Smoky, zesty and oozing with cheese, these homemade smoked cheddar sausages are absolutely perfect for your next grilling party! Make a double batch while you’re at it and freeze them for your convenience!
Sausage-making is something I started dabbling in a few years ago and it’s been a fun hobby ever since. Whether fresh sausages, smoked sausages or dry-cured sausages and other charcuterie, it’s really rewarding making your own! It’s especially rewarding knowing that you know exactly what’s in your sausages – and what isn’t.
These homemade smoked cheddar sausages are my copycat version of the Cheddarwursts you can buy in the grocery store and let me tell you – they’re at least 110% BETTER!
For you sausage-making enthusiasts who already know the ropes and have your own meat grinder and sausage stuffer, feel free to jump down to the recipe and get straight to work. For those of you who prefer visual tutorials (that includes me), refer to the step-by-step preparation pictures.
Before long you’ll be sinking your teeth into these exquisitely delectable smoked sausages!
Before we get started let’s talk briefly about equipment. You’ll need a meat grinder and a sausage stuffer. Grinding your meat (as opposed to using pre-ground meat) is critical for achieving the right texture. You need to have control over the ratio of muscle to fat and then it needs to be mixed/emulsified to the right consistency to ensure you get a smooth texture that holds together (instead of a crumply meatloaf type texture).
I use the STX International Turbo Force Electric Meat Grinder. With 3000 watts, 3 speeds and a 3-year warranty, it has high reviews and comes top recommended by most review sites as the best bang for the buck.
I also use the Super Deal Heavy Duty 5L Vertical Sausage Stuffer and am happy with it. We very carefully researched the sausage stuffers on the market and specifically chose this one because of it’s large capacity and 100% metal construction (no plastic parts = not breakable) and because it’s easy to clean. When I first started making sausages several years ago I tried using my Kitchenaid meat grinder and sausage attachments and as any sausage-making enthusiast will tell you, it’s beyond frustrating. If you’re going make your own sausages get the right equipment so that you don’t end up throwing in the towel and vowing never to try again. With the right equipment sausage-making is fun and easy!
Ready to make some sausages? Then let’s get started!
Dice the pork and fat and freeze them for about 45 minutes to get them to a temperature of 32 degrees F (0 celsius).
Grind the pork and fat through a 1/4 inch (6mm) die. Grind the meat and fat quickly into the bowl of a stand mixer (ideally have the bowl set atop an ice bath to keep the meat cold) and then grind it all a second time. Chill the meat in the refrigerator while you assemble the spice mixture.
In a small bowl combine all the spices.
Remove the ground meat from the fridge and place it on the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the spice mix, dry milk powder and the ice water.
Mix the meat mixture with the paddle for 3-4 minutes until threads begin to appear in the meat: If you take a clump of meat and pull it apart with your fingers you will see tiny threads pulling apart. When you see this your meat is ready. If the meat mixture is too dry and stiff, add a little more ice water. Stir the diced Cheddar into the meat mixture and chill it in the fridge while you prepare the sausage stuffer.
*This is also the time to taste your sausage mixture so you can adjust the seasonings if needed. To do this, take a bit of the meat mixture, fry it up in a pan, taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed.
Thread the sausage stuffer with the prepared hog casings, fill the sausage stuffer with the meat mixture, and stuff the casings being careful to avoid air gaps while also being careful to not over-stuff the casings.
Twist the sausages into links. Use a sausage pricker to prick any air bubbles out of the links.
For best results chill the sausages overnight.
TIME TO SMOKE THE SAUSAGES:
Use any smoker of your choice. I personally use and like the Masterbuilt 30 Inch Digital Electric Smoker. To read more about its features and why I love it, read my full review of the Masterbuilt Digital Electric Smoker here.
Preheat your smoker to 175-185 degrees F. Smoke the sausages until their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (try to avoid exceeding 160 F or you run the risk of the fat melting and ending up with shriveled sausages). Add a handful of wood chips twice throughout the smoking process. Hickory wood chips and apple wood chips are both great choices for pork.
Use an instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature. I use this one.
