Hot Sausage Wrapped Shrimp Appetizers

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
•  Marinate Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
• Smoker Temp: 240°F
• Meat Finish Temp: 160°F
• Recommended Wood: Cherry

• 1-2 lbs of large shrimp, 26/30 or larger, (peeled with tail left on)
• Jeff’s Texas style rub
• Jeff’s original rub
• Ground sausage (hot or mild) (1 lb makes 12-16)

I purchased shrimp that still had the shell so I spent a little time peeling. Not my favorite job but it's worth it in the end.

If your shrimp are frozen, pour them into a colander and run cold water over them for a couple of minutes to thaw.

Peel the shrimp and leave the tail on if possible.

Place the peeled shrimp in a bowl and set aside.

I have used my original rub many times to season shrimp and it does a great job but this time it was calling for the Texas style rub  which is savory only (no sugar).

Pour an ample amount of my Texas style rub over the shrimp and stir them around to coat. If you have time, place the bowl in the fridge for an hour to give it time to get “happy”.

I tried this multiple ways and what seemed to work best for me was to make a ball of sausage about 1-inch in diameter then press it out flat and thin in my hand.

I then laid the shrimp onto the sausage and wrapped the sausage around the body of the shrimp.

Note: This is quick and easy if the shrimp are dry and the sausage is cold.

Sprinkle some of my original rub  onto the sausage and lay the completed appetizers on a Weber grill pan or Bradley rack.

They are ready to smoke.

Setup your smoker for cooking at about 240°F with indirect heat.

If your smoker utilizes a water pan, fill it with hot water to create a moist environment.

For smoke, I chose some cherry but almost any light tasting wood will work such as pecan, apple or any fruit wood.

When your smoker is ready to go, place the shrimp appetizers on the smoker grate and let them cook for about 45 minutes with light smoke.

You may want to check the temperature at the center of the sausage with a Thermapen at around 30 minutes to make sure everything is going as it should.

The sausage needs to reach 160°F for it to be safe at which point the shrimp inside will be just perfect.

When the sausage wrapped shrimp appetizers are finished cooking, remove them from the smoker right away.

Serve these up with some warm barbecue sauce on the side.

• Wrap in bacon instead of sausage. I recommend very thin bacon.
• Use a meatloaf mixture instead of sausage

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Note: You can also order the formulas for my rubs and sauce and make these yourself at home. Grab those HERE and download immediately.