Made a couple batches of sausage yesterday

[Ken Riddle]

Made a couple batches of sausage yesterday and they turned out great so I thought I might pass it on.

I do a lot of work down in Louisiana, and am a big fan of that sausage, but I had run out with no trips on the schedule.  So I just flew in and made some with the new smoker!

I went over to the butcher and got an 11 plus pound pork butt and brought it home, cut it up and ran it thru the meat chopper with the big cutter in it.  I had nearly 10 pounds of meat when I was done, so I divided it into two batches, one for andoullie and one for fresh sausage.  I started out with the andoullie, using a recipie based on one I got from Emeril.

5 lb chopped pork, 75/25 lean to fat
1/3 cup Tony Cachere's
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup paprika, the sweet kind
2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp cayenne
generous 1/4 cup chopped garlic

Mixed it up good in a great big bowl then stuffed it in 37mm synthetic casings.  Real andoullie is packed in big natural casings but I didn't have any.  I just used what I had and it worked out fine.  I stuffed it in links about 10-12".

Used a cold smoke of pecan biskettes for 5 hours.  The temp leveled off at about 125 degrees which seemed to be fine.  I have a buddy who runs a meat shop in Thibedeaux and he smokes for 8-10 hours at 130 degrees over pecan and sugar cane.

I primarily use andoullie to season with and for gumbo and stew, but I had to have some for breakfast this morning.  It was really great, but a mite hot for some people's tastes.  It came out a beautiful color as well.

The other batch of pork went for fresh sausage that I like to grill out or have in my beans.  Here is my recipie for it.

Remember, I started out with the pork done with the coarse grind blade.

5 pounds pork
1/2 cup chopped garlic
2 bunches green onions, whites and greens, chopped.
chopped jalepenos to your taste
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp salt

Mixed it all up and used the same kind of 37mm casings.

I stuffed it all and, as I said, I usually just use it fresh or freeze it right away, but this time I had the smoker going and tossed a couple links in with the andoullie.

It was amazing smoked with the andoullie for 4-5 hours over the pecan.  I had it for breakfast side by side with the fresh unsmoked and there is simply no comparison.  I did not freeze the batch last night and had planned to do it this morning, but right now it is in the smoker taking 5 hours of pecan smoke.

That Bradley smoker is really a great thing, and thank all of you again for posting all the tips on here.

Ken Riddle

[Ken Riddle]

that andoullie shows 2 lines for onion powder.  One should be garlic powder

Ken

[Mr Walleye]

Looks good Ken. I'm just curious if you used a cure in the andoullie.

Mike

[KyNola]

Sound like a man after my heart.  Love Louisiana and andouille.  Haven't made any yet but I have all the ingredients and equipment necessary.  Just need to find time.  Next time you're around LaPlace LA, there are two places there that are famous for their andouille.

KyNola

[Ken Riddle]

No, I didn't use a cure in the andoullie.  I put it in the freezer as soon as it was back to room temp and I always make sure it is cooked really done.

My friend is John Bourgeouis, of Bourgeouis Meat Market in Thibedeaux.  I always get fifteen pounds or so when I am down there to bring home to cook with, and he told me about how he smokes it.  He always cautioned me to be sure it was cooked as it was really smoked, but not cooked.  A lot of the stuff sold for andoullie in the supermarkets is more like commercial smoked sausage, and does not have to be cooked.  John's is just the best, but still not as good as his jerky, which is indescribable it is so good.

The Jacobs place in LaPlace is very good for andoullie, and there are two of them which both claim to be original.  I think the little place is better than the bigger one that ships, but they are both really great.

If you get over to Lafayette, in the little town of Scott, there is a fabulous meat market called the Best Stop.  Their andoullie is wonderful, and different to any I have had.  They have great boudin as well if you like it.

Bourgeouis also makes the hard to get red boudin if you like it, a fresh pork, pork liver, onions, and rice sausage made with fresh veal blood.  There are only two places in the state that the health department will let make it, and Bourgeouis is one of them.  It is really good and peppery and if you can stand the vampire jokes it is really delicious.

There is a really cool site on the web called the boudin link, if you like to look at the different meat markets in south louisiana.  It is done by a couple of guys down there and they have never been wrong when I have tried them on a recommendation.  It is a fun read as well.

Thanks yall

Ken

[Habanero Smoker]

They look like good recipes. Just a follow up to Mike's question. What temperature did you have the cabinet at? If I am using a low temperature (below 225°F), I always add a cure in my sausages.

[Buck36]

Is the andouille that you get in Bourgeouis Meat Market cured?

I ask because I have bought andouille a multitude of ways and it is always advertised as the real authentic cajun andouille.

Is the Bourgeouis Meat Market a cured hard sausage or a loose fresh sausage similar to yours?

[Ken Riddle]

The two on the left are the fresh (smoked) green onion and jalepeno sausage and the three on the right are the andoullie.

Ken

[Ken Riddle]

The Bourgeoruis andoullie is a loose sausage like I made with no cure in it.  The Jacobs and Best Stop andoullie are much harder than Bourgeouis.

