Ever wondered what makes homemade sausage taste so addictive? It’s not just the meat or the smoke – it’s the little tricks that make it pop in ways store-bought can’t touch. I tried a few tweaks on a recipe I’ve used before, and the result was perfectly flavorful sausage you can slice and enjoy anytime.
I started with the casings the night before. I rinsed them thoroughly and let them soak overnight in cold water with a bit of baking soda – it makes them stretch more easily when you stuff them, keeps them from bursting, and gives them a nicer bite once the sausage is smoked.
For the meat, I went with 3.5 pounds of moose and 1.5 pounds of pork, which gives a good balance of lean and fat. Moose is really lean on its own, so you need that pork to keep the sausage from turning out dry. If you’re using beef, it already has enough fat, so you’re good there. I ran all the meat through my grinder a second time using a fine plate. Once that was done, I popped the meat into the freezer for a bit to keep it cold while I cleaned up.
Next, I mixed in the seasonings. I combined ice-cold water, binder, pickling salt, sugar, black pepper, mustard seed, marjoram, garlic powder, and cure with the meat. I worked it all together until it had that sticky, tacky feel that tells you it’s ready.
Stuffing the casings is the fun part. I filled them and linked the sausages at about 5 inches each. One trick I’ve learned – when the stuffer bottoms out but you’ve still got meat left, drop a water-filled balloon into the canister. It pushes the rest of the meat forward without adding air, and then you can use a dowel to finish it off.
Once they were all stuffed, and linked, I let them rest in the fridge overnight. This gives the cure time to develop and lets the flavors meld. You could speed it up with a cure accelerator like sodium erythorbate, but I prefer just letting it sit – it really makes a difference in flavor.
The next morning, I started the smoker at 130°F with no smoke for about an hour – this dries the casings so the smoke sticks better. After that, I brought the temperature up to 150°F and added the smoke. After a couple of hours, when the smoke started dying down, I increased the smoker to 165°F and let the sausages finish cooking until they reached 152°F internally.
Right after that, I dropped them into an ice bath for about 10 minutes to stop the cooking and firm up the texture. Then I hung them to dry. I like using Fahrenheit because one-degree changes feel more precise than Celsius when you’re trying to hit the perfect temperature.
Once dry, I bagged them in food-grade plastic and let them rest in the fridge for a couple of days. This resting time really helps the flavors meld. Before freezing, I laid them out on a tray with wax paper so they froze individually, then transferred them to freezer bags – that way you can grab just what you need without thawing the whole batch.
These sausages came out rich, flavorful, and with a great bite. They’re one of those things that make you realize homemade really is better, and I highly recommend giving them a try.
Smoked Country Style Sausage
Hands-On Time: About 1 hour
Cook Time: 6+ hours (including smoking)
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs ground moose (or lean beef)
- 1.5 lbs ground pork
- 1 cup ice cold water
- 1 cup binder
- 2 1/2 Tbsp pickling salt
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp mustard seed
- 1/4 tsp marjoram
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cure
- Hog casings (28/30)
Instructions
- Prep Casings: Rinse thoroughly and soak overnight in cold water with a bit of baking soda – it makes them pliable and helps prevent bursting.
- Grind Meat: Run moose and pork (or beef/pork) through the grinder. For finer texture, run it a second time with a fine plate. Keep cold in the freezer while preparing seasonings.
- Mix Seasonings: Combine ice cold water, binder, pickling salt, sugar, black pepper, mustard seed, marjoram, garlic powder, and cure with the meat. Mix until it’s sticky and tacky—enough that it will stick to your hand if you hold it upside down.
- Stuff Casings: Fill casings carefully and link sausages about 5 inches each. Trick: If stuffer bottoms out, use a water-filled balloon to push remaining meat forward, then finish with a dowel.
- Rest: Refrigerate overnight to let the cure develop and flavors meld.
- Pre-Smoke: Place sausages in smoker at 130°F without smoke for about 1 hour to dry the casings.
- Smoke: Increase smoker to 150°F and add smoke. Smoke slowly for several hours (typically 6+ hours) until sausages reach 152°F internally. If the sausages stall and stop rising in temperature, you may need to gently bump the smoker temperature to keep them cooking steadily.
- Ice Bath: Immediately drop sausages into ice cold water for 10 minutes to stop cooking and firm up texture.
- Dry & Rest: Hang sausages to dry. Once dry, place in food-grade plastic bags and refrigerate 2 days to let flavors meld.
- Freeze (Optional): Lay sausages on a tray with wax paper to freeze individually, then transfer to freezer bags for easy use later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use moose for this sausage?
No, you can use lean beef instead of moose. The key is balancing lean meat with some pork or other fat to keep the sausage juicy.
Can I use a different casing size?
Yes.
Why do the casings need to soak overnight with baking soda?
Soaking overnight makes the casings more pliable, reduces the risk of bursting during stuffing, and gives a better bite after smoking.
How do I know when the meat is ready to stuff?
Mix the seasonings into the meat until it’s sticky and tacky—enough that it will stick to your hand if you hold it upside down.
Do I have to chill the sausages in an ice bath?
No, but chilling them in ice cold water helps stop the cooking and firms up the texture before drying and refrigerating, so it’s highly recommended.
Can I freeze the sausages?
Yes, lay them out individually on a tray with wax paper to freeze, then transfer to freezer bags. This allows you to grab what you need without thawing the whole batch.
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