Get That Iconic Cracker Barrel Sausage Flavor at Home

Cracker Barrel’s smoked sausage is one of those iconic breakfast foods that just hits the spot. With its subtle smoky flavor, snappy casing and juicy meat it’s easy to see why the Cracker Barrel sausage has gained a cult following over the years. But did you know that you can easily recreate this tasty breakfast sausage right in your own kitchen?

With just a few simple ingredients and techniques, you can make smoked sausage with all that savory Cracker Barrel flavor Read on to learn the secrets behind making incredible homemade smoked sausage just like the pros at Cracker Barrel serve every morning.

Understanding the Cracker Barrel Sausage

So what exactly gives the Cracker Barrel smoked sausage its distinctive flavor? There are a few key factors at play:

• Smoking – Cracker Barrel sausages are cold-smoked, meaning they are smoked at a lower temperature without actually cooking the meat. This gives them a subtle smoky essence without overpowering the flavor.

• Spices – The spice blend is key. Cracker Barrel likely uses a blend of black pepper, sage, thyme, coriander, nutmeg, and other warm spices to give their sausage its signature flavor.

• Pork – The sausage contains both pork shoulder and pork fat for the right balance of fat to lean meat. This gives the sausage its characteristic juiciness and texture.

• Snappy casings – The sausages are stuffed into natural hog casings, which gives them that satisfying “snap” when you bite into them.

Choose the Right Meat

Just like Cracker Barrel, you’ll want to use a mix of pork shoulder and pork fat for your homemade sausage. The shoulder provides the meaty texture while the fat gives it plenty of flavor and moisture.

Aim for a mix of about 80% lean meat to 20% fat. While you can certainly use all pork shoulder, adding some extra fat will make your sausage juicier. And don’t be tempted to use leaner cuts like loin – you need the fat for the signature Cracker Barrel flavor.

For the lean portion, choose high-quality pork shoulder and trim off any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes to make it easier to grind.

For the fatty portion, pork fatback is ideal but you can also use belly fat or jowl meat. Cut the fat into similar sized cubes. Keep the fat chilled until ready to grind.

Grind the Meat Perfectly

For the proper Cracker Barrel texture, you’ll need to grind the meat twice – once through a coarse die and once through a finer die. This gives the sausage a blend of finely ground and chunkier meat.

Chill all of the meat and fat until nearly frozen before grinding. This makes it easier for the meat to go through the grinder without smearing.

For the first coarse grind, use a die with holes about 3/8” in diameter. Spread the ground meat out on a baking sheet and chill again before the second grind.

For the second grind, switch to a die with 1/4” holes. Keeping everything chilled is key to getting a nice blend of textures.

You can certainly grind the meat by hand if you don’t have a meat grinder. Just chill the meat well and chop it very fine with a sharp knife before mixing the sausage.

Mix in the Signature Spice Blend

Now comes the fun part – seasoning the sausage! Cracker Barrel’s spice blend is top secret, but here’s a homemade blend that mimics the flavor:

• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for extra heat)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Then sprinkle the spices over the ground meat and use your hands to thoroughly incorporate them.

Resist the urge to add a lot more spices – you want the flavor of the pork to still shine through. If desired, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt to balance out the spices.

Stuff the Sausages into Hog Casings

At this point, you can form the seasoned sausage meat into patties and cook them just like breakfast sausage. But to really replicate the Cracker Barrel links, you’ll need to stuff the sausage into casings.

Natural hog casings are the best choice – they give the sausages that characteristic “snap” and nicely rounded shape. Soak the casings in warm water for at least 30 minutes before stuffing.

Use a sausage stuffer to fill the hog casings with the sausage meat. Twist the links into 4-6 inch lengths. Tie off the ends with butcher’s twine or use metal hog rings to close them.

Give Them a Light Smoky Flavor

Here’s where the smoking comes in. To mimic Cracker Barrel’s process, you’ll want to do a “cold smoke,” which means smoking the sausages below 90 degrees F. This lightly flavors them without actually cooking the meat.

The easiest way is to use a stovetop smoker. Load it with your favorite smoking wood like hickory, apple, cherry or maple. Place the sausage links on the racks and smoke for 1-2 hours with the smoker between 90-120 degrees.

If you don’t have a smoker, you can improvise one. Place a small pan of soaked smoking wood chips directly on your stove burner on low heat and put a wire cooling rack above it. Put the sausages on the rack, cover with foil, and smoke for 1-2 hours.

Finish by Simmering or Grilling

After cold smoking, the sausages need to be gently cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

To simmer them, place the smoked sausages in a skillet with about 1 cup of water or chicken broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

For nice charred flavor, you can also finish them on the grill. Cook over indirect heat for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the center reaches 160 degrees.

Let the cooked sausages rest for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy your homemade Cracker Barrel-style smoked sausages!

Troubleshooting Homemade Smoked Sausage

Making great smoked sausage at home does take some practice. Here are some common issues and how to avoid them:

• Sausage is dry or crumbly – Use a meat grind with larger holes and be sure to include enough fat in the mix (around 20% fat to 80% lean meat).

• Casings are tearing during stuffing – Soak casings longer and be gentle when stuffing. Use a sausage pricker to poke any air pockets.

• Sausage has off or bitter flavors – Avoid over-smoking. 1-2 hours of cold smoking is plenty. Cook to 160 degrees F to eliminate bacteria growth.

• Sausage lacks smoky flavor – Use more wood chips in the smoker and go for 2 full hours of cold smoking time to infuse the smoke essence.

• Spices overpower the pork flavor – Use a light hand with spices like pepper, nutmeg, and sage. Let the pork shine through.

Tips for Serving Smoked Cracker Barrel-Style Sausage

Once you’ve mastered making incredible smoked sausage at home, here are some tasty ways to serve it up:

• Chop it up and scramble with eggs, peppers, and cheese for smoky sausage breakfast tacos

• Slice and serve with biscuits, sawmill gravy, and hash browns for a true Cracker Barrel-style breakfast

• Add to a breakfast pizza with tater tots, bacon, and scrambled eggs

• Grill or pan-fry slices to top a salad, rice bowl, or ramen noodles for a quick dinner

• Bake sliced sausages wrapped in crescent roll dough for easy sausage pinwheels

• Serve sliced on a sausage and cheese platter with crackers and spicy mustard

With the right techniques and a perfect blend of smoky, savory spices, you can absolutely recreate the iconic Cracker Barrel smoked sausage experience in your own kitchen. So fire up that smoker and enjoy these sensational sausages for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anytime!