Follow basic smoked sausage preparation practices when making this sausage.
- Clean and sanitize all of your equipment before and after use
- Prepare your casings a day in advance and let them soak in the refrigerator.
- Keep your meat and grinder parts super cold (below 34F or 1c) at all times.
- Mix your very chilled meat (under 34f or 1c), liquid, and seasonings till the mince becomes very tacky.
- Stuff the mince into your sausage casings and prick out any air pockets.
- If you plan on using a curing salt let your sausage rest in the refrigerator overnight to allow the cure to work.
- The next day follow a low and slow smoking schedule.
- Cook sausage till you reach your desired cooking temperature
- Once the internal temp has been reached place the sausages in a cold-water bath to cool down and let them bloom at room temperature for 3-4 hours
Here are a few things you might find useful when making a smoked sausage.
- SavorYe Flavor Booster
- Digital Smokers (I use the model 4D Pro-series WiFi)
- Bella’s Cold Smoke Generator
- High Quality Natural Casings (AA Grade)
- Non Fat Dry Milk (Binder for better texture and moisture retention)
- Potato Starch (Binder for better texture and moisture retention)
- Insta Cure #1
- Eco Cure #1 (A Nitrite free alternative to curing your meat)
- Cure Accelerator
- Thermapen ONE (Accurate Thermometer)
- Sausage Pricker
- Kotai Chef Knife
- Sausage Stuffers
- Meat Grinder
- Meat Mixers
- Stuffing Horn Cleaner
- Butcher Twine & Dispenser
- Small accurate Scale for spices
- Large Capacity Scale (33 pounds)
- Drying rack and tray
- Custom Cutting Board
- Jende Lapping plate for sharpening our grinder plates and knife
Enjoy the video and the recipe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away.
2 Guys & A Cooler Amazon Storefront
Salt and Vinegar Cheese Kransky
Wildly flavorful
How much do you want to make? 1000 grams
Ingredients
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 200 g cured bacon
- 200 g pork back fat
- 12 g kosher salt
- 2 g insta cure #1
- 7 g savorye optional (flavor enhancer)
- 4 g white pepper
- 3 g red pepper flakes
- .8 g sodium erythorbate
- 10 g minced garlic
- 50 g pickled jalapenos rinsed and chopped
- 50 g pickled red onions rinsed and chopped
- 40 g milk powder high heat
- 100 g water
- 100 g pepper jack cheese cut into small cubes (I used Hi Temp for this recipe)
- 4 g encapsulated citric acid add at the very end of the process
- hog casings 29-32mm
Instructions
Prepare the casings
- Rinse off the salt and flush the casings with some cool water. Place the cleaned casings in some fresh water with some baking soda in it (I use 1 tsp per quart of water) and place in the refrigerator. If you let your casings soak for at least 12 hours, they will be nice and tender by the time you use them.
Prepare the Meat
- Clean meat from any silver skin and arteries. Chill the meat and the fat so that the temperature is below 34f (1.1c)
- Grind chilled meat and fat on a 6mm plate. Rechill. Keep the temp under 34f (1.1c)
- Combine the rest of the ingredients (spices, liquids, binder, pickled vegetables) and mix till the meat turns into a sticky batter. The meat mixture will stick to your hand when you grab a small handful of it and turn your hand upside down. Once you get to this point add the cubed cheese and the encapsulated citric acid. Mix only to incorporate.
- Stuff mixture in your casings and link them to your desired size. If you notice any air pockets, be sure to prick them out
- Smoke the sausage using incremental adjustments in temperature to slowly bring the sausage up to a core temperature of 150F (65.5c) – 155f (68.3).
If you have a digital convection smoker:
- 1 hour at 100f (37.7c) with the fan on at 50%. This dries out the sausage.
- 1 hour at 125f (51.6c) start adding smoke. Fan still on at 50%
- 1.5 hours at 150f (65.5c)
- The finally increase the temp to 170f (76.6c) till the internal temperature of your sausage reaches 150F (65.5c) – 155f (68.3). Once you hit your target internal, let the sausage remain there for 3-5 minutes for proper pasteurization.
If you have a non convection digital smoker this is a great cooking schedule:
- 1.5 hours at 100f (37.7c) – this dries out the sausage (leave the dampers wide open and leave the door slightly ajar)
- 1 hour at 125f (51.6c) – this is when I start applying smoke
- 1 hour at 155f (68.3c)
- 1 hour at 175f (79.4c)
- then I bump up to 200f (93.3c) until I reach an internal of 150F (65.5c) – 155f (68.3).
If you are cooking on a pit or offset:
- on indirect heat start smoking sausages while the pit is at 150f (65.5c) and smoke for 3 hours.
- Increase the temperature to 250f (121.1c) and cook till you get to an internal of 150F (65.5c) – 155f (68.3).
Once finished
- After your sausage has finished cooking, place them in a cold-water bath till the internal temp gets below 100f (37.7c). Then place the sausage on a rack or hang them at room temp for 3-4 hours to bloom. After they bloom, refrigerate and enjoy
Storage Instructions
- For long term storage, place the smoked sausages in a vacuum sealed bag and freeze. They will last up to a year in the freezer.
Pickled Red Onions
Add these to everything!!!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thinly slice the red onions using a mandolin. Set to the side
- in a small pot heat the water, vinegar, peppercorns, salt, and sugar till it comes to a simmer. After it begins to simmer add the garlic and let it continue to simmer on a medium heat for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Place your thinly slices onions in a mason jar and carefully pour your brining solution over the onions. Make sure they are fully submerged under the brine. If you need a little extra liquid yo you can top off the mason jar with some more vinegar. Cover and refrigerate.
- If your onions are sliced very thin this mixture will be ready in as little as 3 hours. Overnight is better for more flavor..
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Congratulations!!! Another great sausage recipe to make. Because of the different sausage ingredients you’ve incorporated into your sausages through the years, I have gotten inspired to also “think outside the box.” I have been wanting to use the 48 ounce Wright’s bacon ends, Great Value cheese “blocks” that I dice, and store bought canned jalapenos plus Smokin’ Joe’s recipe for pickled red onions in sausage recipes too. Now I don’t have to experiment with a recipe–you did it all for me. I can’t believe we were on the same “wave” length. My gosh, this is mind boggling and scary!!!!
Very cool!! This was seriously good!!
Could you let us know what cheese was called for in the original recipe please?
I’m guessing Mersey Valley Salt and Vinegar Cheddar?
That is exactly the cheese that was used in the original recipe
Thanks Eric. Fortunately, I can get that at any supermarket here :-)
You are so right; this is one hell of a great recipe. I should have made 50 pounds of it too.
I do need a smoker. Please include me in the drawing for the Professional Model 3.5 Convection Digital WiFi Smoker donated by Smokin’-It Smokers, a family owned business that strives to have great customer satisfaction as well as affordable well constructed smokers.
Yeah!!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!!! I’ll include you in the drawing
If anyone is reading this.. please try making it, you won’t be disappointed. I thought the Gyro was the best until making this one today.. WOW, I now know why this sausage made the #1 pick for season six.
Thank you Eric for a wonderful recipe and video. My wife and neighbors have said it’s the best sausage they have tated. Have made five of your recipes so far and each one is a treat. Really appreciate the video/instructions and love how you allow scaling calcs on the recipe. Thank you, thank you!
Very strongly flavoured and very much enjoyable! This is a recipe that should not be made in 1kg batches, but rather in 7+kg batches (15lbs). Share with your family and friends and they’ll love what you’ve made!
I completely agree!! So GOOD!!! Thanks for the comment