in sausage

After too much conversation and little action, I finally made my first sausage. With the help of the one and only Sean Fenton, the whole experience turned out to be really awesome with an excellent product in the end.

If you ever need anything for cooking, curing, drying, frying, boiling, or anything to do with meat then go to Allied Kenco. Actually, if you aren't doing anything after you read this, then you should go to Allied Kenco. The place is amazing. It is a Vegetarian's Hell and my Heaven. Located just off I-45 N above the loop, Allied is inspiring, intriguing and makes you appreciate being on top of the food chain.

I think the most important lesson that came out of this first run is that sausage is easy to make, but really easy to screw up. There are a lot of rules to be followed and a good deal of time and attention is a must. It is so worth it.

I decided to make a kind of Cajun sausage recipe I found-- with some alterations. The day before I completed the sausage, I bought a couple of pounds of pork butt cuts and some other fatty cuts. I chopped this all up into 1-inch cubes, mixed in minced shallots and garlic, and my choices of spices and fresh herbs went in before chilling for 24 hours.

The next day Sean and I went to Allied Kenco to get our pork casings, stuffed them with our ground up mixture and into the Ol' Smokey it went for 6 and 1/2 hours of hickory smokin'. We took the sausage to a friend's BBQ later that evening.

Deep down I was really nervous about tasting it, especially after reading a bunch of literature about how easy it is to spoil the meat if not smoked properly. I cut it open and took a bite...hell yes. These links were really juicy with a great smoky, garlic taste and just the right amount of cayenne. The only complaint I had was that I used too much clove, which was a bit over powering. Other than that, it was a success and I can't wait to get at it again.

I did not mean to write this much-- I just wanted to share the pics, really. But if you are reading this, thanks. We are going to keep making sausage and play with some recipes. Maybe a Sausage Fest?