Creole Sausages Andouille vs Chaurice

By the time you read this, we will have made authentic Andouille and Chaurice.  



Having been in the Gulf Coast region for over a year I have had to perfect the food.  It would not be me if I did not.  I have made some amazingly authentic food that has locals questioning exactly where I hail from.  Sausage is an integral part of much of the food down here and the part of the local cuisine that has yet eluded me as my recipe geek requires historic recipes to find the true essence.  The most commonly called for sausage is Andouille.  I have yet to make any recipes that call for Chaurice and Budin is eaten by itself as a snack. 

When locals speak of the difference between Cajun and Creole they universally bring up the French and African influences.  The thing no one mentions is the German influence.  The only reason I know about his is because of this cookbook.   Memere's Country Creole Cookbook is where I finally found a recipe for Andouille.  My other reference cookbook is The Picayune's Creole Cookbook which is the from the French influence and has the Chaurice recipe.  I have yet to find a proper Cajun cookbook.  

I digress...

When my Lovely husband and I first got into sausage making and were mere Northerners, ignorant of what Cajun and Creole food actually was we made what we *thought* was a good and proper Andouille.  Not so fast.  It is a good sausage that has a lot of the local flavors but is *not* Andouille.  It is actually closer to Chaurice.

Memere's Andouille recipe is very mild and heavily smoked.  It is definitively German.  I know there are many recipes that have thyme in them, but they are more likely based in the French.  Unfortunately Picayune does not give me an Andouille recipe.

4 1/2 lb pork butt
1/2 lb pork fat
5 t salt
2 t black pepper
2 t garlic powder
1 t cayenne
casing

In contrast we have Picayunes Chaurice recipe:

4 lb lean fresh pork
2 lb fat fresh pork
2 large onions-minced very fine
1 clove garlic-minced very fine
1 t Cayenne or other very hot chili pepper
1 t red pepper (hot Paprika)
1 T salt
1 t black pepper-finely ground
1 sprig of thyme-well minced
2 bay leaves-chopped or minced fine
1/2 t allspice-very fine


Now for the sausage formerly known as Andouille.  It is definitely more closely related to the Chaurice than the Andouille and has many of the flavors popular down here, but it is neither.  It is still a fine sausage and will be used in the future.  It is never to go near my Red Beans and Rice again. 

6 lb pork
3 T salt
3 chipotle
1 T cayenne
1 T sage
1/2 T nutmeg
1 T allspice
1 t black pepper
3 bay leaf
1/2 t thyme
3 clove garlic
* this is great smoked