Recipes: Andouille Sausage

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Makes 4 - 8" sausages     Prep Time 45 min     Smoking Time 4 hr

Ingredients
4 lb. pork butts (the fattier the better)
1 tablespoon garlic power
1 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 crushed bay leaf

Weston Collagen Casings
Hickory Smoking Chips

Tools
Weston Meat Grinder
Weston Sausage Stuffer
Weston Vertical Propane Smoker

Preparation

First, soak wood chips for at least an hour.

Preheat your smoker to 130 degrees F. Your smoker will take 15-30 minutes to preheat so plan accordingly. Click here for help with using Weston smokers.

Before you start grinding, a few quick meat grinding tips to get you started:

• Keep your meat and equipment as cold as possible. Not only does this help prevent bacterial growth, it allows the meat to be ground more easily. I like to cool my tray, auger, and plates in the fridge for an hour or two before I grind the meat.
• I recommend using a kitchen grinder like a #5 or #8 if you regularly grind only small quantities of meat (like for this recipe). I used a #8 - it has a nice, powerful motor and cleanup is quick and easy.
• Spray your grinder with Weston Food Grade Silicone Spray before use to ensure smooth processing.

Making Andouille Sausage
Cube the pork into 1/2" pieces, then grind first with a coarse plate and then with a medium grinding plate. Mix the pork with all of the seasonings by hand in a Weston Meat Lug or with a Weston Meat Mixer (not necessary for a small quantity of meat as this recipe calls for).

Rinse the casings out by running water through them. Tie a knot in one end of a casing and push onto the funnel of the sausage stuffer (leave an inch or two of casing loose). I used a Weston 7 lb. Vertical Stuffer with a 20 mm stuffing funnel and 32 mm casings. Load the Stuffer by simply tilting out the canister and filling it with the seasoned ground pork. Hold the casing in one hand and turn the handle with the other handle. As the casing fills up, gently move it away from the funnel. Once the casing is filled to the size you'd like your sausage, twist the casing and either tie it in a knot and cut it to make one sausage or continue filling the same casing to make a link of sausages (which is nice for smoking because Weston Smokers have hooks for hanging sausage links).

Once your smoker is preheated, take the wood chips out of their water bowl and place them in the wood chip box. String your sausages onto the hooks or place individual sausages on the racks. Smoke them for an hour and a half at 130 and then increase the temperature to 165 degrees F. After two hours, check the internal temperature of the andouille. If it hasn't reached 155, continue to cook  for 30 min. increments until it reaches 155 degrees F.

Serve sliced over your favorite cajun-style dish.

Recipes: Turkey Roll

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Cook Time 15-20 min Prep Time 10 min Serves 6-8

Ingredients
1 lb. ground Applewood Smoked Turkey*
2 cups Apple Sausage Stuffing
2 cups Cranberry Chutney
2 Red Bartlett pears, pureed
1 cup flour
1 cup hot water
1 chicken bouillion cube


Tools
Loaf pan
Weston Meat Grinder
Weston Baking Mat
Weston Food Mill

Grind a pound of your leftover turkey with a Weston Meat Grinder. Use the coarse grinding plate.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Dissolve bouillion cube in hot water, then stir in flour. Mix the flour mixture into the ground turkey.

Cube the pears and boil them until soft. Puree with a Weston Food Mill and add the pear puree to the Cranberry Chutney.

Spread the turkey on a Weston Baking Mat, patting it out to 9 by 15 inches. Spread a layer of Apple Sausage Stuffing across the turkey, then spread one cup of the Pear Cranberry Chutney over that.

Carefully roll it together and place it in a loaf pan. Spread the remaining one cup of Pear Cranberry Chutney over the roll and place it in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

*The Applewood Smoked Turkey should already be cooked. Raw ground turkey can be substituted in this recipe, but be sure to cook the turkey roll for 30-45 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Recipes: Apple Sausage Stuffing

Prep Time 30 min   Cook Time 20 min   Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 pounds Italian sausage
3 red delicious apples
2 small loaves focaccia bread, cubed
(about 16 cups)
3/4 cup turkey stock
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon whole cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon whole rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed
1 pinch celery seed
1/2 stick margarine

Tools
Bread Knife
Weston Baking Mat
Weston Multi-Chopper
Weston Multi-Seed Grinder


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a bread knife, cube fresh loaves of focaccia bread. Spread the cubes over a Weston Baking Mat. Bake the bread for five minutes, or until toasted. You may also dry out the bread by using a Weston Dehydrator.

Core and dice the apples with a Weston Multi-Chopper. Dice the onions with the Multi-Chopper. Grind the cloves, rosemary, and fennel with a Weston Multi-Seed Grinder. 

Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and cook over high heat until the stock begins to boil. Remove the pot from heat and cover. Let sit for 30 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed the stock. 

Serve immediately or let cool and vacuum seal for later use.  

Recipes: Sweet Bavarian Mustard

Prep Time: 49 min   Maturing Time: 6 weeks 
Makes approx. 16 oz. (1 pint Canning Jar)

Ingredients                                                 Tools
3/4 cup Whole Mustard Seeds                Weston Multi-Seed Grinder
3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar              Weston 5-Piece Canning Kit
1/2 cup Brown Sugar                         Canning jar
4 Whole Cloves
Pinch Salt


Simmer cider vinegar and brown sugar in a medium saucepan until sugar has dissolved. With a Weston Multi-Seed Grinder, grind the whole mustard seeds and whole cloves into the saucepan. Cover and let simmer 30 minutes.

Use the Weston 5-Piece Canning Kit to can the mustard. Let sit for six weeks in a cool place like your refrigerator, basement, or cellar. Stir before using.