COLD WATER BATH TIME: Once the sausages reach the correct internal temperature they need to be cooled down very quickly to about 120 degrees F to keep the sausages from continuing to cook and to prevent the casings from shrinking and shriveling. Submerging the sausages in an ice bath is often recommended but I don’t like to take the chance of getting water inside the casings. So I prefer the other commonly used method of spraying them with cold water for several minutes in the sink or you can even leave them on the smoker racks and spray them with a garden hose. The important thing is to work quickly and immediately after the sausages reach the right internal temp.
Once you get the temp down to around 120 degrees F, let the sausages air dry for an hour or two. Now they’re ready to eat. You can keep them stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. If you vacuum seal them you can freeze them a little longer.
To reheat the sausages, you can pan fry them for a few minutes or heat them on the grill.
Enjoy!
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Homemade Smoked Cheddar Sausages
Ingredients
- 32 - 35mm natural hog casings (about 10 feet)
- 4 pound boneless pork shoulder , diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 pound pork back fat , cubed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Prague powder #1
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dry ground mustard
- 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 pound cheddar cheese , diced into 1/8 inch cubes
Instructions
- Place the diced pork in the freeze for about 45 minutes to get it to a temperature of 32 degrees F (0 celsius). Grind the pork and fat through a 1/4 inch (6mm) die. Grind the meat quickly into the bowl of a stand mixer (ideally have the bowl set atop an ice bath to keep the meat cold) and then grind it all a second time. Chill the meat in the refrigerator while you assemble the spice mixture.In a small bowl combine all the spices.
- Remove the ground meat from the fridge and place it on the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the spice mix, dry milk powder and the ice water.Mix the meat mixture with the paddle for 3-4 minutes until threads begin to appear in the meat: If you take a clump of meat and pull it apart with your fingers you will see tiny threads pulling apart. When you see this your meat is ready. If the meat mixture is too dry and stiff, add a little more ice water. Stir the diced Cheddar into the meat mixture and chill it in the fridge while you prepare the sausage stuffer.*This is also the time to taste your sausage mixture so you can adjust the seasonings if needed. To do this, take a bit of the meat mixture, fry it up in a pan, taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Thread the sausage stuffer with the prepared hog casings, fill the sausage stuffer with the meat mixture, and stuff the casings being careful to avoid air gaps while also being careful to not over-stuff the casings. Twist the sausages into links (about 6 inches each according to personal preference). Use a sausage pricker to prick any air bubbles out of the links.For best results chill the sausages overnight.
- Smoke the Sausages: Preheat your smoker to 175-185 degrees F. Smoke the sausages until their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (try to avoid exceeding 160 F or you run the risk of the fat melting and ending up with shriveled sausages). Add a handful of wood chips twice throughout the smoking process. Hickory wood chips and apple wood chips are both great choices for pork.
- Cool Down the Sausages: Once the sausages reach the correct internal temperature they need to be cooled down very quickly to about 120 degrees F to keep the sausages from continuing to cook and to prevent the casings from shrinking and shriveling. Submerging the sausages in an ice bath is often recommended but I don't like to take the chance of getting water inside the casings. So I prefer the other commonly used method of spraying them with cold water for several minutes in the sink or you can even leave them on the smoker racks and spray them with a garden hose. The important thing is to work quickly and immediately after the sausages reach the right internal temp. Once you get the temp down to around 120 degrees F, let the sausages air dry for an hour or two. Now they're ready to eat. You can keep them stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. If you vacuum seal them you can freeze them a little longer.
- To reheat the sausages, pan fry them for a few minutes or heat them on the grill.Makes about 24 sausages depending on the diameter of the casings and how tightly they're stuffed.
Nutrition
Jamie Heschke says
What is the purpose of the non fat milk powder? Could it be omitted?
Kimberly Killebrew says
Hi Jamie, it acts as a binder and also helps the sausage retain moisture. It does help but it can be omitted.
Anonymous says
I’m curious about the stuffing process. We made these last night and had a heck of a time with the sausage stuffer. Ours is the kitchen aid attachment. It seemed to work a little better once I removed the blade but I’m not sure we got cheese chunks. I’m smoking them today so we will see how they turn out.
Bryan Gilmore says
You DO NOT eat pink curing salt, EVER! I thought maybe you included it as part of a cutting process before grinding it. But no, you are including it in the recipe to eat. Even the label for the Prague sadly says that it is toxic (I forget the actual wording).
