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 170 degrees F.  Smoke the sausages until their internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (don’t let it exceed 150 degrees F or the fat will melt and you’ll end up with shriveled sausages), adding 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 2-3 hours.  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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