Lake Charles Andouille Sausage
Andouille sausage is made to many different recipes in Cajun country but they all have at least one thing in common.
They are all highly smoked sausages that lend a distinct flavor to typical Louisiana dishes like gumbos and jambalayas.
This recipe from the Lake Charles region of Cajun land is straight forward and highly spiced, which is typical of most andouilles.
True cajun andouille would probably be smoked with either pecan wood and/or sugar cane. You can substitute hickory or another nut wood if those are hard to come by in your neck of the woods.
Recipe
- 5 lbs pork shoulder (butt) about 75-80% lean. Add pork fat if necessary.
- 10 tablespoons crushed and chopped fresh garlic
- 3 tablespoons medium grind black pepper
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 teaspoon Prague powder or Instacure #1
- Trim and cut the pork into 1 inch cubes and run it through the coarse plate of your meat grinder. If you need to grind added pork fat, you'll find it easier if you first cut it into cubes and then refrigerate it for about half an hour to firm it up.
- Combine the spices and cure in a small container and mix with the 1 cup of ice water.
- Pour the spice, cure and water combination into the ground meat and mix thoroughly for at least 2 minutes. With a highly spiced recipe like this one, it's important to make sure you don't leave any pockets of concentrated pepper so use your hands for mixing to assure even distribution.
- Stuff the meat and spice mixture into 35-38 mm pork casings or small beef rounds. Collagen casing will also work if you can find them large enough and tough enough to handle the smoking process.
- Prepare your andouille sausage links for the smoker, and then apply the smoke.
True andouille is heavily smoked, more so than many other sausages. I find that it takes a good 4-6 pans of wood chips to get the job done right in my current sausage smoker.
Click Here to get step by step instructions on sausage smoking.
Once your andouille has been through the smoking process and is cooled down after blooming, package it for the refrigerator or freezer.
It will keep well for several days in the fridge, and I have frozen it, vacuum packed, for up to 9 months with no loss of flavor.
