Choose your favorite smoking wood and get ready for smoked sausage. The low and slow cook leaves these fresh bratwursts and Italian sausages tender on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside.
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Grill master tips
- Smoke and forget, put the sausages on the grill grate, and let the BBQ or smoker do the work for you. It frees you up to make something else like smashed potatoes with cheese or just relax.
- I use a remote thermometer on this type of cook. So I can let the smoke do its magic and not open the BBQ or smoker to check the temperature.
- Water in the drip pan brings added moisture to the cook.
- Keep it at 225°F. If the internal temperature rises too fast, it can lead to the casing cracking. Then you lose all the moisture to keep the sausage tender.
Smoking wood
Smoking wood brings a whole new level of flavor to the meat, or in this case, the sausages you are cooking. For the smoked sausage, I chose maple for its sweetness and how well it blends all the flavors of both the bratwurst and Italian sausages.
If you are new to smoking, here is a list of smoking woods and some details about each. Remember, have fun, it’s hard to go wrong with any of them.
- Apple: The tasty way to add appley sweetness on a long smoke like a pork butt.
- Cherry: This is a great wood to mix with oak and hickory. It brings a mild cherry fruitiness and makes the top-round steak something special.
- Hickory: The classic BBQ smoking wood that is strong and savory with a hint of bacon. It has a wow factor on long cooks like smoked short ribs and even for a reverse sear, like our Tomahawk steaks.
- Maple: It is a subtle, sweet smoke, like cooking on a campfire. It works with pretty much everything, like oak. It added another layer of magic to our smoked sirloin tip roast.
- Mesquite: Everyone says, “Howdy!” Welcome to Texas BBQ with its strong flavor, and one of my favorites for brisket. It is also great for a hot smoke, like our chicken wings.
- Oak: The go-to wood for a nice, mild smoky flavor. It is great to mix with other woods too. Give it a go with our smoked baked potatoes. Fun fact: if you choose to use Big Green Egg charcoal, it is from oak and hickory.
- Pecan: This is a great wood with its mild, nutty, and sweet flavor. Pecan is somewhere between maple and hickory. It really added the BBQ magic to Karina’s smoked meatloaf.
Pellet grill vs. charcoal
A few notes on smoking woods for charcoal BBQ smokers and pellet grill smokers. BBQers, as you decide what you like, go easy with how much smoking wood you use initially. I suggest one or two lumps off to the side of where the natural charcoal is burning. This way, you can get a gauge for how much smoke flavor you want.
Pellet smokers, if you need to find out what wood you like. I suggest starting with oak for its mild flavor and branch out from there😉. You can mix different wood pellets with an oak type to get a more subtle taste. FYI, check the ingredients in the pellets, so that it is the wood you want, not just an additive. Now that you have picked the smoking wood, the next question is how long to smoke the sausages.
How long to smoke sausage
If you are wondering how long to smoke the sausage, The Kitchen Bucket List has you covered. I have used two methods, time and a remote thermometer.
- Time: It comes down to the size of the sausages. It can be anywhere from 1 – 3 hours. These bigger, fresher “meal size” sausages were smoked for 3 hours. For smaller mass-produced sausages, smoking time is 1 – 1 ½ hours. Regardless of size, you will need to check the internal temperature of the sausage halfway through.
- Remote thermometer: Game changer! Once I bought a remote thermometer, it made smoking and BBQing so much easier. It takes the guesswork out and simplifies determining the end of a cook. The one I use has an RF link so I can be inside the house while smoking or reverse searing.
Ingredients
The best thing about smoking sausages is that you can mix and match. Smoked bratwurst sausage was going to be the original recipe. However, there was a two for one at the butcher counter, so smoked Italian sausage was added too. The key is similar sizes, so the smoking time is the same.
How to smoke sausage
It is simple to do, pick your smoking wood and sausages. This is why it is a great first-time smoking recipe. You just need to ✨ preheat ✨ smoke ✨ enjoy ✨.
Preheat the pellet smoker or charcoal BBQ and choose your smoking wood.