Recipe is great except that you have people ingesting a toxic ingredient.
Kimberly Killebrew says
Bryan, that is 100% incorrect. Pink salt is used in the vast majority of cured sausage and meat products as part of the ingredients (ingested). It is toxic in high amounts, yes, but not in the amounts called for in sausage recipes.
Jerry says
Been looking for the old hillshire farms cheddar wurst. This is the closest thing I’ve found. A plus.
This will definitely be a GOTO. Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, thanks so much, Jerry!
Xandie says
Hi.this is awesome recipe.thanks. i don’t have a smoker. Can i poach the sausages to 160° instead?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Xandie, they of course won’t have the smoked flavor but yes, you can poach them instead (I would also fry them afterwards to get the crispy skin).
Rick says
Say I had a question on your recipe but do not get a reply on your contact email. Can you answer a couple of questions for me?
1) I have had problems getting sausages up to temp on my 30″ master built should I put in hot bath to finish?
2) When smoking would you recommend a pan of water?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rick, sorry for the delay. I’ve been on the road for the last 2 weeks and just got back. Depending on the outdoor temperature it may be challenging to get it up to temp, yes. So you may simply have to smoke them longer to compensate. I’ve never needed to add a pan of water – as long as you’ve added the back fat to the meat mixture it will provide plenty of moisture as it slowly melts during the smoking process.
Matt says
I absolutely love this recipe! Hands down the best I’ve found so far. I made ten pounds in the first batch. They were such a big hit that I made a bunch more and used different variations. No cheese, smoked gouda, several cheddar, added jalapenos and smoked with hickory, apple, and other blends. No matter how I make them they turn out amazing! The only thing I changed from your recipe is skipping the Prague Powder, because I didn’t have any on hand, and cut the salt in half, which is just something I tend to do with all recipes, because the wife and I arent big salt people. This recipe is for sure staying in my keeper pile. Thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Matt, thanks so much!
Jess says
Making sausage today. I’m going to try half moose, half pork. I might add some chopped jalapeños too. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
I love that you use real cheese and not the processed/high heat stuff.
Thanks for the detailed recipe. If I remember I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds awesome, Jess, please let us know how they turn out!
Anonymous says
If you freeze your cheese once thawed it crumbles nicely
Derek says
Amazing recipe. I love the clear instructions and results were next level. I added maple syrup in place of the water (I’m Canadian eh lol) and loved the added sweetness. I smoked the sausages on my Weber with Cherry Wood and while not traditional with pork the results were great. Daring Gourmet is my go to for dialed in recipes that come out high end. Thanks and much respect from Nova Scotia, Canada. P.S. Check out her German Bratwurst recipe. I hosted an Oktoberfest party last year with home made lagers and sausages. People were raving about these sausages and maybe even more than my beer. I’ll be trying your Chorizo recipe next!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Derek, thank you! And thank you so much for your kind and generous compliment. I hope you enjoy chorizo and look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks again! Kind regards, Kimberly
Greg Laws says
Leaving them overnight in the fridge and then a couple of hours cold smoke – best cheese griller I have ever eaten, would not change a thing
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Greg, thanks so much for the feedback!
Mar mur says
Excellent recipe we just did a batch,will use for bar be ques, although I used sharp cheddar we wish cheese flavor came through more, would you use more cheese, different kind cheese. Know I can use any different cheese but has any body tested other cheeses for stronger flavor
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Mar mur, I’m glad you enjoyed it! I wouldn’t add more cheese or you risk the sausages not holding together properly. Instead I’d go with a more mature cheddar. Among the strongest varieties are going to be English imports or something like U.S.-based Beecher’s may have a very sharp cheddar too.
Rodney Morris says
Thanks for sharing your recipe I followed it to a Tee and they were far better than store bought chedderwurst For the cheese I run it through my grinder first through the 1/4 inch plate then put it in the freezer while I grounded the meat.When I got ready for the cheese It crumbled into the mixture perfectly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Rodney, I’m so happy you enjoyed them and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Barbara says
hi do I need to smoke them or can I just freeze them ???
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Barbara, you don’t have to smoke them but that’s what gives these sausages their prominent, characteristic flavor.