How To Make Andouille Sausage From Scratch
If you've ever wanted to learn how to make andouille sausage from scratch, there's no time like the present. Mississippi chef Brad McDonald takes on the American South in his new book, Deep South. With time-tested recipes and modern spins on Southern favorites alongside stories, history, profiles and more, this is a superb volume that goes well beyond fried chicken and banana pudding.
Not to be confused with the French sausage of the same name, this is a building block of Creole cuisine. It is traditionally made with pork shoulder, but I prefer the higher fat content of belly, which helps carry the flavors further, as well as maintaining moisture in the final product. It's a straightforward sausage to make, as long as you follow the steps properly, keeping the cold chain intact throughout the process.
- 1 onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly dried thyme (hang up a bunch of fresh thyme for a few days until dry)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 3/4 pounds pork belly
- 6 1/2 - 10 feet hog middles or natural sausage casings
- Using a mortar and pestle, grind the onion and garlic to a paste with the spices, thyme and salt. Mix with the pork, then cover and leave in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
- A couple of hours before you plan to mince the meat, spread it out on a baking tray in an even layer and place in the freezer to firm up. Then put it through the finest disk of a meat mincer. Mix well by hand to spread the seasonings evenly throughout the meat.
- Soak the casings in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain. Rinse them by putting one end over the cold tap and running plenty of water through, then drain again. Fill the casings 20 inches at a time, using a sausage stuffer and tying off the sections with butcher’s string. Place in a smoker and smoke at 194°F until the internal temperature of the sausage registers 140°F on a probe thermometer.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or vacuum pack and freeze.