Coarse, garlicky, aggressively smoked Cajun sausage. Your Cajun blend and Smokehouse rub are right at home here. See sausage-making-basics.md for the full technique, cure rate, and smoke schedule.
Meat & Fat
- 5 lb pork shoulder (about 80/20), cut for a coarse grind
Cure & Seasoning
- 1 level tsp cure #1
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp Cajun blend
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp cayenne (to taste)
- ½ cup ice water
Method
- Grind the cold pork coarsely. Mix in the cure, salt, Cajun blend, paprika, garlic, cayenne, and ice water, and work until tacky.
- Stuff into hog casings (32–35mm) and twist into links or leave in coils to hang.
- Form a pellicle, then smoke — pecan or hickory — starting at 130°F and stepping up to 170°F until the internal temp reaches 152°F.
- Ice-bath, bloom, and refrigerate or freeze.
Notes
Andouille is meant to be coarse and heavily smoked — go heavier on smoke time than you would for other sausages. Dice it into gumbo, jambalaya, red beans, or the shrimp boil packs.