Smoked sausage is one of the easiest things you can put on a smoker. Store-bought fresh links pick up smoke in about two hours with almost no prep. This recipe covers fresh sausages and fully cooked ones like kielbasa.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb fresh sausage links, such as bratwurst, Italian or fresh chorizo (or fully cooked kielbasa or andouille)
- 1 tsp all-purpose BBQ rub, for kielbasa bites (optional)
- Buns, peppers and onions, mustard or BBQ sauce, for serving
- 2–3 lb smoking wood: hickory, apple, cherry or pecan (chunks, chips or pellets)
Steps
- Set up your smoker for 225°F with hickory, apple, cherry or pecan. Let the fire settle until the smoke runs thin and blue.
- Take the sausages out of the package and pat them dry. Don't poke holes in the casings, or the juices will run out.
- Lay the links on the grate with a little space between them. Insert a leave-in probe into the center of one of the thickest links, going in from the end.
- Smoke at 225°F. Fresh pork or beef sausage is done when it reaches 160°F inside, the USDA safe temperature for ground meat, usually 1 1/2–2 hours. Fresh chicken or turkey sausage must reach 165°F.
- For fully cooked sausage like kielbasa or andouille, smoke for about 1–1 1/2 hours until heated through to 165°F. For bites, slice the kielbasa into 1-inch rounds, toss with the rub and smoke on a mesh mat.
- For a snappier casing, move the cooked links to a hot grill for 1–2 minutes per side, just until browned.
- Rest the sausages 5 minutes, then serve whole on buns or sliced.
Why this works
Low heat cooks sausage gently, so the fat inside renders slowly and the casing stays whole. High heat often splits casings and leaves the outside charred while the inside is still raw. A short sear at the end gives you the snap of grilled sausage with plenty of smoke flavor.
Food safety
Fresh sausage is ground meat, so it needs to reach 160°F in the center. Poultry sausage needs 165°F. Check the label: if it says "fully cooked" or "smoked," it only needs reheating to 165°F. If it says "fresh," "uncooked" or "cook before eating," treat it as raw. Smoked meat often stays pink inside, so use a meat thermometer and not color.
Best wood
Hickory and pecan give the classic smoked sausage flavor. Apple and cherry are milder and work well with brats and chicken sausage. Since the cook is short, a small amount of wood is plenty. The wood pairing chart has more combinations.
Serving ideas
- Brats. Simmer smoked brats in beer and onions for 10 minutes before serving.
- Kielbasa bites. Toss smoked rounds with BBQ sauce, such as our Kansas City-style BBQ sauce, for a party snack.
- Add it to sides. Slice smoked sausage into beans, jambalaya or smoked mac and cheese.
Make ahead / storage
Cooked sausage keeps 3–4 days in the fridge or 1–2 months in the freezer. Reheat it to 165°F in a pan, on the grill or in the oven.
Gear for this recipe
- A thin probe that fits in the end of a link without splitting it
- A mesh grill mat or perforated pan for sliced sausage
- An electric smoker works well here, since the cook is short and steady
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