Chili Cheese Stuffed Litl Smokies Smoked Sausage Recipes

HOMEMADE SMOKED CHEDDAR SAUSAGES

Steps:

• 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.

CHILI-CHEESE STUFFED LIT'L SMOKIES® SMOKED SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix cream cheese, chili powder, paprika and Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Transfer mixture to a zip-top bag and snip a small piece off of one corner of the bag. Split smoked sausages down the middle without cutting them in half.
• Squeeze a little cheese mixture into each smoked sausage. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until heated.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with lime zest and cilantro.

CROCK POT MINI SMOKED SAUSAGES WITH GRAPE JELLY SAUCE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine the grape jelly and chili sauce in a slow cooker and stir well. Add the mini smoked sausages and mix to combine.
• Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
• Serve the little sausages from the slow cooker (set on warm) with toothpicks, small plates, and napkins. You can also spear them with toothpicks and arrange them on a plate drizzled with some sauce. Keep them warm on a warming tray or serve immediately. Enjoy.

CHILI-CHEESE STUFFED LIT'L SMOKIES® SMOKED SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix cream cheese, chili powder, paprika and Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Transfer mixture to a zip-top bag and snip a small piece off of one corner of the bag. Split smoked sausages down the middle without cutting them in half.
• Squeeze a little cheese mixture into each smoked sausage. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until heated.
• Serve hot, sprinkled with lime zest and cilantro.