Cajun-Style Sausage

I've been trying to get some good Cajun recipes worked out the way we like them recently. Most of them need some good smoked sausage or Andouille to be worth anything. So I've been messing around with some Cajun style seasoning for sausage. Its not perfect because it isn't smoked but its working fairly well for the flavor we want in some different recipes (of course I'll probably still mess with it a bit!). For this sausage, I took it to the local market and had it stuffed into casings. I've used it ground up in recipes and it works but isn't quite the same for what we're making. Make some up for a pot of jambalaya or gumbo or to go with some red beans and rice! Enjoy!

Cajun-Style Sausage
1 lb or 1/2 kg ground pork (2/3 meat, 1/3 fat)
1 Tbs finely minced garlic
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp filé powder (optional, a Cajun spice I doubt many people stock!)
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional, but helps add flavor since its not smoked)

Using your hands, mix all the spices and garlic into the ground pork. Use as needed for recipes.

*You can use this ground or stuff into casings.
* If stuffed you can use right away or freeze. See below for cooking fresh sausage in casings.

Cooking Fresh Stuffed Sausage
There are a lot of methods and ideas out there for cooking a fresh sausage (raw meat, not smoked). You can just boil it, but I choose to kind of steam it and pan sear it.

Place sausages in a pan with about 1 teaspoon oil and 1/4 cup water. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat. As water cooks off, remove lid and flip sausages. Add another tablespoon or two of water if needed. Allow to sear on both sides once the water has cooked off. The casings may bust and make a pop! The whole process maybe takes 8-10 minutes. Serve as is or slice into a dish or whatever!