Every grill master should have a great from scratch sausage recipe. These Homemade Hot Links will blow away your taste buds with their incredible flavors and texture! They are a perfect place to start, for a beginner, but an equally great recipe for you more seasoned sausage makers to add to your repertoires.
WHAT YOU’LL LOVE
- Half-frozen pork cubes: Chilling the cubed Boston butt until half-frozen keeps the fat in distinct pieces as it’s ground, so the sausage has a clean texture instead of a greasy paste.
- Two grinds: A coarse 10 mm pass, then mixing in the seasonings and grinding again through a fine 5 mm die, spreads the spice evenly and gives a firmer bite.
- Primary bind: About 60 seconds with the paddle attachment makes the mixture sticky, so the sausage holds together instead of crumbling when cooked.
- Smoke or grill: The links can be smoked at 225°F or cooked over indirect heat at 400°F+, so the recipe works on either kind of setup.
Homemade Pork Hot Links
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.4 stars by 5 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
20
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
325
Ready to make Homemade Hot Links? The perfect combination of smoky, savory, and spicy flavors! This scratch sausage recipe will tantalize your taste buds and satisfy your cravings with an unforgettable texture. Jump-start your culinary creations with these delicious links
Ingredients
- 5 lb Boston butt pork shoulder, cubed
-
5 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning
-
5 tbsp Code 3 Spices Grunt Rub
-
5 tbsp House of Q Slow Smoked Gold Mustard Sauce
- 10 tsp cayenne powder
- 5 tsp smoked paprika
-
LEM Products Natural Hog Casings
Directions
Place the cubed pork shoulder in the freezer. When the pork is half frozen, remove and grind using the LEM Products #12 Big Bite Grinder with a coarse (10 mm) die.
Combine the Cattleman’s Grill 8 Second Ride Carne Asada Seasoning, Code 3 Spices Grunt Rub, House of Q Slow Smoked Gold Mustard Sauce, cayenne powder and smoked paprika and mix well.
- Combine the ground pork and seasoning mixture and mix by hand to evenly distribute the seasonings. Grind the pork a second time through a fine die (5 mm). Chill the sausage mixture for 20 minutes.
Transfer the sausage to the bowl of a stand mixer. You may need to divide the mixture in half and work in batches. With the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed to form the primary bind, about 60 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a LEM Products 10 lb Sausage Stuffer.
Feed your soaked and rinsed LEM Products Natural Hog Casings onto the horn of the stuffer. Lay out a sheet pan with water on it under the stuffer. Stuff the casings. Tie off the end. Twist sausages, if desired, using the pinch - pinch - twist method. Store in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight, if smoking. Smoke sausage at 225°F until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Alternatively, grill the sausages over high heat (400°F+) over indirect heat until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why freeze the pork until it's half-frozen before grinding?
Cold pork and cold fat grind into distinct pieces. If the meat is warm, the fat smears, which makes the sausage greasy and pasty.
Why grind the pork twice?
The first, coarse pass breaks the pork down so the seasonings mix in evenly. The second, fine pass blends everything into a uniform, firmer texture.
What is the primary bind?
Mixing the ground pork on medium speed for about 60 seconds develops its proteins, so the mixture turns sticky. That stickiness helps the sausage hold together and gives it a springy bite.
Why chill the mixture before stuffing?
Keeping the sausage cold, at 40°F or below, makes it easier to stuff and keeps the fat from melting and separating. It's also safer, since ground pork spoils quickly when it sits warm.
Why put a sheet pan of water under the stuffer?
Wetting the pan lets the filled casing slide out without sticking or tearing as it coils onto the sheet.
Why refrigerate the links uncovered overnight before smoking?
Air-drying dries the casing surface, which helps smoke stick and keeps the casing from turning rubbery.
What internal temperature should the hot links reach?
Ground pork sausage needs to reach 160°F, whether smoked at 225°F or grilled over indirect heat at 400°F and above. This sausage has no curing salt, so preheat the smoker fully before the links go on and check them with an instant-read thermometer.
How spicy are the hot links?
The recipe uses 10 teaspoons of cayenne powder for 5 lb of pork, which makes them quite hot. Reducing the cayenne is the easiest way to make them milder.
How should I store the sausage?
Raw links keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cooked links keep for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5. The grinding and stuffing happen in the kitchen, and a 300°F oven cooks the links to 160°F, but you'd lose the smoke flavor that defines hot links.
Recipe Highlights
Half-frozen pork: Grinds clean without smearing the fat.
Two grinds: Blend the seasoning evenly and tighten the texture.
Primary bind: Gives the sausage a springy, cohesive bite.
Smoke or grill: Works with either kind of setup.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 325
- Carbs
- 4 grams
- Protein
- 22 grams
- Fat
- 28 grams
- Sodium
- 304 milligrams
