Aidell's sausage: Yay or nay?

Have any of you tried Aidell's sausage yet? They are new to my area, and last week the "sample lady" (for lack of a better term) was pushing it at the supermarket, but I didn't get a chance to have a nibble. The flavors intrigue me - there are about 4 or 5 different ones - but wondered if they are really all that good. Can anyone out there recommend it before I buy it?

A definite yay! for Aidells,especially the apple/chicken.A good alternative for the yummy but fatty pork.Sometimes they require a little oil themselves when sauteing.They are best grilled.Add some red,yellow,green peppers and onions too! My only beef is that they are a tad expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by Kristi S.

Have any of you tried Aidell's sausage yet? They are new to my area, and last week the "sample lady" (for lack of a better term) was pushing it at the supermarket, but I didn't get a chance to have a nibble. The flavors intrigue me - there are about 4 or 5 different ones - but wondered if they are really all that good. Can anyone out there recommend it before I buy it?

I used to be able to get Aidell's here, but I haven't seen it in a while. I've enjoyed the andouille sausage.

I have never actually tried his product, but I have his cook book and the recipes are all top notch! I rarely buy sausage anymore.

We love all of their sausages and are lucky enough to be able to get them at great price at our SAMS Warehouse.

We buy them at Costco and mainly take them out on the boat with us, or camping. We find them "good" but not "great".

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Originally posted by lamertz

A definite yay! for Aidells,especially the apple/chicken.A good alternative for the yummy but fatty pork.Sometimes they require a little oil themselves when sauteing.They are best grilled.Add some red,yellow,green peppers and onions too! My only beef is that they are a tad expensive.

They are a little pricey, but I'd be willing to try that apple/chicken one just because it seems so 'exotic'. I'm so used to buying plain ol' (but yummy) beer brats for the family. Thanks for the input!

The apple chicken is great for breakfast,but like lleechef says they are for the most part good not great.they arent full of garbage and chemicals, and that6 goes along way around ou7r house---they are however, a bit pricey.

My opnion is more or less the same as the others. I haven't had the chance to try all of the different Aidells's varieties, but what I've had has been good, sometimes quite good, but not great. I do like the chicken and apple as well. Of course, it depends on how one cooks these things - I've found that even mediocre sausage can be improved, depending on how it's used. And I admire the range that Aidells produces. That said, for best results, I generally go with one of the locally made sausages available. Or, sometimes, make my own, according to some of the recipes in Aidells's first-rate (as someone above already mentioned) sausage cookbook. I'd also recommend his The Complete Meat Cookbook with Denis Kelly. That is a treasure.

A definite yea, and great deal at Sam's. Great for quiche and pasta dishes. Tell me more about the cookbook. I have over 2000 volumes and look for more valuable additions.

The book is in two parts; first, the sausage recipes and second, recipes with the sausage in them. He covers all types of sausage; breakfast, german, polish, mediteranian, asian, game, seafood. The recipes include breakfast, appetisers, soups, pastas, etc. As I've noted, I haven't found a clinker yet.

Of the sausages, I've made the classic sage breakfast, chicken breakfast, chorizo, sweet italian, tuscan, boudin, and a lamb sausage with sundried tomatoes,mint, and pine nuts. I'm looking forward to trying the germanic types, asian, andouille, and seafood.

I highly recommend it. If you don't make sausage, but can get good basic sausage,the recipes are great.

On gettin Aidells at Sams, I was just in yesterday getting a case of pork butts and passed by the sausage cooler. To my surprise, the Aidells were gone and Emeril's line of sausages were there in their place. That really bummed me out.

John

I love the Aidells chicken/apple sausage. Runner up for me is the Andouille sausage. Both make good appetizers for parties. Costco stocks them here in the L. A. area.

I found the same thing at our local Sam's RibDog, no Aidells just the Emeril line, which we tried. Not bad, but not the best either. Of course I am a bit spoiled as I got used to some great Czech style sausage from Texas.

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chefrick writes Tell me more about the cookbook.

Cosmos has given you the lowdown on Aidells' and Kelly's Complete Sausage Book, one of serveral they have co-authored. I was referring to another one, The Comeplete Meat Cookbook, which is a larger volume with more varied content. The subtitle says it all: A Juicy and Authoritative Guilde to Selecting, Seasoning, and Cooking Today's Beef, Pork, Lamb, and Veal. No poultry here, and only the occasional veggie side dish or garnish, although many of the recipies involve vegetables. What you get are long, extremely informative chapters on each type of meat, with exhaustive discussions of all of the standard cuts and their uses, suggested cooking times and methods (adjusted for the leaner meat that one generally finds these days), great suggestions for rubs, marinades and brines, and sauces, and then loads of recipes. These often take the form of a master recipe detailing the basic technique, and then variations which follow. It is a great cookbook, one that is not only full of good recipes, but fun and informative to read. Some highlights:

Cured Pork Loin with Parsnips in Maple Vanilla Sauce
Afghani Ground Lamb and Eggplant Pasta
Flank Steak with North African Marinade
Braised Shoulder of Veal with Apples

You get the idea. While some of the recipes do get complex, many are easy and use ingredients that can easily be obtained or are already in your kitchen. I do wish they had done a similar volume on chicken, though. But all in all, it's one of the best cookbooks I own, highly recommended. The hardcover edition (which I believe is the only edition) has a suggested retail price of $35, but you might be able to find it for less. It's worth it, though.

You can see it at Amazon.com[url='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/061813512X/qid=1068491612/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1022645-7986215?v=glance&s=books']here.[/url]