Prudhomme Family's Nutria Sausage

The nutria (also called ragondin) is a fur bearing herbivore native to South America that was first introduced into the wilds of Louisiana in the late 1930s, when animals were intentionally and/or accidentally released from fur farms. Nutria meat is a very lean red meat quite similar to rabbit meat and tastes like dark turkey meat. If you do not hunt, frozen nutria meat is available year round, and can be shipped nationwide. To stuff the casings, you will need a meat grinder with a sausage horn attachment. If you don't have such a device, use the mixture to make fried patties by shaping 1/4 cup of filling into a 1/2 inch thick patty and frying in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Recipe by: Chef Enola Prudhomme

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Yields: 4 1/2 pounds

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  nutria, boned
• 1  lb pork
• 10 1⁄2 ounces potatoes, peeled
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 2  teaspoons  creole seasoning
• 1  teaspoon sage

Directions

1. To prepare casings: Let casings soak in cool water about five minutes to remove salt on outer surface (no longer, or they will become too tender to stuff) and flush salt from the inside by placing one end on faucet nozzle and turn on cold tap water (if you see holes or water leaking, cut and discard).
2. Remove casing from faucet and gently squeeze out water; cover rinsed casings and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Grind nutria and pork together with potato.
4. Add all other ingredients; mix well.
5. Fill the casings and make links by twisting the sausage where you wish the links to be.
6. Four inches is a good size for a regular serving, smaller links may be made for appetizer servings.
7. If using bar-b-que pit to smoke, build fire on one side of pit.
8. Place sausage on the other side of pit; this will allow smoke to get to sausage without cooking too fast.
9. If you have used bacon fat, put on your fire.
10. This will create lots of smoke.
11. This will take less time to get a good smoke taste.
12. Let sausage smoke 1 hour and 15 minutes; turn and let smoke 1 hour, then remove from pit and let cool.