Smoked Italian Sausage

I have not done a post about making sausage in a while and I have been craving some recently. This time I am going with an Italian sausage and since the weather is nice I am going to smoke it. I got a nice 3.5 lb bone in pork shoulder blade roast (Boston butt) that had a decent amount of fat. 

Start by removing the bone and cutting into approximately 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the cubes on a sheet tray in a single layer and put into the freezer with your grinder attachments for about half an hour. The meat is easier to grind if it is just starting to freeze.

Get your grinder set up and seasoning measured out (I used this seasoning since it is delicious and I had some here at the house). I always add a little heat to the sweet by eye balling a little cayenne pepper into the mix. 

I ran the meat through the grinder with the largest die attached. I like my sausage to have a little texture.

Once it has been run through, I added the seasoning and a few tablespoons of ice water to help keep it cold and ran it it through a second time.

Once it has been ground the second time I added a drizzle of EVOO (I thought it could use a little more fat) and a handful of Parmesan cheese and mixed that together. Time to make a little patty to test the seasoning. It is just right!

I put about a pound into a zip lock bag to freeze for making meatballs another day. The rest I made into a nice log and rolled it up tight in plastic wrap. I have decided that until I get a real sausage stuffer I am not going through the hassle of putting the sausage into skins…it is a real pain with this machine. I put it into the freezer while I got the Weber ready for smoking.

For the sausage I decided to use apple wood for the smoke and set up a small snake to get me about 3-4 hours of 225° heat. Once the grill is up to temp I placed the sausage on. I was planning on using the extra space on the grill and decided to go with pickles again (they are so good).

After about 2 hours (I thought last time they may have needed a little more smoke) I removed the pickles to chill and put them back into the juice in the jar.

Once the sausage log has reached 160° internal temperature, your food is ready! 

I wrapped it in foil then a towel then placed it into a small cooler to rest for half an hour or so while I made my rice. Time to cut it up and see how we did. 

Well, you all should know what an Italian sausage tastes like. Now imagine that with a nice light smoke and some spice from the cayenne pepper. It was super tender and juicy. I served it with some pineapple rice and of course some of those wonderful smokey pickles! I think the leftover sausage, sliced super thin, rivals any sausage I have had for a snack. Thanks for stopping to see this creation and hope you enjoyed!

Meet Meat!