Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs

Jordan HangerOctober 24, 2022

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There is no other side dish that screams holidays like stuffing. And let’s face it getting the stuffing right for your Thanksgiving turkey is almost as important as perfecting the bird itself.

So you won’t go wrong with this smoked sausage stuffing with the traditional roast flavors of sage and thyme as your stuffing side.

Quite often there’s a debate about what’s best, stuffing cooked in a pan or stuffing cooked in the turkey. For this recipe, we’ve gone for the pan option because we prefer the nice crispy bits on top!

How to make Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs

1. Prep the garlic

celery, garlic, sausage, butter sage and onion on a white plate

Because we’re using a lot of garlic in this recipe, I like to roast it first, as it takes away the sharp taste and you’re left with buttery, sweet cloves.

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Cut the top of the garlic head, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then wrap the entire head with foil and place it in your oven for 40 minutes. When cooked, the garlic should be very soft so you can squeeze it out very easily.

2. The bread cubes

There’s enough work already going into Thanksgiving so I find it much easier to let someone else do the hard work when it comes to the bread cubes plus the pieces are nice and uniform.

bread cubes in a glass tray — You could also use an aluminum tray for easy cleanup if you want.

Spread the bread cubes in a 9″x12″ baking pan.

3. Sauté

Chop 2 large stalks of celery and 1 medium yellow onion into small dice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the celery and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook till softened, about 10 minutes.

diced celery and onion frying in a skillet — You just want it softened, not browned.

Remove it from the skillet and spread on top of the bread cubes.

onion and celery on top of bread cubes in glass tray

Add the pork sausage to the skillet, and sauté over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon until it has browned completely.

cooked sausage in a cast iron skillet — Make sure to scrape all the stuck brown bits off the bottom of the skillet, brown equals flavor.

Once cooked place that aside in a bowl making sure to drain any excess oil.

In the same skillet, add the chicken stock, roasted garlic, unsalted butter, parsley, sage, and thyme. Stir that together and scrape the bottom of the skillet to release the bits of sausage. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes.

Add the cooked sausage and chicken stock mixture to the baking pan with the breadcrumbs and stir gently to combine.

uncooked stuffing mixture in glass pan — You don’t want to mix too vigorously in case you break up the bread cubes.

4. The cook

Cover the baking pan with foil and put it into a 350°F smoker.

Cook covered for 30 minutes then remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes.

The reason we cover in foil is to create a little steam which helps soften the bread crumbs then the last 10 minutes uncovered helps crisp up everything on top and get a quick kiss of smoke.

Need a few tips for buying and cooking that turkey?

Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs

Seasoned bread cubes, breakfast sausage and traditional roast flavors of sage and thyme.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 8

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Jordan Hanger

Ingredients

14 oz seasoned bread cubes
4 tbsp butter unsalted
2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
12 oz breakfast sausage
2 cups chicken stock
1 head roasted garlic
¼ cup parsley chopped
¼ cup sage chopped
1 tbsp thyme dried

Instructions

Heat your smoker to 350°F.
Place the bread cubes in a 9"x12" baking pan.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the celery and onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook till softened, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the skillet and spread on top of the breadcrumbs.
In the same skillet cook the breakfast sausage, breaking up it up with a wooden spoon as you go, until browned.
Once cooked place aside in a bowl making sure to drain any excess oil.
In the same skillet, add the chicken stock, roasted garlic, unsalted butter, parsley, sage, and thyme. Stir that together and scrape the bottom of the skillet to release the bits of sausage stuck there. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
Add the cooked sausage and chicken stock mixture to the baking pan with the breadcrumbs and stir gently to combine.
Cover baking pan with foil and place in smoker for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Notes

How do I roast a head of garlic? Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut the top off the garlic head, and drizzle on 1 tbsp olive oil. Wrap the entire head in foil and place it in your oven for 40 minutes. When cooked, the garlic should be very soft so you can squeeze it out very easily.

Can I use another type of stock? Yes, you could use turkey or vegetable stock.

Nutrition

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Smoked Sausage Stuffing with Herbs