #2 has the same curing and food preservative properties as sodium nitrite, and the extended curing time of sodium nitrate. It is specifically formulated to be used for making uncooked dry cured products that require several weeks to several months to cure. Dry curing meat or sausage properly cannot be done with Cure #1 which contains sodium nitrite only; it dissipates too quickly.
Cure #2 can be compared to the time release capsules used in medicines – the sodium nitrites start working immediately, while the sodium nitrates slowly reduce over time into sodium nitrites. Thus allowing for the much longer curing times required to dry cure, which can take up to 6 months. Generally used in such sausages as pepperoni, hard salami, geonoa salami, prosciutto hams, dried farmers sausage, capicola and others that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration.
NOTE: This is not interchangeable with cure #1, or by any of the Morton brand name cures. Nor is it interchangeable with sodium nitrate or saltpeter which is measured differently and has different curing times. Also do not mistake this for recipes calling for sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite, which means pure sodium nitrate or pure sodium nitrite.
How to Use: Measures the same as cure #1 (see above).
Use as directed, more is not better and it can be toxic. To ensure that the cure is distributed more evenly in your sausage, mix it with the liquid that your recipe calls for, or mix it with the meat prior to grinding.
Just as cure #1, when using cure #2 additional salt needs to be added to your sausage. Cure #2 can be used as a dry brine (cure) or in a wet brine (pickle).
Now this recipe excites me a lot! I’m gonna have to make it this coming weekend for sure.
Hank, love reading your blogs. First time to post. I thought what made an andouille an andouille was the grain of meat used, or less processed. I’m from Louisiana and I’m working in Illinois. I laugh when people pronounce it (anduelly).The L is silent. ; )
Andrew: No. One is sodium nitrate, the other is sodium nitrite. You cannot use them interchangeably.
Couldn’t you substitute Instacure #2 for #1, but not vice versa, so long as the salt bill wasn’t too high?
You may have just bumped 4 or 5 things of my list to make to add these sausages.
Fishguy: No, you can’t substitute. Instacure No. 2 is for long-cured products. It is like a time-release pill in that it slowly protects the meat by releasing nitrite over time. Instacure No. 1 is nitrite, Instacure No. 2 is nitrate. Nitrate degrades over time into nitrite. Do not mix the two.
Hank,
these look great! Can I use instacure #2 inplace of #1?
Kevin: It would work perfectly, I suspect. Just skin those ducks, remove all the fat, and replace it with sweet, delicious pork fat!
I pound a lot of ducks in my hood, I’m always looking for another fun way to use the “fish eaters’… What are your thoughts on making Andouille sausage with duck and pork?
Oh man Hank, you’ve got me drooling. I love New Orleans cuisine and andouille is near the top of the list. If I’m not mistaken, there are a lot of similarities between andouille and linguica no? A little more of this and a little less of that possible to tweak to the Portuguese palate?
Tom’s comment above is right on the money. Rabbit would make a fantastic gumbo. I’ve had it with pigeon as well which ROCKED. Make your roux DARK though to stand up to the flavor of the meat.
Here’s a couple of ideas from my blog for something to do with that andouille if you grow weary of eating it straight:
Jambalaya: http://thedamntrueexperiment.blogspot.com/2012/03/man-can-cook-17-jump-out-da-gym.html
Gumbo: http://thedamntrueexperiment.blogspot.com/2011/05/man-can-cook-9-gumbo-du-fontenot.html#more
I’m pretty sure Jackrabbit and andouille would make a fine gumbo! Just saying!
Some day I’d love to get into making my own sausage, I really would. That’s even more true after seeing those gorgeous beauties up there. I need my daughter to grow up a little more first though. Saving the recipe for sure! Many thanks.
I love seeing all the variations. I use red wine vinegar instead of wine or beer, more paprika, a little chopped italian parsley, and no milk powder. Then hot smoke it. Sometimes I’ll add in some chopped roasted red bell pepper too, just for kicks.
Andrew: True dat. But you need a quality grinder to do it. I’ve found the Kitchenaid grinder not up to the task.
Beauty.
On a whim, I ran untrimmed venison through a good sharp hand grinder yesterday (a foreleg shank) and it was a beautiful thing. Point being, silverskin isn’t as big a deal as one would think if the grinder has the teeth and balls to cut it. It makes the sausage a lot richer and gives a better snap on the bite. I ran beef neck tendon through a grinder along with some other trim and it really added to the recipe’s texture.