Smoked sausage is tender on the inside, and slightly crisp on the outside. Every bite is packed with aromatics from the smoking wood of your choice.
Jump to:
- What sausage types are best for smoking?
- Smoking Wood
- Smoked Sausage is perfect for a Cookout
- This cook can help you with:
- How to smoke sausage?
- Sausage internal temp
- Smoked Sausage Recipes
- Here is a list of some of our favorite recipe ideas:
- Equipment you will need for Smoked Sausage
- Tips:
- Storage
- FAQs
- Smoked Sausage
What sausage types are best for smoking?
The quick answer is any sausage is perfect. All you need is some patience. It will be rewarded with a smoked sausage that is tender and meaty. For this cook, I used fresh bratwursts & mild Italians.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed instructions on how to smoke the sausages.
Smoking Wood
The smoking wood brings another flavor and smoothness to the sausage. For this cook, I choose maple for its sweetness and how well it blends all the flavors of both the bratwurst and Italian sausage. It is a subtle smoke, like cooking on a campfire, so the sausage flavors are still the star of the show.
You can surely choose different woods. It can be sweet like apple which brings a fruity and mild smoke flavor. Apple wood has a slightly more intense smoky flavor than maple. Or go for the traditional hickory that has a classic intense smoke that delivers sweet and savory aromatics with just a hint of bacon. Have fun picking any wood that makes your taste buds sing. If you are still not sure what to choose, go with oak. It is right in the middle for smokiness and it delivers a very mild taste.
Smoked Sausage is perfect for a Cookout
Smoked sausage is such the perfect cookout meal no matter what the season. You can make a bunch of them. I did eight on an 18-inch grill. There was plenty of room for 5 – 6 more. So feeding a big crowd or having some extra is easy. You can just relax, enjoy the cookout and let the smoker do the work for you.
This cook can help you with:
- Summer cooking, no need to heat up the kitchen
- Smoke and forget: put sausages on the BBQ or smoker and just let them smoke
- Tailgating, cook them early and they will rewarm on the grill in no time
- Holiday Season to free up the oven
How to smoke sausage?
This is a great first-time smoking recipe. It is simple to do and does not require much work on your part. Preheat your BBQ or smoker to 225 degrees F. It is really that straightforward. Now, I do like to use a remote thermometer for this cook. It is helpful because the sizing of the sausage will dictate the cooking time to 165 degrees F internal temperature. A bratwurst size is about 2 – 3 hours and a smaller size will drop down to 1 – 1 1/2 hours.
- Fire up the BBQ or smoker to 225 degrees F
- Add smoking wood
- Set BBQ grill for indirect cooking
- Add a drip pan under the grill grate with water in it
- Put the sausages on the grill and close the lid
- Cooking time is about 2 – 3 hours at 225 degrees F
- Pull sausages once the internal temperature is 165 degrees F
- Remove and rest for about 15 minutes
- Serve and Enjoy!
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for detailed instructions on how to smoke the sausages.
Sausage internal temp
The great thing about this low and slow cook is its simplicity. Just wait until the internal temperature has reached 145 – 165 degrees F. You have some room there, which was what I needed to help finish the smoked potatoes. If you pull at 145 degrees F, ensure you rest the sausage for at least 3 minutes, per USDA. I prefer 165 degrees F. The longer time on the grill gives the sausage casing a light crisp.
Smoked Sausage Recipes
If you chose to cook up some extra smoked sausages, you made the right call. See how to store them below, in STORAGE.
These smoked sausages can become the hero of any meal by simply adding them to a hot dog bun or a delicious pasta meal. One of my favorites is a quick rustic meal. Sauté up some onions and peppers and just toss in bite-sized pieces of sausages, until warmed up. I like to finish the dish off with some grated Parmigiano.
Here is a list of some of our favorite recipe ideas:
- Roasted potatoes and sausage
- Pasta and sausage
- Sausage with onions & peppers
- Smoked Sausage with sautéed onions in a bun
- Sausage & cheese omelet
- Sausage Pizza
Equipment you will need for Smoked Sausage
- BBQ or Smoker
- BBQers need an indirect cooking method
- Smoking wood (Maple for this cook)
- Instant read thermometer or remote thermometer
- BBQ tongs
Tips:
- Keep the temperature of the BBQ or smoker under 250 degrees F, if the internal temperature rise too fast it can lead to the casing cracking. Then you lose all the moisture to keep the meat tender.
- Water in the drip pan brings added moisture to the cook.
- I use a remote thermometer on this type of cook. So I can let the smoke do its work and not open the BBQ or smoker to check the temperature.
Storage
Smoked sausage stores up great for 4 days in the fridge or 4 months in the freezer, per USDA. Now that you have a few extras, your meal planning is going to hit a gourmet level. Check out our ideas for meals, in the Smoked Sausage Recipes section.
FAQs
This is a straightforward cook that does not have you doing much other than putting the sausages on and off the grill. No need to flip them or move them around.
It was easy. I have a roasting/rib rack that I use a lot on the BBQ. I just flipped it over to give me a base for the cast iron skillet and potatoes. It worked perfectly. I think next time we’ll try a dessert that way.
Oh, that is a tough one. I haven’t found one yet that smoking didn’t bring that little bit of extra smoky magic. If I have to pick one, I’d say bratwurst. They have great flavors on their own and the maple wood aromatics highlight all those flavors.
Yes, you can. USDA smoking standard states that an internal temperature needs to be above 145 degrees F and a 3-minute rest. On this cook, I pulled at 165 degrees F.
Other recipes you will love
We want to hear what you smoked and what wood you used. Let us know in the comments below.
Smoked Sausage
Equipment
- BBQ Grill or Smoker
- Smoking Wood
- Instant read thermometer or remote thermometer
- BBQ tongs
Ingredients
- 4 Bratwurst Sausages 5-6 oz (each)
- 4 Mild Italian Sausages 5-6 oz (each)
Instructions
The Smoke
- Preheat Smoker or BBQ to 225 degrees F
- BBQers, prepare BBQ for indirect cooking and add smoking wood
- Place a drip pan under the grill with water
- Once at 225 degrees F, place sausage on the grill. If you have a remote thermometer, place the probe in one of the sausages to gauge the temperature
- Close the lid and cook for approximately 2 – 3 hours or until internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F
- Once the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees F, pull the sausages off the grill
Resting
- Rest the sausages for 15 minutes (optional)
- Serve and Enjoy!
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