Smoked Sausage Recipe

Prepare casings

Place natural pork casings in warm water for 30 minutes to remove salt. Rinse each casing inside and out under running water and slide onto the sausage stuffer horn to keep wetted. Keep casings in a bowl of cool water until ready to use.

Keep ingredients cold

Chill the ground pork, pork fat, and the diced cheddar in the refrigerator or briefly in the freezer so everything is very cold — this prevents fat smearing and ensures a firm grind and good texture.

Mix meat and seasonings

In a large bowl combine the chilled ground pork and pork fat. Add kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard, and optional curing salt. Toss lightly to distribute the dry seasonings evenly.

Add jalapeños, cheese, and water

Fold in the finely diced cold jalapeños and the cold small-dice cheddar. Add the ice water and mix thoroughly by hand or with a stand mixer on low using a paddle until the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive (3–5 minutes). Do not overwork.

Stuff into casings

Fit your stuffer with the prepared casing. Feed the meat mixture into the stuffer, applying steady pressure to fill the casing evenly. Fill to a medium firmness — not too tight to avoid bursting, not too loose to avoid air pockets. Twist into links of desired length (6–8 inches typical). Prick any visible air pockets gently with a sterile needle.

Rest

Place formed sausages on a rack in the refrigerator and hang or lay them uncovered for 1–2 hours to firm up and dry slightly; this helps the casing uptake smoke.

Preheat smoker

Preheat your smoker to a steady 225°F (107°C). Use mild hardwoods like apple or hickory for a balanced smoke flavor. If using a charcoal/gas grill, set up for indirect heat and a smoking box or foil packet with wood chips.

Cold smoke (optional)

If you want stronger smoke flavor without cooking quickly, cold smoke the sausages for 1–2 hours at temperatures below 100°F, then finish at 225°F. (Skip if you prefer to only hot-smoke.)

Hot smoke to safe temperature

Place sausages on the smoker racks, leaving space for air circulation. Smoke at 225°F until the internal temperature reaches 155°F (about 1.5–2 hours depending on thickness). Use a probe thermometer to check the center of a link.

Hold/rest and optional sear

When sausages reach 155°F, remove them from the smoker and let rest 10 minutes; the carryover heat will bring them to ~160°F. If you want a browned exterior, sear quickly in a hot skillet with 1 tsp neutral oil for 1–2 minutes per side or place on a hot grill for grill marks.

Serve or store

Serve warm as desired. For storage, refrigerate cooked sausages up to 4–5 days or freeze for 2–3 months. If you used curing salt, sausages will have improved color and shelf life, but still follow safe refrigeration guidelines.