Smoked sausage and cabbage recipe can all be done at the same time for a great dinner on your Traeger or electric or pellet smoker for deliciousness. We started this journey creating a lot of electric smoker recipes but you can use any version you have.
We made this on our grill the other night and it came out so tasty! With just a few seasonings and olive oil you too can make this easy smoker recipe that’s inexpensive and everyone loves.
Smoked Cabbage Recipe
This was one of the first things we made, as a dinner that was cheap. Of course meat was a given and done first off but the we started thinking of our favorite side dishes and out of the box items next. My grandmother was in love with this crispy green vegetable and cooked it often.
Of course she didn’t have a Traeger back in her day but I bet she would’ve gotten into it if she had. Adding meat in with this otherwise bland veggie adds a lot of flavor indeed. Kielbasa is easiest as we used here but venison sausage would be wonderful too if you’re looking for more ideas.
You’ll first want to pick your favorite precooked sausage link. Johnsonville kielbasa works great, or choose andouille for a kick of heat! This duo is great with baked cabbage steaks too.
I don’t know about you but the older I got the more simple cabbage recipes I fell in love with. My grandma cooked Instant Pot fried cabbage all of the time but it was a no go for me until I was in my 40’s. Maybe my tastebuds improved because the same went for mushrooms. Now I love them and can’t get enough! Call it maturity or old age. lol
Ingredient Notes
These are the main two ingredients you will need. Of course if you opted to just cook one or the other, have at it. I like to use a link of kielbasa sausage (or Smoked brats could be used) but I like precooked cut into dials.
Then I like green cabbage added at the same time so dinner is done all at the same time. You could choose the purple variation but that is firmer so timing would be longer.
Olive oil will keep it moist but you could use avocado oil instead.
I add some beef broth in there too to steam it tender. You do want a 9×13″ aluminum pan with higher sides to keep what moisture will be released in so it can essentially steam to tender with aluminum foil over the top.
Seasonings I really like are Old Bay, Garlic salt adds flavor and Onion powder is optional. You could add sliced onions inside too.
Tips
There are a few options when it comes to how to cut cabbage. The smaller the pieces the shorter the cook time will be in order to get it tender. I don’t like it limp so I quartered it and it remained a bit firm on the inner layers.
If you want it a bit softer I would recommend that you cut those quarters in half. 8 equal pieces will create tender leaves but not super soft like buttered cabbage if you will. Any smaller than that would yield really soft pieces, decide for yourself. The smaller you cut the head the more tender it will get. Leave in quarters like we did here and it will warm and the top layers will soften but the middle will remain firmer.
How Long to Cook Sausage and Cabbage in a Smoker
Timing is set for a quartered cabbage head though so keep that in mind when making it. 1 hour 20-30 minutes is for this large but if cut into cubed bite size pieces it would take half that time.
Smoked Sausage and Cabbage Recipe
Equipment
- 1 smoker
- 1 aluminum pan
Ingredients
- 1 link sausage, precooked link
- 1 head cabbage
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 tsp old bay
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 small onion, sliced, optional
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 275 degrees
- Slice sausage into 1" thick dials and cut cabbage into quarters or 8 equal pieces (cubed, smaller pieces will yield more tender cabbage)
- Put wedges into 9×13" aluminum pan with sausage surrounding them. (if adding onions sprinkle those in now too)
- In a bowl whisk together olive oil, broth and seasonings. Pour on top of cabbage and cover pan with foil tightly so it can steam.
- Cook for 20 minutes, then lift foil and rotate cabbage to other flat side, cook for another 20 minutes, then remove foil and cook for 40 more minutes uncovered. (note: this timing is for quartered cabbage, if you cut it smaller it may take less time)
- Check and see if it's as tender inside and browned on outside as you'd like it to be, remove and enjoy immediately for best taste and texture.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
We think this sausage recipe is a great duo for sure! With onions and garlic if you want to add that, it is very versatile, cheap, easy and delicious.
I like good ol’ kielbasa or Italian sausages. If you love bangers and mash you could use bratwursts. Chorizo is great if you want some spice and breakfast sausage is great in the morning.
That depends on whether they are raw to start, or precooked. If you slice them as we did with our sausage and cabbage recipe they take less time.
You can use any type of meat you want, I like using these links that are precooked though. If yours start out raw you’ll need to make sure the internal temperature reaches a safe range before consuming and they will take much longer.
Other cabbage recipes you’ll love
Looking for more sausage recipes? Of course you can dice some up small and throw it into a pot of stewed cabbage on the stovetop, Instant Pot sausage and peppers is even faster and a really cheap meal with spaghetti sauce. It’s great served on hoagie rolls for lunch.
We also make an Instant Pot sausage and rice dish that is killer! NO need to cook stirring at all because it all cooks together without any effort from you. A cabbage recipe we make on the stove is our dutch oven corned beef brisket and that is out of this world. Or try some air fryer cabbage some time. Jump to recipe and get started.
