Here’s an authentic spicy Cajun sausage spicy and loaded with vegetables, too. In Louisiana these are eaten out of hand and used in cooking.
Medium hog sausage casings
1 pound pork butt or boneless country ribs
3/4 pound beef chuck
1/4 pound pork fat
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 to 3 jalapeño or serrano chiles, seeds and ribs removed, and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked white rice
3 scallions, white parts and 3 inches of green tops, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons paprika
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1. Prepare sausage casings as directed.
2. Cut pork, beef, and pork fat into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes on a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate and freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
3. While meats chill, heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, celery, chiles, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Set aside.
4. Grind meat and fat through the fine disk of a meat grinder, or in small batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade using the on-and-off pulse button. If using a food processor, do not process into a paste, but ingredients should be very finely chopped.
5. Combine ground meat, vegetable mixture, rice, scallions, parsley, paprika, salt, oregano, thyme, and cayenne in a mixing bowl, and knead mixture until well blended. Fry 1 tablespoon of mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
6. Stuff mixture into casings as described and twist off into 5-inch links; prick air bubbles with a straight pin or skewer. Tie links with kitchen twine. If time permits, arrange links on a wire rack over a baking sheet and air-dry uncovered in the refrigerator for 1 day before cooking.
7. To poach sausages, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add sausages, and maintain water at a bare simmer. Cook sausages for 20 to 25 minutes, or until firm. Remove one sausage to a plate with tongs and insert an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature is 160°F, sausages are done. If not, return to the pot and continue cooking. Remove sausages from the pan with tongs, and serve immediately or cool to room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
Note: Sausages can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Once cooked, they can be refrigerated up to 3 days.