Smoked Italian Sausage and Vinegar Peppers
I’m taking it back to my Italian roots for this one and sharing my recipe for this classic: sausage and peppers. As an Italian, it is basically a rite of passage to learn how to make sausage and peppers. It’s a quick, easy and super tasty dish to make, whether it’s for Sunday lunch with the family or just a snack. I used hot Italian sausage, but if you aren’t a big fan of spice, you can use a mild Italian sausage – I won’t judge. I smoked the sausage first until cooked and then took them out of the smoker and seared them on the plancha for a couple of minutes on each side. I also used three different colour peppers, red, orange and yellow, but if you have a preference of which you like, you can stick to one colour, a mix of two, or also do all three. I grilled up my peppers and onions on a hot plancha with olive oil and then also added some apple cider vinegar. I added my oil and vinegar straight to the peppers and onions while there were on the plancha and got a pretty big flare up from the mix of hot oil and the water content in the vinegar, so just be careful if you decide to make it this way, too. You can always toss your peppers and onions in a bowl with olive oil and apple cider vinegar before you put them on the plancha instead. If you’re using a traditional bbq with a grill and not a plancha, I definitely don’t need to tell you not to pour oil and vinegar over your vegetables, but I will any ways. Pouring oil and vinegar over your peppers and onions and getting a cool flare up is only possible on the Alchemy plancha.
To build your sausage and pepper platter, you need to chop up some fresh garlic, a spicy Italian chili pepper and mix them with some apple cider vinegar. Your onions and peppers go straight into the bowl with them, pour in some more olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt and mix everything together. Cut up a few slices of your favourite rustic bread, toast them on your plancha and put them down on the bottom of your platter. Pile on your grilled peppers and onions, sausages and grate some fresh parm over top. The last step, and must, is to make a simple basil oil, which is just chopping up fresh basil leaves, pouring on some extra virgin olive oil and chopping it together so you almost infuse the oil with the basil. Drizzle the basil oil over top of your sausage and peppers and then dig in. To find out how to make my Smoked Italian Sausage and Vinegar Peppers recipe keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.
Preheat your smoker to 275F. Place your sausages in the smoker. They will take about 20 minutes to cook.
Meanwhile, slice your peppers off the core.
Place your peppers on the plancha, let them cook and char, flipping after about 2-3 minutes.
Slice up your onion and place on the plancha. Drizzle your peppers and onions with olive oil and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes. Drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Be careful of flareups from the mix of fire, oil and vinegar.
As your peppers and onions cook, chop up your garlic and place in a large bowl. Cover with apple cider vinegar and mix. Thinly slice your chili pepper and add it to the bowl and mix.
Once cooked, remove your peppers and onions from the grill and add them into your bowl with the garlic, apple cider vinegar and chili pepper. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Mix.
Once your sausage is cooked, or reaches and internal temp of 160F, remove from the smoker and place on the plancha to nicely sear on all sides.
Slice your bread and place on the grill to toast. Finely chop your fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and keep mincing. Transfer the basil oil to a small bowl and set aside.
To build, place your toasted bread on a platter.
Add your peppers and onions on top of the toasted bread, then your sausage, grate some parmesan cheese over top and drizzle with basil oil. Dig in!
And now for the full recipe...
Smoked Italian Sausage and Vinegar Peppers
Serves 2-4 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
4 hot Italian sausages
3 mixed coloured peppers
1 onion
¼ cup fresh basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Apple cider vinegar
1 spicy Italian chili pepper
2-3 cloves garlic
3 slices, bread of choice
Parmesan cheese
How to Make It:
Preheat your smoker to 275F.
Place your sausages in the smoker. They will take about 20 minutes to cook.
Meanwhile, slice your peppers off the core and place on the plancha, let them cook and char, flipping after about 2-3 minutes. Slice up your onion and place on the plancha. Drizzle your peppers and onions with olive oil and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes. Drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Be careful of flareups from the mix of fire, oil and vinegar. Allow to keep cooking until softened and nicely charred, another 4-5 minutes.
As your peppers and onions cook, chop up your garlic and place in a large bowl. Cover with apple cider vinegar and mix. Thinly slice your chili pepper and add it to the bowl and mix. Once cooked, remove your peppers and onions from the grill and add them into your bowl with the garlic, apple cider vinegar and chili pepper. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Mix.
Once your sausage is cooked, or reaches and internal temp of 160F, remove from the smoker and place on the plancha to nicely sear on all sides.
Slice your bread and place on the grill to toast. Finely chop your fresh basil. Drizzle with olive oil and keep mincing. Transfer the basil oil to a small bowl and set aside.
To build, place your bread on a platter. Add your peppers and onions, then your sausage, grate some parmesan cheese over top and drizzle with basil oil.
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