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Jalapeño & cheese sausage
The Texas barbecue favourite: smoked pork sausage studded with cheddar and jalapeños. Pockets of melted cheese and a gentle heat, without losing the classic smoked sausage snap.
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30%fat
1.8%total salt
18 gspices per kg
96″ links per kg
Ingredients
Pork shoulder (Boston butt) with pork back fat. Use high-temperature cheese, made for sausage, so it stays in cubes instead of melting out in the smoker.
| Ingredient | Per 1 kg meat | Per 5 lb meat | % of meat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meat block (lean + fat), 30% fat | 1 kg | 5 lb (2.27 kg) | 100% |
| Salt (plain) | 15.8 g | 35.7 g (1.3 oz) | 1.57% |
| Cure #1 (Prague Powder #1, 6.25% sodium nitrite) | 2.4 g | 5.4 g | 0.24% |
| · Black pepper | 5 g | 11.3 g | 5 g/kg |
| · Garlic granules | 5 g | 11.3 g | 5 g/kg |
| · Paprika | 4 g | 9.1 g | 4 g/kg |
| · Mustard powder | 4 g | 9.1 g | 4 g/kg |
| Milk powder | 30 g | 68 g (2.4 oz) | 3% |
| Cheese | 130 g | 295 g (10.4 oz) | 13% |
| Jalapeños | 40 g | 90.7 g (3.2 oz) | 4% |
| Ice-cold water | 80 g | 181 g (6.4 oz) | 8% |
Makes about 9 links (6″ / 15 cm, in 32–35 mm hog casing) per kg of meat.
Curing salt by country (per 1 kg of meat): USA 2.4 g of Cure #1 (150 ppm, under the USDA limit of 156 ppm). Ireland/EU 1.8 g of Cure #1 or 19.2 g of European curing salt (115 ppm, under the EU limit of 80 mg/kg nitrite). UK 1.8 g of Cure #1 in Basic mode. Linkulator picks the right one for where you are. How much curing salt?
Method
- Chill the meat, fat and grinder parts until very cold, close to freezing (0–2 °C / 32–35 °F).
- Grind the lean and fat through a medium (6 mm) plate.
- Weigh the salt, curing salt, spices and milk powder on a scale. Weigh the curing salt on a gram scale, never by spoon.
- Add them to the meat with the ice-cold water and mix for 2–5 minutes, until the mix is tacky and sticks to your hand.
- Fold in the cheese and jalapeños at the end, just until spread through.
- Stuff into 32–35 mm hog casings, pushing out air pockets, and twist into 6″ (15 cm) links.
- Rest the links uncovered in the fridge overnight (at least 12 hours). The curing salt needs this time, and the casings dry for a better colour.
- Smoke low, around 70–80 °C (160–180 °F), raising the heat gradually. Cook until the centre of the thickest link reaches your cooking temperature: at least 71 °C (160 °F, the USDA minimum for ground meat); 75 °C is the usual target in Ireland. Check with a probe thermometer.
- Cool the links in iced water to stop the cooking and keep the casings snappy, then refrigerate. Reheat to serve.
- Fold the cheese and jalapeños in at the very end, after the meat is tacky, so they don't break up.
- Pat pickled or fresh jalapeños dry. Extra liquid makes the mix loose and the links harder to twist.
Safety: curing salt is toxic in large amounts. Weigh it on a gram scale and keep it away from children. The cure amounts here follow each country's rules as Linkulator applies them; check your own sheet before you weigh. More on safety.
Work it out for your batch
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