Not new to smoking just need help to make it better

[wbrewski]

Looking for help from experts to refine my smoking

[cathouse willy]

Questions? ask away.

[wbrewski]

OK here is some questions, I am polish and i can stand Jimmy Deans . so i am making my own 
type smoker : masterbuilt
wood used Cherry
receipt out of book
type of sausage (kielbasa )


questions
1 my sausage came out very dry
2 hog casings were tough as an old shoe
3 they did not color like the pic I see

Where do I find ( "mikes Kielbasa" )?

[Orion]

Very little information has been given to know what went wrong .
As far as being dry, it may be that your base product did not have enough fat content. Did you use just lean meat? I always grind a pork butt roast or similar into the mix to ensure I have about 25% fat.

Hopefully you give us more detail as to your ingredients and procedure and others comment.

[wbrewski]

OK, I used a pork butt 7 lb of pork and 3 lb of ground beef I do not know the fat content, ground up fine the smallest hole blade I have. Mixed the pork and beef in my mixer added all ingredients it was a kit from the sausagemaker, then into the refrigerator for 2 nights ( had to work ) stuffed into rinsed casings . Then into smoker for 2 hr at 130 then 2 hr 140 , then into 168 degree water until temp up to 154. I then cold water bath them for 20 min then into refrigerator overnight until next morning the in to seal bags. Then into freezer.

PS, I just bought a Bradly 6 rack smoker. I do not think my old smoker was holding temp.

[Orion]

That information definitely helps. Sounds like you had e good combination of meat providing enough moisture. Also sounds like your processes were fine. I can only suggest that it was dry due to sitting for 2 days prior to stuffing and smoking. The kit you used may have ingredients and binders that sucked the moisture out over the two days. Maybe you mixed it all for a little too long and the binders kicked off too soon?

Fridges have a tendency to dry foodstuffs out really fast unless it is well contained.

Hopefully it was still palatable and you can try to do it all on one day next time. When stuffing your casings the meat should definitely be wet but not soggy. Being wet keeps it moving well.

I think you're on the right track by finding a recipe that doesn't involve the "kits". I've always made mine from scratch and had good results. Someone more current and knowledgeable will chime in I hope.

[Habanero Smoker]

Just some additional information. Your fat content looks alright, depending on what area the ground beef. If it came from the chuck area, that will give you around 20% fat. If it was from the sirloin end, you could be as low as 5%. But either way you should have had enough fat. It is also possible you didn't add enough water.

You didn't mention what type of casings you bought; i.e. salt packed, pretube etc. Sometimes you will get extra tough casings, but if you bought salt packed casings; tough casing can be a sign of not soaking long enough, and not rinsing the inside of the casing. Adding a little vinegar, or lemon or lime juice the last 10 minutes of soaking will help soften the casings, but don't soak them too long after adding vinegar or other acid.

If you sausage didn't brown, that is generally caused by not air drying them prior to applying the smoke. Most recipes call for air drying at a low temperature for a period of time; such as just until the outer casings feel dry to the touch, then apply the smoke. Also blooming helps. Blooming is hanging the sausage at room temperature, after they are fully cooked. This will also improve the color.

Mike's Kielbasa

[wbrewski]

I forgot to mention that my meat was a 1 year old in the freezer, could this have added to my problem, I dumped all I made will try again , thanks for the comments, will let you guys know hoe this batch comes out.

[cathouse willy]

I think you've just solved your puzzle,a year in the freezer is too long even with the best packaging. For the best results use the freshest meat you can get.

[Habanero Smoker]

That may account for the sausage coming out dry, but the lack of browning and tough casings are a different issue.

[TwistedSanity]

Habs.

For the sake of keeping it all in one thread can you touch on the blooming method.

Is it cook in water, cold water bath, then hang. or are you hanging out of the hot water bath and allowing it to cool through the bloom.

How long would you recommend for blooming

Could we assume you want to hang in a cooler environment.  would you want to bloom in temps above 70 Degree F?

Thanks.

This stuff is on my too do list this summer

[Habanero Smoker]

You should bloom whether you finish in a hot water bath, or if you fully cook the sausage in the smoker. I feel it is best to bloom after a cold water bath, but in the Great Sausage Making... book I believe they recommended blooming during the period the sausage is cooling, but that was in an article that fully cooked the sausage in the smoker.

I hang the sausage at the ambient room temperature, and during the summer that is often over 80°F. I bloom until I get the color I'm looking for, and that is generally one hour or less. You don't need to worry about hanging the sausage at temperatures of 80°F or maybe hire. The smoke is antimicrobial, and you have a fair amount of salt in the sausage. These ingredients get you a little more protection for that period of time you are blooming.

[TwistedSanity]

Thanks Habs