Smoke.
Serve and Enjoy!
Scroll down to the recipe card for exact quantities and instructions.
Equipment
- Smoker or BBQ with an indirect cooking system
- Drip pan
- Smoking wood (Your choice)
- Remote thermometer or instant read
- BBQ tongs
Storage / Reheat / Leftovers
Storage: Let the smoked sausage cool. It will store for 4 days in the fridge.
Rewarm: You have a couple of options here. In the air fryer for 3 – 5 minutes at 350°F. I like to use the griddle or a cast iron pan while it is warming up.
Leftovers: If you have any leftovers, you can have some fun here. The next morning, you can dice up a sausage while warming up the griddle or skillet to make meat lovers scrambled eggs. For lunch, rewarm the sausage in the air fryer, and add it to a hot dog or hoagie bun. A pasta dinner can get that smoky addition with sausage pieces, onions, and peppers.
Sides anyone?
Why stop at the smoked sausage? Cook up one of these while smoking your favorite sausages, yum!
FAQ
This is a straightforward cook that does not have you doing much other than putting the sausages on and off the grill grate. No need to flip them or move them around. Wait until the internal temperature for bratwurst and Italian sausages reaches 165°F, then they’re done.
Oh, that is a tough one. The extra smoky magic adds such a wonderful flavor to all of the sausages I have done. If I had to pick one, I’d say bratwurst. Since there was a two for one, I added Italian sausages as well. Each of them has great flavors on their own, and the maple wood smoke highlights all those flavors.
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, but give them a head start. I think next time we’ll try a dessert that way.
For this cook, I did eight fresh from the butcher on an 18-inch grill grate. 12 – 14 is doable, and any more you would want to use an elevated rack for an additional 4 – 6 sausages.
What do you think of the smoked sausage recipe? Please leave us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the review below and tag me @thekitchenbucketlist on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Smoked sausage
Equipment
- Smoker or BBQ with indirect cooking system
- Smoking wood
- Remote thermometer or instant read thermometer
- BBQ tongs
Ingredients
- 4 Bratwurst sausages, 6 – 8 oz (each)
- 4 Mild Italian sausages, 6 – 8 oz (each)
Instructions
Prepare to smoke
- Preheat the smoker or charcoal BBQ smoker to 225℉.
- BBQers, prepare BBQ for indirect cooking and add smoking wood.
- Place a drip pan under the grill grate with water. Pellet grill smokers use a heatproof container with water to add moisture.
Smoke
- Once preheated, place the sausages on the grill grate. If you have a remote thermometer, place the probe in one of the sausages to gauge the temperature.
- Close the lid and smoke for approximately 2 – 3 hours or until the internal temperature has reached 165℉.NOTE: If you are not using a remote thermometer, check the internal temperature about half way through your estimated cook time. See "How long to smoke sausage" section for more details.
- Once the internal temperature has reached 165℉, pull the smoked sausages off the grill.
- Serve and Enjoy these beautifully smoked bratwurst and Italian sausages.
Great recipe – thank you!
That smoked sausage looks amazing! The crispy outside and tender inside must taste incredible!
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into putting together this information. You’ve given me enough information to feel comfortable about smoking my own sausage.
They look amazing! Going to make a vegetarian version for this. can’t wait to try smokey Paneer!!
Simple and easy, just like my family likes it. Thank you for sharing.
These smoked sausages look incredible my boys will devour them. Thanks for sharing the detailed tutorial and photos!
My husband recently got a smoker and we are always looking for simple and delicious recipes. I can’t wait to try this! And I think I’m going to do your potatoes to go along with them 🙂
Yum! Love how your instructions are easy enough for someone like me who hasn’t smoked any meat before. I can’t wait to make this!
This how-to is perfect thank you for explaining it so well!
This recipe is speaking my husband’s language. I love the idea of adding the potatoes to the smoker and doing it all at one time! Great tip! Can’t wait to try!
I’m a total newbie when it comes to smoked foods, and I really appreciate how thorough this guide is! Can’t wait to try this.
So delicious!!