This country sausage has been one of the best-tasting smoked sausages for me over the past year or even several years. I think it's on par with some of my all-time favorites, like Swojska Polish Kielbasa or Kabanos. It's full of nuanced flavors with a very balanced taste. This sausage has no sweetness, but I didn't feel like it needed it. It tasted porky, smoky, savory, and herby. There wasn't a single flavor that was overpowering; all flavors were in perfect harmony. I really enjoy this sausage.
For me, country sausage is all about herbs and spices- mostly sage, nutmeg, and black pepper. Some recipes add thyme, but I am not a big fan. You can also add cayenne pepper or red hot pepper flakes for some heat, if you like it. I don't like any sweetness in this type of sausage, though I've seen some recipes calling for sugar or maple syrup.
A couple of other ingredients that aren't common in this type of sausage but which I always add are garlic powder and onion powder. Garlic and onion add unique savory notes to this sausage and improve its flavor. Country sausage without garlic and onion is like bread without butter—good but could be much better, in my opinion.
Making country sausage
I make this sausage entirely from pork butt, as it has a perfect balance of lean meat to fat. Pork butt alone provides plenty of flavor, which herbs and spices will enhance.
The meat is first cut into small pieces and cured with salt and Cure #1 for 24-48 hours.
Next, the cured meat is mixed with seasonings, ground through the 3/16" plate, and mixed until sticky and ready to be stuffed and tied into rings.
I smoke this sausage in my DIY smokehouse with savory wood, such as hickory or white oak. These woods complement the herby flavor profile of this sausage and add their own savory notes.
Once the sausage obtains the desired color, which may take 2-4 hours or longer, you can either ramp up the temperature in the smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 154F or remove it from the smoker and poach it.
Over the past several years, poaching has been my preferred method for finishing smoked sausages. It's much easier and more predictable than finishing cooking the sausage in the smoker.
Once the sausage reaches the minimum internal temperature of 154F, put it in an ice bath for 5 minutes, or just hang it outside if smoking during cold weather.
Consuming and storing this sausage
Once the sausage reaches 154F, it's fully cooked and ready to be consumed. I like smoked sausage hot or fully chilled overnight in the fridge. In between, it doesn't taste that great to me. You can make it taste even better if you let it dry for about a week. Like when we dry age beef to get that intensely flavored steak, dried smoked country sausage will surprise you with its intense flavors. I highly recommend giving drying a try.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1,000 g pork butt
- 12 g kosher salt
- 2.5 g Cure #1 level
- 3 g Rubbed sage
- 3.5 g black pepper
- 1.5 g cayenne pepper optional
- 0.5 g nutmeg
- 2 g onion powder
- 1 g garlic powder
- 60 ml ice water see the notes
Instructions
- Weigh the meat in grams. Divide the total weight by 1000, then multiply each ingredient by that number, except the water (see notes). For example, if the meat weighs 2350 g, you need to multiply the ingredients specified above by 2.35. Using the metric system makes this a lot easier.
- Cut the meat into 2" (5-6 cm) pieces, mix with salt and Cure #1. Place it in a container, cover, and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
- Remove the meat from the fridge, mix with the seasonings, and grind it through the 3/16" (4.5mm) plate.
- Mix the ground meat well, adding ice water, until the meat becomes sticky.
- Stuff into hog casings (28-32 mm) and tie into rings. Prick any visible air pockets with a needle.
- Dry for about 60 minutes in the smoker at about 110F - 130F without smoke.
- Smoke at around 130F - 140F for 2-4 hours, until the casings develop brown color with a red tint. You may have to re-arrange smoke sticks during smoking to achieve even color.
- Poach at 167F - 176F for 25 - 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 154F -158F.
- Shower with cold water for about 5 min, then let cool down and dry.
- Hang the sausage in a cool room or a curing chamber for 5-7 days to dry at about 55F and 75% relative humidity. This will prolong the shelf life and intensify the flavor of the sausage. If you don't have a cold room or a curing chamber, loosely wrap the sausage in unglazed butcher paper and place it in the fridge. Flip and shuffle once every day for about 1-2 weeks.
- Store in a refrigerator or vacuum seal and freeze for long-term storage.
Joe says
Another awesome looking smoked sausage that I need to make. Thanks for sharing!
Victor @ Taste of Artisan says
You are welcome! Hope you enjoy it.