When the next big Gameday rolls around and you really want to impress your friends, simple brats are not going to do the trick anymore. It is time to step up and join the big boys of barbecue with these smoky, juicy, and spicy Texas Hot Links! Since 1897, Texas Hot Links have been a favorite among barbecue connoisseurs and beer chugging, gluttonous tailgaters alike! More than a simple sausage or spicy brat, these Hot Links are typically cooked until almost burnt and charred to bring out those smoky traditional flavors. Regional variants of all beef, all pork, or a combination of both fight amongst one another as to which Hot Link rules them all! While few agree as to which style is best, one thing is for certain and that is Hot Links are a must have at your next tailgate party or barbecue! Grab those beers and get ready to impress your friends with the best damn homemade Texas Hot Links...Let's get cooking!
As with any sausage, the first step begins with the meats. For my version of Texas Hot Links, I chose to use beef chuck roast and pork butt. These two relatively inexpensive cuts will provide maximum texture and flavor without breaking the bank! Make sure to note the combined weight of your meat for later seasoning.
Simply break down your whole muscle cuts into strips or cubes that will fit your meat grinder. I prefer to break mine down into strips that end up auto feeding themselves through the grinder for me, but cubes work too. Once you have broken down your cuts, pop them in the freezer with your grinder parts for about an hour or so to partially freeze before grinding. This prevents fat smearing and ultimately is just how it's done so trust the process and follow my lead. After your meat has hardened up and partially froze, simply run it through the grinder using a larger plate. Depending on your batch size, check the temperature of the meat to see if it needs a second nap in the freezer after your first grind. If you are still down in that low 30s Fahrenheit range, go ahead and run it through a second time using a smaller plate. As you can see below, the second pass through the grinder really incorporates and helps spread the more fatty pork butt with the leaner beef chuck. Pro tip: run a couple ice cubes through with the meat once in a while to keep the grinder itself cold. They also help get that last bit of meat out from behind the plate when you finish running everything.
Now that our base meat mixture has been ground, we need to season it. It took some trial and error, but my seasoning blend is as follows:
Kosher Salt - 1.1%
Black Pepper - 0.7%
Garlic - 0.6%
Onion - 0.6%
Pink Curing Salt #1 - 0.25% (Always)
Smoked Paprika - 0.6%
Cayenne Pepper - 0.3%
Mustard Seed - 0.4%
Non Fat Dry Milk Powder - 1%
It is important to remember to weigh everything in the beginning and go off weight rather than specific measuring amounts. Some people may want 20 pounds of sausage and others only 5, so rather than give out ridiculous teaspoon and tablespoons amounts for a specific batch I decided to go this route instead. No matter what recipe you are following, Pink Curing Salt will always be 0.25% of your total weight. Otherwise, you can adjust the other seasonings as you wish. As for liquids to help blend and bind everything, use your favorite ice cold beer from the fridge or beef stock or even plain ice water. As long as it's cold and wet it will do the job. We are making Texas Hot Links, however, so I felt a tall boy fit the bill best! Simply add all your seasonings and liquid to your ground meat and mix until it is tacky and sticks to your hand. Throw on some gloves and get in there to make sure everything is well distributed....or use a snazzy meat mixer like myself!
Once you have everything mixed together, grab a small sample and fry it up before moving on to the next step. You don't want to spend all this time and end up with something lacking the flavor you are after! Now be warned, this sample will taste somewhat different from your final sausage because the flavors have not yet had time to merry and set up, but it will be fairly close. The big thing you are checking for is spice (heat) and saltiness. If they seem fine, then you can move on to casing. Otherwise, try to fix whatever you did different from my recipe because I know it is fine! You don't need to mess with perfection, just sayin!
You probably guessed it, but the next step is to get this sausage into casings. I went with a natural hog casing for that snap we all love in a great sausage! Pack your stuffer well to help prevent excess air bubbles. Otherwise, stuff your casings and make your links...remember, we are making Texas Hot Links not Texas Hot Sausage rope! Stick it in the fridge to cure overnight. You can notice the slight color change below from freshly stuffed to the next day.
We will be smoking these links at a couple different temperatures. Begin by hanging them in your smoker at 150 degrees for about 2 hours. Typically, post oak is used for smoke flavor, but pecan or any blend you prefer works as well. After the first 2 hours, raise the temp up a bit to 160 degrees and let them smoke an additional hour. Finally, get the smoker up to 175 degrees and smoke them until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I think my batch took about another hour to 90 minutes to finally hit the mark.
Look at that beautiful red color these Texas Hot Links took on! Once you hit your final internal temperature, pull the links from the smoker and douse them in an ice bath. This will not only stop the cooking process, but also give those casings a nice snap when you bite into them!
At this point, the hard work is pretty much finished! You can break them down into packages and vacuum seal them till you are ready to enjoy your efforts or go ahead and toss a few on the grill now! While 145 degrees makes them safe to eat, they taste much better once you get them up to 165 or so. Plus, they are not true Hot Links till you put a little char on them so fire up the grill and let these bad boys sizzle a bit. It's an additional level of flavor you don't want to miss out on!
And just like that you have made your very own batch of Texas Hot Links! Slice them in half lengthwise, into rounds, or leave them whole and enjoy your efforts! I guarantee you will be the envy of your friends, family, and neighbors once you show off these links! While I realize making sausage from scratch is not everyone's cup of tea, this should show you that with a little time and effort, you can make a damn good sausage and save a few bucks too!
No matter what your cooking skill level, don't be afraid to get in the kitchen and make delicious things......Just Keep Cooking!
TEXAS HOT LINKS
Comments