My cabinet leveled off about 125-130 degrees and it stayed about five hours.

As far as cure goes, yall keep in mind I don't know what I am doing!  I just hauled off and made some as near as I could tell the way John does.  Like I say, he has always cautioned me to be sure and cook it good and done, and you can tell it is not at all like the commercial smoked sausage.  But it is MUCH better.

The Best Stop guys say it is "almost cooked" and only needs to be warmed up.

Do I need to put a cure in it?  I really don't know and have seen recipies that caul for cure, but I didn't use any.  I looked for a few recipies and didn't come up with much, other than Emeril.  He does not call for a cure, but does seem to want to hot-smoke everything he smokes.

Ken

[Mr Walleye]

Ken

I'm fairly new to making sausage but everything I have read regarding it indicates if you are going to maintain a temp under 140 for that long you need cure. Here is a few links to some articles on Olds recipe site. You can check out the rest of all the recipes on the site as well, just click on the smoker in the bottom of my post.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?p=9#post9

Here is a link to Len Poli's site which has a pile of sausage recipes including at least a couple andoullie recipes.
http://lpoli.50webs.com/Sausage%20recipes.htm#AMERICAN%20TYPE%20COOKED%20SAUSAGES

Here is another article that I obtained from this web site http://www.3men.com/allyou.htm#Smoking%20Sausage
There are also some sausage recipes on this site as well.

"Botulism

Botulism is a serious form of food poisoning caused by eating food contaminated with the deadly toxin botulin. Foodborne botulism was first identified in Europe during the 1800s as a problem in - sausage. Then name botulin even comes from the Latin word for sausage, botulus. Botulin is particularly insidious because it can exist without a foul odor or other sign of contamination. This is probably going to be more than you care to read about botulism but it is very serious form of poisoning and precautions must be taken to prevent it.

Symptoms of botulism poisoning usually appear suddenly within 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. These symptoms include blurred or double vision, droopy eyelids, dry mouth, slurred speech, swallowing difficulty, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle weakness. Botulism can lead to death without the proper medical treatment.

The toxin is usually found in contaminated or improperly prepared canned foods. If you ever see a bulging can of food, do not open it – throw it away. It may very well be contaminated. Botulin can also exist in sausage and that is what we are discussing here.

The conditions that are necessary to produce foods contaminated with botulin include lack of oxygen, low acidity, the presence of moisture, and temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. All of these conditions can be present when smoking sausage: lack of oxygen from the smoking, low acidity and moisture in the meat and smoking temperatures in the above range.

Cures containing sodium nitrite must be used to prevent the occurrence of botulin contamination in smoked sausage. Suppliers of sausage making equipment and supplies, and some butcher shops sell cures. Some names these cures are sold under include Prague Powder No. 1, Insta Cure and Heller's Complete Cure. Morton Salt also sells these products and they publish an excellent booklet that discusses the use of cures titled 'Home Meat Curing Guide'.

Mail order sources, which we use for cures, are:

Stuffers Supply Company                     (Located in Canada but will ship to USA)

Eldon's Jerky and Sausage Supply     

The Sausage Maker     

Allied Kenco                       

Handle cures carefully and follow the directions on the package. Be sure to measure or weigh cures accurately. The cure should be mixed well with the water or other liquid that you will mix with the meat. Be sure to distribute the liquid containing the cure over the meat evenly.

This is clearly not intended to be a complete discussion of botulism, it's causes or when, where or in what it can exist. Use your favorite search engine to search "botulism" for more information. This writing is meant to alert you to the danger of botulism when smoking sausage and the need to take precautions to prevent it.

If you are not using a cure in your sausage, don't smoke it!"




Mike

[Ken Riddle]

I took that andoullie in the picture and made some greens stew with it.  I cut it up, browned it with a little butter, then broke the debris on the bottom of the pot with a little rice vinegar.  I added a can of Glory seasoned greens and a little cane syrup and let it simmer a while.

As you can see, the andoullie broke out a beautiful brown color to the stock and was really smoked and seasoned the way I like it.  It might have been a little bit hot for some tender tounges, but I thought it was pretty dang good for a first time out.

Ken

[Mr Walleye]

It does look good Ken!  8)

Mike

[Ken Riddle]

Thanks man!!  I will sure cure it next time.  Hope I make it the next 36 hours!!  If it kills me, it was a mighty fine last meal!

I remember when I was young some botulism got out in canned potato soup.

Like I say, I don't know what I am doing and this board is sure helpful.

Ken

[La Quinta]

Man...I need to make some more sausage...looks awesome. We'll start to get worried tomorrow night if we don't hear from ya Ken!! Gotta be ultra cautious with Pork man...cure it next time kay?

[Ken Riddle]

Yes, sir--cure next time for sure!!

I did some reading and it says that the toxin cannot survive if cooked at 200 degrees for at least 10 minutes.  I will be sure and cook it really good.  I am not going to use it for stand alone munching just for that reason.  I will make gumbos and stew with it--that starts out with a good hard boil for a long time.

Thanks again for the tips yall--

Ken