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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja4c97t wrote

Getting ready to make a big ol pot of gumbo soon and the place I used to get andouille from has become.... undesirable. So I decided to try making my own! Super happy with the way they turned out! Good bind, great snap to the casings, awesome flavour and texture. There's a pleasant bit of firey heat from the cayenne and black pepper. Definitely going to do this recipe again!

  • 3kg cubed pork shoulder
  • 43g kosher salt
  • 9g prague #1
  • 4 Tbsp fresh grated garlic
  • 3.5 tsp cayenne
  • 2.5 tsp paprika
  • 2.5 tsp dried thyme
  • 2.5 tsp medium ground black pepper
  • 170 ml ice water

Freeze the cubed pork for an hour before grinding once on a 3mm die. Return to the freezer for another hour. Add all the seasonings to the meat and mix until sticky. I did this much in two batches in my kitchenaid mixer. Stuff the sausages (I used 32/35mm hog casings) and twist into links. Dry in the fridge on wire racks for 24 hours. If you're able to set up a small fan to blow over them during this period, it really helps the process! Cold smoke for 24 hours. I do stuff like this in the winter because it lets me keep a food safe temperature in the chamber for that length of time. I used alder for my smoke because it's a good local wood here, but oak or pecan would be great too. After 24 hours, start bringing your smoker temp up. I used this schedule: 120f for an hour, 140 for an hour, 180 until they hit 155f internal. Take em out, drop them into ice water to cool completely, then wipe them dry with a towel and into the fridge they go overnight to bloom. I should also mention that it's essential to eat one as soon as it comes out of the smoker. That's just responsible cooking! Once they've had that final bloom in the fridge they're fully ready to either package up or start using.

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skiesunbroken t1_ja6q5os wrote

What happened to the place where you used to get your andouille?

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja6u7ag wrote

Had a chance to work there briefly and found out the place was FILTHY. Plus I learned a lot about their generally poor technique when it came to sausage making, etc. The product was never that great to begin with but it was the only stuff around. I found out why it was that way.

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GiovanniResta t1_ja80n9s wrote

Forgive my newbie question. What does it mean "to make the sausage bloom in the fridge"? What does happen?

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja92bkp wrote

Basically, it just means that the surface of the sausages will dry out a bit which deepens the flavour and colour a bit more

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TheDrunkScientist t1_ja4snk6 wrote

Louisianian here. I approve this message.

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja4vgxv wrote

Thanks bud! It's near impossible to get andouille up here in the part of Canada where I live, so learning to make my own has always been a goal. Same with gumbo. Only option for that is the canned stuff which is watery and full of tomatoes and soggy rice.

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HotConcrete t1_ja5qq0y wrote

Fascinating. The Acadians were kicked out of Canada. They settled in Louisiana. And now their food makes it back up to Canada.

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[deleted] t1_ja5tpht wrote

[deleted]

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja5w473 wrote

So cold smoking is when you apply smoke to something but you maintain a low temperature in the smoke chamber, typically between 65-85f. You can do it a few ways. You can get little smoking rigs which are metal mesh that goes in a spiral or other pattern that functions as a sort of track for fine wood chips/sawdust. You light one end and it smokes like incense. This goes inside your chamber and generates smoke with very little heat. I use an external smoke generator that's basically a tower with an element at the bottom that you fill from the top with wood chips. This feeds into my smoker through a hole in the side. Personally, I only cold smoke when the outside temperature is lower than 4c. Makes it much easier to keep things food safe, especially when I'm cold smoking chicken.

Cold smoking is most commonly used for foods that have already gone through a curing process such as bacon, smoked salmon, etc. It can also be used for things that would melt at higher temperatures. Cheese, chocolate, and so on. In the case of these sausages, I do a long cold smoke to both get a deep smoke flavour and dry out the sausages casings to get a more snappy bite. I follow up the cold smoke with gradually higher temperatures at the end to fully cook the sausages.

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TXRazorback t1_ja4f1qe wrote

My fav is a Louisiana pasta Alfredo with blackened chicken and andouille sausage. Then take a nap afterwards

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TeamBombSquad t1_ja4iem2 wrote

I simultaneously want to devour that and also eat a half a loaf of bread because I’m a wuss with spicy food. Doesn’t stop me from eating it and becoming a sweaty, snotty mess tho.

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GKrollin t1_ja5dkd4 wrote

Oh man that with a bitter green (maybe broccolini?) sounds like heaven

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Coolbluegatoradeyumm t1_ja5acpi wrote

As a “sausage guy” this speaks to me. I use andouille for jambalaya a lot

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja5d4nf wrote

I appreciate a fellow sausage guy! I use andouille in my gumbo, but jambalaya is another favourite of mine!

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bizguyforfun t1_ja56jn3 wrote

So jealous...keep up the good work, and when you get ready to go commercial , let me know. I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja5d03c wrote

I appreciate that! I am, in fact, planning to open a specialty food shop in the future. Likely early next year. I'll be doing a decent bit of cured and smoked meats in house. For now, everything just goes up on my social media

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InvincibleTiger t1_ja523vi wrote

Is this similar to polish sausage?

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja5cpla wrote

Most polish sausage are on the mild side of things, whereas andouille has some heat from cayenne and black pepper

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vibrant_crab t1_ja6nen4 wrote

Settle an argument for me: is it an-doo-ee or an-dool-ee?

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winter_beard t1_ja51kyt wrote

These look awesome. What meat grinder did you use? Was it a kitchen aid attachment?

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Lo-Fi_Pioneer OP t1_ja5cj27 wrote

I used an attachment for my kitchenaid mixer. It's ok, but not the most efficient thing in the world. Probably going to upgrade to a Cabela's grinder this summer

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fleischio t1_ja5eo7z wrote

Can I come to the sausage party?

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Adeno t1_ja5qj4i wrote

This looks very interesting.

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GradStud22 t1_ja66yqv wrote

That looks fantastic! Well done!

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VaderNova t1_ja95osv wrote

Damn that looks sooo good! Wish I could try some

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