Smoking Sausage

Smoking sausage is one of my favorite things to do on my pellet grill. This smoked sausage is juicy, delicious, and filled with deep smoky goodness. And the best part? It's one of the easiest smoking recipes you can try, and takes only an hour. 

How To Make Smoked Sausage

This smoked sausage recipe calls for exactly one ingredient: sausage.

After that, it's simply a matter of firing up your smoker, and letting the sausage cook until it hits an internal temperature of 160F, which takes about an hour.

That's all there is to it!

The Ingredients

• Sausage. I picked up some hot honey sausage from my local butcher, which contained pork, salt, honey, cayenne, chili powder and red pepper flakes.

The Directions

1. Preheat your smoker to 225F. Place the sausage on your smoker and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160F. For me, this took exactly one hour.

2. Remove the sausage from the smoker.

3. (Optional) Use a sear gun to sear the outside of the sausage, about 30-60 seconds per side. This will help you achieve a nice, golden brown crust on the outside. 

4. Serve and ENJOY!

Cooking Temperature & Time

• Cooking Temperature. I smoked this sausage on my Traeger at 225F with apple pellets. 
• Cooking Time. This smoked sausage took exactly one hour to reach an internal temperature of 160F. A lot of other smoked sausage recipes online say the process can take 2-3 hours, but this wasn't my experience.

Smoked Sausage 

Smoked sausage is one of the most overlooked meats to BBQ. With most backyard BBQ chefs, they want to make ribs, brisket, or pulled pork—one of the classics. And don't get me wrong: those are all fine dishes to make.

But smoked sausage has its place, too.

For one, they're delicious. These hot honey pork sausages were juicy, flavorful, and smoky. 

Two, they couldn't be any easier to make. You literally need just one ingredient: sausage! And they only take an hour to cook.

Finally, smoked sausage is incredibly versatile. You can eat it plain, with a knife and fork, like I did. Or you can put them on a hot dog roll with some onions and peppers. Or you can serve them alongside some scrambled eggs.

Different Types Of Sausage For Smoking

There's lots of different kinds of sausage you can smoke. Here are my favorites:

• Italian sausage: These are generally made with pork and are flavored with fennel or anise.
• Bratwurst: A popular German sausage made from pork, beef, or veal.
• Andouille: A smoked sausage made using pork, popular in Louisiana Creole cuisine.
• Kielbasa: A Polish sausage that typically contains pork, but can also contain beef, lamb, or veal.
• Chorizo: A flavorful and spicy, sausage from Spain and Mexico that's typically made from pork.

Best Pellet Flavors For Smoked Sausage

Here are the best pellet flavors for smoking sausage:

• Applewood: This offers a sweet and fruity smoke that pairs well with all types of sausage. It gives a mild, sweet flavor that is not overpowering.
• Hickory: Hickory is a popular choice for smoking any type of meat, including sausages. It imparts a strong, hearty flavor that pairs particularly well with robust sausage varieties.
• Mesquite: Mesquite pellets offer a strong, earthy flavor that's excellent with beef sausages. It's one of the strongest wood flavors and works well with hearty meats.
• Cherry: Cherry wood gives off a sweet, fruity smoke that pairs well with milder sausage types. It's also great for adding a rich color to the sausage.
• Maple: Maple offers a sweet, subtle flavor that works well with pork sausages. It pairs particularly well with breakfast sausages.

Storage & Reheating

• Storage: Allow smoked sausage to cool, then store in a sealed container or bag in the refrigerator for up to four days.
• Freezing: Wrap cooled sausage in plastic wrap or foil, place in a freezer bag, expel air, seal, and freeze for up to two months. Label bags with date and contents.
• Reheating: Thaw frozen sausage in the refrigerator, then reheat in a covered baking dish with a small amount of liquid in a preheated oven at 325°F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through. Alternatively, reheat in a covered skillet over medium heat, or use the microwave for faster heating.