That's ahn-DO-wee

There's something of a trans-Atlantic discussion ongoing with some folks on the BBC food board about Cajun and Creole cuisine, jambalaya and andouille, that fine sausage that makes food from Louisiana out of this world. I'm trying to share a recipe for Chef John Folse's andouille, a list he's generous enough to share on television, in his books and with food fans throughout the South:

1 tbsp dry thyme
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
4 tbsp salt
1/4 cup cracked black pepper
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1/2 pound pork fat
5 pounds pork butt (a whole pork shoulder)
6 ft beef middle casing

Cube pork butt into one and a half inch cubes. Using a meat grinder with four one quarter inch holes in the grinding plate, grind pork and pork fat. If you do not have a grinding plate this size, I suggest hand cutting pork butt into one quarter inch square pieces.

Place ground pork in large mixing bowl and blend in all remaining ingredients. Once well blended, stuff meat into casings in one foot links, using the sausage attachment on your meat grinder.

Tie both ends of the sausage securely using a heavy gauge twine.

In your homestyle smoker, smoke andouille at 175-200°F for approximately four to five hours using pecan or hickory wood.

The andouille may then be frozen and used for seasoning gumbos, white or red beans, pastas or grilling as an hors d'oeuvre.

Recipe by: Chef John Folse
Louisiana's Premier Products
2517 South Philippe Avenue
Gonzales, LA 70737
(504) 644-6000