We are going back to our roots with our new meat lover’s section.  Dedicated to everything you need to know about preparing your favorite meats. From choosing the best cuts to preparation and cooking styles we are going to be covering it all. Kicking off our meat lovers section, we look at an age-old favorite, smoked sausage. One of life’s greatest pleasures is to enjoy the rich and savoury flavor of smoked sausage, it is simply hard to beat, and it can be used in so many different dishes. So, we are going to cover how to smoke sausage properly, what’s the best way to get that perfect smoky flavor without overcooking or under-cooking the sausage. We don’t stop there we look at the best smokers on the market to help you select one that suits your needs and that of your pocket. Also, we will be answering a question that keeps popping up time and time again, is it cool to air fry smoke sausages? Just kidding, we won’t be covering air frying sausages not because it’s not cool but because that is a completely different article altogether!

Best Way to Smoke Sausage

Before we dive in, let’s talk about what makes smoked sausage so delicious. The process of smoking sausage infuses the meat with a smoky flavor that enhances its natural taste. Smoking meat was traditionally used to preserve meat before the refrigeration was invented and is one of the oldest food preparation techniques. Fast forward to modern times and several cultures around the world have their own style of smoking such as Ville Platte in Louisiana which is billed as smoke meat capital of the world for its Cajun infused smoking technique. Montreal also have a Quebec smoked meat, a French smoked meat, usually a kosher style deli meat made by salting and curing beef with herbs and spices.

If you’re new to smoking sausage, don’t worry, we will be keeping it nice and simple today. It’s not as complicated as it might seem. With a few simple tips and tricks, you can create delicious, smoky sausage right at home.

Tips for Selecting the Best Sausage

The first step is selecting the right sausage. You want to find the sausage best suited to smoking. Checking the ingredients on the packaging or asking your butcher is highly recommended at this stage. Nonetheless, here are a few tips for selecting the best sausage for smoking:

1. Choose sausages with a high-fat content as they are better suited for smoking because the fat helps to keep the meat moist and juicy.
2. Look for sausages with a natural casing: Natural casings are porous and allow the smoke to penetrate the sausage, infusing it with flavor.
3. Avoid sausages with fillers: like breadcrumbs or soy protein as they don’t hold up well to the smoking process.

The best type of sausage for smoking

1. Any variety of Italian Sausage (sweet, mild, spicy, cheesy, etc)
2. Bratwurst (German)
3. Kielbasa (Polish)
4. Chorizo
5. Chicken or Beef Sausages

How to Prepare the Sausage for Smoking

Preparation is the key to success and once you’ve selected the right sausage, it’s time to prepare it for smoking. Here’s how to do it:

1. Prick the sausage: Use a fork to prick small holes in the sausage. This will allow the smoke to penetrate the meat more easily.
2. Dry the sausage: Place the sausage on a wire rack and let it dry in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This will help the sausage develop a pellicle, which is a thin, tacky layer on the surface of the meat that helps the smoke adhere to it.

Choosing the Right Wood for Smoking

The type of wood you use for smoking can have a big impact on the flavor of your sausage. Here are a few of the best woods for smoking sausage:

1. Apple wood: Apple wood is a mild, sweet wood that works well with pork sausages.
2. Hickory: Hickory is a strong, smoky wood that works well with beef sausages.
3. Mesquite: Mesquite is a bold, smoky wood that works well with spicy sausages.
4. Cherry or Maple Wood: Milder and sweet flavours

The Best Way to Smoke Sausage

Now that you’ve selected the right sausage and wood, it’s time to start smoking. Here’s the best way to smoke sausage:

1. Preheat your smoker to 225°F.
2. Place the sausage on the smoker rack and close the lid.
3. Smoke the sausage for 1-2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
4. It’s a good idea to turn the sausages midway through for an even heat distribution and flavor. 
5. Remove the sausage from the smoker and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

There is a couple of things to bear in mind. Firstly, larger sausages will take longer to smoke successfully. Cooked sausages can be smoked and take around 30-45 minutes to smoke. To ensure food it cooked throughout, it’s a good idea to use a cooking thermometer to monitor the temperature whilst cooking.

Here are some extra tips for smoking sausage

1. Don’t rush the smoking process, smoking at too high a temperature and for too long will dry out the meat and will spoil the smoked sausage experience.
2. Ensure you give each sausage space in the smoker for proper circulation.
3. Try not to open the smoker too often, this will help to maintain the temperature and flavor of the meat.
4. Keep an eye out for time as you smoke your sausages, this will assist you with points 1-3

If you do not currently own a smoker or perhaps you are looking for a replacement smoker, we have created a list of some fantastic smokers currently available. A full review of the best smoker/grills will be coming very soon.