A is for Andouille!
What is Andouille?
Andouille (pronounced anne-doo-ee) is a sausage that originates from France and is made primarily from pork. In America, we know it best as the sausage of Louisiana and Mardi Gras season, which makes sense, given the French roots of the Cajun people. The original French versions of this sausage used a large diameter casing made from the large intestine of a pig. That casing was then filled with a mixture of chopped up pig’s stomach and small intestine that was mixed with onions, garlic, pepper, and wine. This was quite a large sausage (think of a big bologna) and it would be poached and then served cold in small slices.
If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, don’t worry – the Cajuns made some improvements to the recipe. Instead of using stomach and small intestine for the meat, the Cajuns used pork shoulder as the meat filling for the natural pork casing (which is still an intestine, but it sounds less gross to say “natural pork casing”.) The pork is then seasoned with a mixture of seasonings, but most importantly cayenne pepper to give the sausage a spicy kick. This version of the sausage is often smoked, so it’s ready to heat and eat, but you can also find fresh versions available.
Andouille Sausage at LGCM
Lake Geneva Country Meats makes a phenomenal (well that’s our opinion) Smoked Andouille Sausage that comes in long ropes that weigh about 1.25# each. We like to offer these in coiled ropes because you can then cook them and cut the sausage into pieces to incorporate into your favorite recipes. It may seem a little strange to buy such a long sausage, but you can always cut into whatever size you need, whether’s it’s bun length or bite size for an appetizer.
We mix pork and beef trimmings to be the base of our sausage. We like using a little beef in addition to the pork to add a bit richer flavor base and keep the sausage from getting overly fatty tasting. We then use a signature seasoning mix that has salt, various ground peppers for spice, and dehydrated onion and garlic for flavor. After we stuff the sausages, they take a trip through our smokehouse where they are fully cooked and kissed with a touch of our hardwood smoke blend. The hint of smoky flavors pairs perfectly with the spicy flavors in the sausage.
This sausage has won numerous awards including a silver medal at 2019 International Quality Competition for Sausages at Frankfurt, Germany, hosted by the German Butchers’ Association! Taste it for yourself and let us know what you think.
Andouille Sausage Recipes
Andouille Sausage is often used in Cajun recipes like gumbos and jambalayas. Since our Andouille Sausage is already fully cooked, it’s super easy to use in recipes since you can quickly heat it up and add it to whatever else you’re cooking. Here are some of our favorite recipes from our website and around the internet.
- Easy Mardi Gras Jambalaya – this is our recipe for an easy to cook Andouille Jambalaya at home. We make a very popular Jambalaya kit that is used in this recipe that you can purchase at Lake Geneva Country Meats during Mardi Gras season. We also list out the ingredients separately so you can make them year round.
- Cajun Pizza – we love adding slices of Andouille sausage on top of pizza. When you use pre=made pizza crusts, this is an incredibly easy recipe to make at home.
- Shrimp & Andouille Gumbo – this LGCM recipe combines Andouille with shrimp for a Cajun surf and turf meal. If you love big, bold flavor, this recipe is for you.
- Easy Sheet Pan Sausage and Peppers – we got this recipe from the Perfect Keto blog. We always love sheet pan recipes, and this is an easy to make and easy to clean recipe that brings big flavors to your next meal.
- One Pot Andouille Sausage Skillet Pasta – this recipes comes from damndelicious.net and is another easy to make and easy to clean recipe that combines noodles, tomatoes, and Andouille sausage. It’s dinner on the table in 30 minutes!
- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Sausage – this Taste of Home recipe is a great way to make a hearty side dish or a meal to serve on rice or corn bread. This recipe brings together some of the best flavors and ingredients of Louisiana cooking!
- Sweet Potato and Andouille Hash – our last recipe also comes from Taste of Home and is a great way to spice up your breakfast. This hash is ready within 30 minutes and provides a filling breakfast dish to enjoy on its own or with eggs and your other favorite breakfast dishes.
That wraps up our A is for Andouille post. We hope you feel like you now know everything you need to know about Andouille Sausage and stop by Lake Geneva Country Meats to pick up a package and enjoy it at home. Adding Andouille to your life is a great way to bring a taste of Mardi Gras to your home any time of the year.
Do you have questions about Andouille? Leave us a comment below and we’ll be happy to answer. If you want to keep deep diving into more meat topics, you can click here to see all of the entries in our A to Z of Meat blog series!
We’ll see you soon at Lake Geneva Country Meats!
