Andouille Whoo-eeee!!!

[Ben Franz]

Living outside Albuquerque has a lot of advantages and some limitations when it comes to food and ingredients. If you want chiles or most other Soutwest style food - no problem. I like to cook Cajun and Creole dishes every once in a while and andouille sausage is an essential component. The only local source I've found sells a lot of in-house made sausages. Some of them are pretty good but the andouille they sell is sort of a gray color with anemic flavor and little spice or heat. I figured a homemade version could be a big improvement. I have a big Kitchenaid mixer with a grinder and sausage stuffing attachment so, why not. The results are below - about 5-6 pounds of homemade sausage fresh from an hour and a half in the smoker. Fantastic flavor and texture (3 links didn't make it past QC).

To give credit, the recipe is Emeril Lagasse's from the Food Network web site. Everything I've ever made from his recipes or books has been spot on delicious. Round 2 will have to be Italian and then try to figure out the small Chinese pork links my wife grew up with in Taiwan. If you need me, I'll be at the cardiologist's office.

[Mike Cutler]

So,,,,,,,,,,uhh.............. Do you ship? Those sausages look really good.:)

[Eric DeSilva]

Looks like you did a very nice job. I did Italian sausage and chorizo using my KitchenAid, but ultimately have now decided that it was a one time experiment. There is some validity to the old Otto von Bismarck quote about sausages and laws. The whole business with the... er... "casings" was a little distasteful. And, even though folks like Alton Brown swear by the artificial casings, it just didn't seem the same. If I do sausage again, I'm just grinding loose sausage.

Have you done ground beef? I used a mix of 1 part sirloin, 1 part brisket to 2 parts chuck and it is infinitely better for things like burgers than the store bought ground. God only knows what is in that stuff.

PS: There's a reason Paul Prudhomme is like 300 lbs, which is sad because I love his cooking and his recipes. One of my favorites is his cheesy-chile-chicken recipe. Several eaters, in fact, have told me it is the best thing they've ever eaten...

[Gene Howe]

While visiting in and around N.O. we bought some Andouille from the factory outlet in Andouille, LA. By it's self, I wasn't overly impressed. A hint of spices and no smoke that I could taste. Definitely wouldn't make a sandwich with it. However, combined with other ingredients in a crawfish boil, or just chopped and added to scrambled eggs and chilis, it was outstanding!

For just eating sausage, I really like scrapple....or as my aunt called LOP (left over pig):D Of course, there must be as many recipes for scrapple as there are butchers.

[Mike Henderson]

While visiting in and around N.O. we bought some Andouille from the factory outlet in Andouille, LA. By it's self, I wasn't overly impressed. A hint of spices and no smoke that I could taste. Definitely wouldn't make a sandwich with it. However, combined with other ingredients in a crawfish boil, or just chopped and added to scrambled eggs and chilis, it was outstanding!

For just eating sausage, I really like scrapple....or as my aunt called LOP (left over pig):D Of course, there must be as many recipes for scrapple as there are butchers.
The best Louisiana andouille is made in LaPlace, LA. Check out Jacob's and also Bailey's on the web. Just search on "andouille laplace".

Andouille is made with chunk (not ground) pork and seasonings, and is smoked. It's mostly used for flavoring, and not as the main meat in a dish.

Mike

[Bruce Page]

That does look tasty!
Who is your local source for over the counter?

[John Shuk]

Whooooo dat?

[Gene Howe]

The best Louisiana andouille is made in LaPlace, LA. Check out Jacob's and also Bailey's on the web. Just search on "andouille laplace".

Andouille is made with chunk (not ground) pork and seasonings, and is smoked. It's mostly used for flavoring, and not as the main meat in a dish.

Mike

Thanks Mark. My mistake. It was LaPlace. There was a big water tower there emblazoned with the word "Andouille". I just got my self mixed up.:confused:

[Ben Franz]

Eric- yes, I have done ground meat mixtures but not often. I do a mix of beef, pork and lamb (equal amounts) for meat loaf or meatballs. I don't make my own ground beef as a rule. I understand about the casing issues. I bought a few lengths from the local market that were pre-rinsed and soaked - only had to soak in warm water before using. There was no smell or slime factor that I noticed. I don't care for the collagen synthetic casings available. There are several on-line stores that sell hog and sheep casings in salted packs for reasonable $$.

Bruce - the local source is Keller's Market - a variety of fresh sausages in the case every day and more frozen. I like their products more than Smith's or Costco's (ground cardboard, anyone?) but still don't find them to be very flavorful. Haven't tried the Alpine Sausage Kitchen (Indian School NE) - good reviews but seems to be mostly (all?) German style. There's nothing wrong with that - the Germans certainly know how to make wurst!

[Paul Greathouse]

Ben

I have to admit, I have lived in Southwest Louisiana all my life and had never tried Andouille until just the other day. I had it in a dish from the Pappadeaux's resteraunt in Beaumount Tx. It was exceptionlly good, If you like both seafood and sausage you would love this recipe. We stopped there to eat on our way to Houston, but I would drive back to Beaumont just for this dish. The Andouille was great but the grilled shrimp were the best I've ever had.
I copy-pasted the dish below from the menu on their website.


Pasta Mardi Gras . . .

Linguine tossed with crawfish, Andouille sausage & crimini mushrooms
in a marinara cream sauce topped with jumbo grilled shrimp.

[Neal Clayton]

Whooooo dat?


who dat!

as stated above, it's not really for eating by itself. it's for mixing in a pot with something else ;).

my dad always made it with ground up boston butts.

[Rod Sheridan]

Pasta Mardi Gras . . .
Linguine tossed with crawfish, Andouille sausage & crimini mushrooms
in a marinara cream sauce topped with jumbo grilled shrimp.



Geez Paul, thanks a lot! I'm sitting at my desk at work, drooling like Pavlov's pooch.:D

Oh well, my cholesterol levels probably couldn't stand it either, however it sure sounds good.

Regards, Rod.

[Bruce Page]

Bruce - the local source is Keller's Market - a variety of fresh sausages in the case every day and more frozen. I like their products more than Smith's or Costco's (ground cardboard, anyone?) but still don't find them to be very flavorful. Haven't tried the Alpine Sausage Kitchen (Indian School NE) - good reviews but seems to be mostly (all?) German style. There's nothing wrong with that - the Germans certainly know how to make wurst!

Thanks Ben,
We get most of our meat from Keller's. I'll have to check out Alpine.

[Quinn McCarthy]

Give it a try on pizza sometime.

Awesome.

Q