Need help choosing an Andouille recipe

[Sam]

I would like to try making Andouille sausage. There are a ton of recipes out there. I found two below that I like. The first one appealed to me because it seemed pretty simple. The second one is more complicated, but might make a better sausage. Which one do you prefer (in terms of ingredients, not preparation)? Also, if you have an Andouille recipe that you think is superior to both, please let me know. Thanks.

recipe 1: http://www.sausagemania.com/recipes2.html#andouille
recipe 2: http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index_files/andouille.pdf

[Oddley]

Hi sam personally if I had a smokehouse I would use the second recipe, the reason is len poli actually seems to know what he's talking about, unlike most of the rest of us who seem to be scrabbling around in the dark.

Secondly with the photo it looks a real cracking spicy sausage.

[bigwheel]

Would definitely vote for recipe number 2 also. The spices just look more realistic. My favorite Andouille Recipe comes from Chef Folse over on the Gumbo Pages. It just a little overly salty if you plan on sitting down to eat it with cheese and crackers or some such thing.

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html

I have been playing around with the recipe for a few years and come up with this version which is only a slightly tweaked and doubled version of Chef Folses recipe. I believe its a little mo betta of course:) The raccoon haunches is a joke. Now next time I make it will prob use TQ for the full salt ration. Goes something like this:

Bigwheel's Genuine Coonass Andouille

13 lbs. Boston Butt
1 cup fresh minced garlic (from the jar)
1/2 cup coarse black pepper
2 T. garlic powder
2 T. onion powder
5 T. salt
1 T. MSG
1 T. Tender Quick
3 T. dried parsley flakes
4 T. cayenne pepper
3 T. ground Thyme
1 bottle Shiner Bock Beer
1 pair of well cleaned Raccoon hindquarters (optional)
water

Combine all spices with beer and water to equal 1 1/2 quarts of liquid. Chill the spiced liquid while you cut and debone the meat to fit the grinder. Add liquid to meat mixing well. Run meat through coarse grinder plate and mix it up again. Stuff into medium hog guts and tie into one foot links. Allow links to rest uncovered in the ice box overnight shuffling occasionally so all links get some air. Next day smoke heavy at 175 degrees with oak, pecan, and mesquite to internal temp of 155.

bigwheel

[Franco]

Bigwheel,
Tender Quick isn't available in the UK and I'm the only person that sells Prague powders, the only thing available and then again it's not easy to find is saltpetre, Can Prague2 mixed with a little sugar be substituted for TQ?

Franco

[bigwheel]

Hey Franco..sure Prauge can be subbed but I would vote for Prague 1..which I think is whut most places call Insta Cure..Modern Cure..etc. If you plan on hot cooking the stuff...dont think you prob need that extra layer of Nitrites or Nitrates or whutever that is which is in Prague 2. Now sure wouldnt be above using it if you was wanting to cold smoke on the front end and heat em up later in a steamer or some such thing. I would just us it per directions to cure however big is your batch. Now the sugar aint critical by any means..but I have lately been adding a little brown sugar to all my sausage and believe its a good idear. Been using about 4 or 5 T. per 20 lb batch. Now I have made it without any cure at all and its good that way too.

bigwheel