Tantalize your taste-buds with our deliciously-smoked Brisket & Cheddar Sausage recipe! Chef Tom takes a whole Creekstone Farms Prime Brisket and lovingly smokes it to create an unforgettable, mouthwatering flavor.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Grinding the seasoned beef a second time builds a finer, more even texture through the sausage than a single grind would leave
- Blending the seasoning into an ice-and-stock slurry keeps everything cold while distributing salt, pepper, and spices evenly through the meat before it's ever mixed in by hand
- Resting the linked sausages uncovered overnight forms a pellicle on the casings, giving smoke something tacky to adhere to the next day
- Shocking the finished sausages in an ice bath stops the cooking process immediately, locking in the texture before they go into the freezer for later use
Brisket & Cheddar Smoked Sausage
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.6 stars by 57 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
American
Servings
40
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours
Calories
1344
Chef Tom breaks down a whole Creekstone Farms Prime Brisket and turns it into Brisket & Cheddar Smoked Sausage, smoked on the Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker.
Ingredients
-
10 lb Creekstone Farms Prime Brisket
- 8 oz beef stock
- 8 oz ice
- 1 cup (4.5 oz) nonfat dry milk powder
-
1/2 cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Salt
-
1/2 cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Tellicherry Black Peppercorn, coarse ground
- 6 tbsp smoked paprika
- 4 tbsp freeze dried minced garlic
- 4 tbsp cayenne
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp celery seed
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
-
LEM Natural Hog Casings, for stuffing
Directions
- Slice the brisket into 1” thick strips. Grind the cubed brisket with a 10mm die.
- Combine the ice and beef stock in the Vitamix Blender. Add the dried milk, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, cayenne, cumin, and celery seed. Blend to crush the ice.
- Pour the slurry over the ground beef and mix well by hand.
- Grind the seasoned beef a second time.
Mix the sausage with the cheese by hand until tacky.
- Stuff the sausage into natural hog casings, taking care not to overstuff. Link the sausages using the “pinch, pinch, twist” method. Transfer to a jerky rack over a sheet pan. Let sit open overnight in the refrigerator to form the pellicle.
Build a small hot fire in the Yoder Smokers Loaded Wichita, using lump charcoal as a base, and pecan split wood for smoke. Stabilize the temperature at 175-200ºF. Smoke the sausages until the internal temperature reaches 150ºF, 1-2 hours.
- Shock the sausages in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Store in vacuum sealed packages in the freezer.
- Thaw and reheat to 150ºF on a smoker or grill for serving.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why grind the seasoned beef a second time instead of stopping after the first grind?
A second pass through the grinder builds a finer, more even texture through the sausage than a single grind would produce, helping the fat and lean distribute consistently.
Why blend the seasoning into an ice-and-stock slurry instead of mixing dry spices directly into the meat?
Blending everything into a cold slurry first keeps the meat from warming up during mixing, while also distributing the salt, pepper, and spices evenly throughout — something dry seasoning sprinkled on top wouldn't achieve as thoroughly.
Why let the linked sausages sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight before smoking?
Resting them uncovered dries the casing surface just enough to form a pellicle, a tacky layer that helps smoke adhere to the sausage the next day.
Why shock the sausages in an ice bath right after smoking?
An ice bath stops the cooking process immediately, locking in the texture before the sausages go into vacuum-sealed packages for the freezer, rather than letting residual heat continue cooking them as they cool.
What internal temperature should the sausage actually reach?
This recipe smokes it to 150°F and reheats it to the same 150°F for serving, but USDA's minimum safe internal temperature for ground beef is 160°F. Cook the sausage to at least 160°F rather than stopping at 150°F, both during the initial smoke and when reheating from frozen.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — a stand mixer and grinder attachment can handle the meat prep entirely indoors, but the low, steady smoke this sausage needs is difficult to replicate without an actual smoker.
Recipe Highlights
Double-ground beef: Builds a finer, more consistent texture.
Cold slurry seasoning: Distributes spices evenly while keeping the meat chilled.
Overnight pellicle formation: Gives smoke something to adhere to before cooking.
Ice bath shock: Halts cooking immediately for consistent texture in storage.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4.2 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1344
- Carbs
- 3 grams
- Protein
- 82 grams
- Fat
- 109 grams
- Sodium
- 1705 milligrams
