I have left this same information on a few different sausage topics tonight. These things work for me:
You need at least a five pound sausage stuffer, stuffing off a grinder makes a mush consistency of your meat.
Vary the texture and size of your grind for a better mouth feel.
Adding High Temp cheese is never a bad idea, its tasty and increase your yield.
Run the smoker at 250, most sausage is not that thick, it takes smoke quickly, a hot smoker keeps them from sweating and getting greasy. You want them to cook not sweat.
Don't believe the nitrate hype, use the pink salt so you don't die, or kill your friends.
Use a probe thermometer to tell when your sausage hits 150, yes I know the bag of mix says 165, however they don't want to get sued. 150 makes a moister more consistent sausage. If a slab of bacon is fully cooked at 150, why would you torture your sausage all the way to 165?
At 150, IMMEDIATELY remove the sausage from the smoker and PLUNGE them into a large cooler of ice water, don't be stingy with the ice. This ice bath stops the cooking process, it cools the sausage so meat and fat do not separate. It also prevents them from being withered and the casing slipping off.
larger sausage I hang or leave on a rack for 24 hours before rapping in Cling wrap twice and freezer paper once, they will keep excellent in the freezer for several months or until your teenage children find them.
Enjoy