Basic Super Easy Pork Sausage!

Curing:

Place the cubed pork shoulder in a large hotel pan.

In a bowl, combine Kosher salt, Pink Curing Salt, granulated garlic, ground mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika.

Add the spice mixture to the cubed meat and mix thoroughly to ensure even coating.

Cover the pan and refrigerate overnight for curing.

Freeze the cured meat for 1-2 hours until firm right before sending through the meat grinder.

Tip: Put the components of your meat grinder in the freezer as well.

To hydrate the pork add 1 lb of ice cubes to the meat, then send it through the meat grinder using the coarse diameter setting.

Run the ground meat through the grinder a second time for a cohesive texture.

Mix the ground meat by hand to ensure it's tightly integrated.

If desired, add cheese or any additional ingredients that you don't want to send through the grinder.

Preparing Casings:

Rinse the hog casings to remove excess salt. Place them in lukewarm water to soften and expand.

Open up the end of the casing and rinse thoroughly to remove salt.

Attach one end of the casing to the sausage stuffer and load the casing onto the stuffer.

Tie a knot on the other end of the casing and remove any excess tail.

Gently press the meat into the stuffer while keeping tension on the casing.

Slowly crank the stuffer, allowing the casing to fill evenly without bursting or being too loose.

Fill and twist the casing into links according to your desired size.

Once all sausages are stuffed, tie off the open end of the casing.

Drying and Smoking:

Let the sausages sit in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight to dry the casings.

Fire up the smoker to a maximum of 150°F (65°C) for cold smoking.

Smoke the sausages for 3 hours, ensuring they don't touch or overlap.

After 3 hours, flip the sausages and remove any soot.

Continue smoking for an additional 3 hours or until the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 150°F (65°C).

Remove sausages from the smoker and shock them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and tighten the skins.

Allow the sausages to cool rapidly before transferring them to the refrigerator for storage.

Reheating and Serving:

When ready to enjoy, fire up the smoker to 275°F (135°C).

Place the sausages in the on and cook for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).

Allow the sausages to rest briefly before slicing and serving.