Sausage and Mushroom Smoked Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage, sage flavored
• 1 lb white bread, torn into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups celery, sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 1/2 cups carrot, diced
• 2 lbs mushrooms (great with cremini, mini-portobello, shiitake)
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp sage, chopped
• 1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped
• 1 Tbsp thyme, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat Smoker (or Oven) to 350 degrees.
2. Dry out bread chunks by leaving them on a cooking sheet overnight, or by baking them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the bread is dry and crispy. When cooled, place in a large bowl.
3. Brown sausage in large skillet, and heat until cooked through. We like big chunks of sausage, so limit stirring to get larger sized sausage pieces. Remove sausage from pan and drain
4. Butter a 9 x 13 pan and set aside.
5. In large skillet, melt butter. Add the onions, celery and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent. Then add in mushrooms and cook until they start to wilt, but are still firm.
6. Add vegetables to the bowl with the bread pieces, then stir in the fresh herbs. Allow time for this to cool down.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the broth, cream and eggs.
8. When the bread mixture has cooled, pour liquid over the top while stirring to ensure the bread soaks the liquid equally. You don't want any super soggy pieces.
9. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and place directly in smoker or oven. Bake until center reaches a temperature of 160 degrees, about 30-40 minutes. Serve warm. And enjoy!