Spicy Farmers Sausage

It is going to be a bit of sausage party on the blog for the next while because I have been regularly making small batches of sausage in an attempt to find the perfect sausage for summer grilling. This spicy farmers sausage could be a contender.
I think 3 lbs of sausage is the perfect amount to be able to put together quickly. Jess and I made homemade cottage cheese, stuffed perogies, and made this sausage all on a Wednesday night while feeding, bathing and putting down a 7 month old.
I ended up smoking it for a couple hours then finishing it off at higher temperatures. The smoke flavour was awesome and the snap from the hog casing was exactly what I wanted. I am slowly getting better at stuffing the twisting the links. These were pretty spicy but won't melt your face off.

 Ingredients:

• 3 lbs ground pork 
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp garlic plus seasoning (you could use fresh garlic but this was handy and turned out tasty)
• Curing salts (if you want to cold smoke it)

 Directions:

1. Prepare your sausage casings for stuffing according to the suppliers instructions.
2. Mix the meat and spices thoroughly and refrigerate for a couple hours to have them blend.
3. Soak your wood chips in water or beer for 30 min then get your smoker ready to go.
4. Smoke your sausage at 170 F to 250 F until the internal temp of the sausages reads 165 F.