My Smoked Pork Sausage with Hatch Chiles is a recipe for the culinary adventurers among you that are fearless in the kitchen and crave new tastes. These sausages explode with rich, smoky flavor and the chiles tingle the tongue with a peppery balance that sends this dish to a new and undiscovered region in your taste buds.
Smoked Pork Sausage and Hatch Chiles combine in a unique and exciting recipe. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Today, smoked sausage takes center stage with Hatch chiles playing a co-starring role. With the zing of my chile peppers providing a palate-pleasing backdrop, the smoky sausage delivers a wallop of hog flavor that only smoked pork sausage can deliver. While sausage usually appears as a seasoning ingredient only, in this dish it is imperative to find a quality smoked sausage. I suggest pork (it is the most common in south Louisiana), but if you have a source for deer sausage, duck sausage or any tasty combination, then I applaud your resourcefulness. Just make sure it is smoked—an essential taste component of this spicy dish—and mild (let the chiles add the heat).
The season for Hatch chiles is short; I found mine at Whole Foods Market.
Now that you have decided on your sausage, and with a bag full of Hatch chiles, my recipe for Smoked Pork Sausage with Hatch Chiles is taking shape. Hatch chiles are grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, and for a brief time in the late summer (August/September), they flood the markets. There are festivals held to celebrate them and cooks everywhere anticipate their arrival. As a mild chile pepper, Hatch chiles are versatile in the kitchen. Roasted, stewed, and pureed are methods I’ve used, but my favorite way to eat Hatch chiles is simply chopped raw in scrambled eggs. Locked and loaded with a bag of chiles, I have my own Hatch festival by adding them both to the stew skillet and to spike my skillet cornbread.
Browning the sausage in bacon fat adds flavor.
The obvious South Louisiana pairing for this recipe is white rice, so I would recommend having a bowl of cooked rice (I recommend Supreme brand) at the ready. But, this Smoked Pork Sausage with Hatch Chiles stew would be just as good spooned over a big slice of hot buttered cornbread, letting the juice and gravy soak in. Oh yeah! Try this Smoked Pork Sausage with Hatch Chiles recipe and spice up your dinner table; it is a tasty combination that explores new and exciting flavors.
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- 1½ cups yellow cornmeal
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup diced mild Hatch chiles, seeds and membrane removed, or poblano peppers if not in season
- ½ cup canned yellow whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 large egg
- 1¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup diced smoked pork jowl bacon
- 2 pounds mild smoked pork sausage, sliced into bite-size chunks, or any mild smoked sausage
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup chopped red and yellow bell pepper
- 2 cups sliced mild Hatch chile peppers, seeds and membrane removed, or poblano peppers, if not in season
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups cooked long-grain white rice, such as Supreme, for serving, optional
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, add the bacon grease. Place the skillet into the oven.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients along with the chiles and corn In a separate bowl, add the egg and buttermilk, and whisk until combined. Add the liquid ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, and add the melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Remove the hot skillet from the oven and pour in the cornbread batter. Place the pan back into the oven and bake until it begins to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
- In a large cast-iron skillet with a heavy lid on medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until the fat renders out and the bacon crisps, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon and all but 1 tablespoon of the grease. Add the sausage, cook until browned on both sides, and remove to a platter and keep warm. Add the onion, celery, parsley, bell pepper, and Hatch chiles. Cook until the chiles begin to brown and then add the garlic.
- Return the sausage and bacon pieces to the skillet and sprinkle with the flour. Stir the mixture and cook the flour just until the raw taste disappears, about 3 minutes. Add 1½ cups of the chicken stock and reserve the rest if needed. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Add the paprika, Cajun seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper. Lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Uncover and check to see if more stock is needed to achieve a stew-like consistency. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve family-style in the skillet with a bowl of cooked white rice (optional), and cornbread on the side.
Smoked Pork Sausage with Hatch Chiles are an adventurous combination.
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Do you roast and peel your chiles before using? Thank you very much for these recipes. They will yield wonderful food!!!!!!
Hey Barbara-
I don’t find it necessary to roast and peel. All the best to you.