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A viral recipe taken to the next level! These smoked sausage boats are stuffed with cream cheese and sharp cheddar, then smoked to perfection and served on a hoagie roll with caramelized onions and sweet and spicy mustard. One of the best sausage sandwiches you’ll ever make on the grill!
I’ve been seeing smoked sausage popper boats all over the internet lately, and I’ll be honest – they looked pretty good. You know the ones I’m talking about: split a sausage, open it up like a “boat”, stuff it with cheese, smoke it, done. But as I watched video after video, I kept thinking the same thing: how can we make this better?
So I did what any pellet grill enthusiast would do – I took it a few steps further. Actually, make that three steps further.
What started as a simple smoked sausage boat turned into one of the best sandwiches that’s come off my smoker. We’re talking caramelized onions, meaty sausages, melty cream cheese and sharp cheddar, all tucked into a warm hoagie roll with some sweet and spicy mustard.
Here’s how to make the viral sausage popper boats into a next-level sandwich:
Make the Sausage Popper Boats
The first step is to prep and stuff the bratwursts:
- Split each sausage lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through. Then carefully open them up and form them with your hands to create a canoe shape.
- Fill each sausage boat with thin slices of cream cheese, then top with freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese.
- Add pickled jalapeños to taste – as many or as few as you like.
- Season the tops of the sausage boats with your favorite all-purpose seasoning. We used our own Spice That Jalapeno All-Purpose Seasoning, but even salt, pepper, and garlic powder will work well.
Cook the Smoked Sausage Boats
Next, arrange the stuffed sausage boats on the grates of your smoker or pellet grill. I prefer to place mine on a wire cooling rack first to make them easier to move on and off the grill.
Smoke at 275°F until the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 160°F internal temperature. For us, this took about 1 hour, but cooking times will vary based on what grill you have, how full you stuff your sausages, etc.
While the sausages cook, prepare the beer-braised onions. Add thinly sliced onions to a small saucepan with about 4 ounces of beer and a tablespoon of butter. You can place the saucepan directly on the smoker to cook alongside the sausage, or cook the onions on the stovetop. Cook the onions down until tender and done to your liking.
*TIP – Use an instant read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the sausages. Because it’s ground pork, you need to ensure that the sausage boats are cooked to an internal temp of 160°F.
Prepare the Buns
About 10-15 minutes before the smoked sausages are done, prepare the hoagie rolls. Use a knife to cut out a canoe shape in the top of the hoagies, about the same length as the pork sausages. Then use your fingers to gently hollow out the rolls a bit, making room for the stuffed sausage boats to sit right inside the buns.
Place the rolls on the grill or smoker to warm while the sausages finish cooking.
*NOTE – We used uncut hoagie-style rolls that we found at Walmart for this recipe, because they were the only bun options that we could find that weren’t pre-cut. You could also try our homemade hoagie rolls recipe here.
Assemble the Sandwiches
To assemble these smoked sausage popper boat sandwiches, add a bit of your favorite sweet ‘n spicy deli mustard to the bottom of the warmed hoagie rolls. Then layer on some of the caramelized onions, and nestle the sausage boats right into the hollowed out bun.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the Bun Warm: This is the secret to the whole sandwich. Place the hollowed buns on the smoker during the last 10-15 minutes so they stay warm and absorb that flavorful sausage fat. Fat is flavor!
- Don’t Skip the Beer Braising: Butter, beer, and onions is a combination to die for. The onions and mustard take this sandwich to a whole new level.
- Time Your Onions: Start the onions on the smoker to pick up smoke flavor, but don’t be afraid to finish them on a stovetop or hot plate to get them properly caramelized and soft.
- Hollow Out the Buns: Creating a canoe shape in your hoagie rolls helps capture all the delicious juices and prevents a soggy bottom.
Smoked Sausage Popper Boats (Sandwich-Style)
Ingredients
- 5 sandwich or hoagie rolls, preferably uncut
- 5 bratwurst sausages, like Johnsonville brand, about 19 oz total
- 8 oz block cream cheese, cut into 10 slices
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- pickled jalapeños, optional
- Spice That Jalapeno All-Purpose Seasoning, or substitute salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup beer
- sweet 'n spicy deli mustard
Instructions
- Preheat your pellet grill or smoker to 275°F with your choice of wood or pellets.
Prep the Sausage Boats:
- Split each sausage lengthwise, but don’t cut all the way through. Then carefully open them up and form them with your hands to create a canoe shape.
- Place two slices of cream cheese in the bottom of each sausage boat, spreading it out along the length of the opening. Top with freshly grated cheddar cheese. Then add 3-4 sliced pickled jalapeños (optional).
- Season the tops of each sausage boat with your favorite all-purpose seasoning.
Smoke the Sausages and Onions:
- Place sliced onions in a small pot or cast iron pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and about 4 ounces of beer. Place the pot of onions on the grill or smoker to cook alongside the sausages, or cook the onions on the stovetop.
- Place the stuffed sausage boats directly on the grill grates of your smoker or pellet grill. *To make them easier to get on and off the grill, you can also place them on a wire cooling rack, and set the rack on the grates instead.
- Smoke at 275℉ until the sausages reach an internal temperature of 160°F, approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
- If your onions aren't fully tender when the sausages are done, transfer them to a stovetop and continue cooking until soft and golden brown.
Prepare the Buns:
- About 10-15 minutes before the sausages are done, hollow out the hoagie rolls lengthwise to create a canoe shape.
- Place the hollowed buns on the smoker rack with the sausages for the final few minutes of cooking to warm them.
Assemble the Sausage Boat Sandwiches:
- Spread your favorite mustard on the inside of each warmed bun. Top with a generous helping of the caramelized onions.
- Nestle a sausage boat into the hollowed-out bun.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For the buns – We used uncut hoagie-style rolls that we found at Walmart for this recipe, because they were the only bun options that we could find that weren’t pre-cut.
- Our favorite sandwich mustard – We recommend a sweet n’ spicy deli-style mustard for this recipe. Our favorite is Woeber’s Sandwich Pal Sweet ‘n Spicy Mustard (available at most grocery stores).
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