Special Tools
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Put the whole black peppercorns into a plastic bag and smash the heck outta them with a small frying pan until you have chunks of cracked peppercorns. Mix them with the rest of the black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, salt, sage, and chile powder in a small bowl.
- Optional. I have made this with 2 finely minced jalapeños, 1 medium onion, and 4 cloves of garlic. Then I went back to Texas and tasted a lot of sausages and only a few had these additions, so they are now optional. I like 'em. If you decide to use them, remove the seeds and stems from the jalapeño and mince it into tiny bits. Peel the onion and garlic and mince them too. Now, go to our article on the Science of Making Sausage and follow steps (1) through (16).
- Smoke. Set up your grill or smoker and maintain a steady 225°F (107.2°C). Smoke the sausages at 225°F (107.2°C) until they hit 160°F (71.1°C) internal temperature, about 1 to 2 hours. As long as they hit that internal temp, you can experiment with the time to get your preferred level of smoke on the sausage.
- Serve. You can serve Hot Guts nekkid on a plate with some saltine crackers and hot sauce (traditional Texas style) or with some potatoes and a salad, or on a bun, or incorporate them into a dish like German Potato Salad or Choucroute Garnie, the classic Alsatian hot dish of sauerkraut, potatoes, various charcuterie, and mustard.
Notes
About the pork and beef. You want about 25% fat. If it is too lean, ask the butcher to grind some fat trimmings for you. They will usually give you fat trim for free. If you grind your own meat, it is easier to guesstimate the fat-to-lean ratio.
About the chile. You can use powder or flakes. This recipe has noticeable but not strong heat. Adjust it up or down to your taste.
About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.