BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

This will be my first sausage and I need a little guidance. I'm looking at different recipes and see the term "bloom" and don't know what that means. Looks like many recipes are a take on Rytek's recipe. I think I'll start with it.

So as I understand the procedure you mix up all the ingredients then do you store overnight in the fridge or stuff as soon as you finish mixing?

After you stuff, you dry the casings then smoke then wait for 152°F IT then cold water bath to 110°F IT then hang for 30 minutes or so till you get the desired bloom what ever that is  ??? then put in the fridge or freezer.

I think I'll to do a tri-tip tomorrow and save the kielbasa for next weekend...

Thank
John

Blooming is basically a period of time you hang the sausage after it has been showered or shocked depending on which method you used to cool the sausage. It is to develop the color to the point of a mahogany brown. You can go longer then 30 minutes if you have to.

You don't have to refrigerate overnight, and you will find stuffing it right after it was mixed a lot easier. Though, as for myself if the sausage recipe does not have powder milk, or powdered soy protein, or fermento, I like to refrigerate overnight.

Thanks Habs. It is the smoked kielbasa recipe from Rytek Kutas book.

Sounds like it will be interesting.

Thanks
John

John

I always stuff right away for the reasons that Habs stated. After I stuff I put it in the fridge over night. In the morning I hang it in the smoker at about 130 degrees for an hour to an hour and a half to let the casings dry. Next I bump the temp up and take the IT to 152. Next I give them a cold shower to stop the cooking process. After the shower I dry them of and hang them to allow them to bloom for up to 2 hours. In addition to what Habs said regarding color, the bloom period also dries the surface of the casings to give them that nice snap when you bite them.

Mike

I do the same as Mike. Stuff right away, but I also layer paper towels between layers of stuffed sausages before putting into the fridge overnight. This help absorb excess moisture and the sausage dries faster before smoking. Ryteks kielbasa is great. It have made it for a while now and everyone who has tried it loves it. I must admit, I do not yet own his book but copied a few recipies from a friends book. I really need to pick one up when I get back to work.

Pens

That's an excellent idea with the paper towel. I'll try that trick next time for sure.

Mike

Thanks for the tips guys. I always try and make sure my synapse are correctly firing for the procedure at hand...

Thanks
John

John,
Same as above posts--I stuff right away because the ground meat gets stiff after a while, making it a lot harder to push thru the smaller stuffing tubes.  I also put in fridge overnite.
I need to try the paper towel idea--sounds pretty smart.

Rytek smoked kielbasa is awsome!  I made some a few months ago, and am surprised any is left in the freezer. 

get smokin
drano

Good luck with your sausage John.  You are going to love it.

I need to learn sausage making  ;D  :D


nepas

Quote from: NePaSmoKer on September 27, 2009, 08:00:21 AM
I need to learn sausage making  ;D  :D


nepas

Yea Rick when you gonna learn how to do sausage and sticks?  ;) ;D

I plan on using 38mm Clear Edible Collagen Casing for the ease of use for the first time. Will there be a significant difference in the Kielbasa if I don't use the Hog Casing for Smoked Polish Sausage (38/42mm)?

Thanks
John

John

I've never been happy with collagen casings before so I stick to hog casings. It could very well be the particular casings that are available here but I'm not sure. They always seem tough to me. Having said that there are lots of people who use them on a regular basis too.

Mike

I've never used anything but hog casings for sausage.

I'm with you guys on the hog casing. Seems to work much better with less bursting. With callogen even when making snack sticks if you aren't careful when you hang them in the rack they split and make a mess.

I'm in the same boat as the other guys, mix, stuff, out on the drying rack, put the rack in the fridge and pull out in the morning then place a fan it front of the rack wile the smoker is coming up to temp.

With collagen casings you have to get the dark mahogany ones to be able to hang, the manila ones are to thin and will break. I use the manila ones when doing brats and sausage like that then place on the racks.

Also to keep the collagen fresh put in a ziplock bag and keep in the fridge, keeps them from drying out, when they get dry they tend to burst.

Thanks for all the input... Hog casings here we come  ;D

Thanks
John

I think you should stuff tonight, smoke tomorrow and send half home with me for testing  ;D

Quote from: smokeitall on September 28, 2009, 07:35:05 PM
I think you should stuff tonight, smoke tomorrow and send half home with me for testing  ;D

I'll test the other half  ;D

Quote from: OU812 on September 29, 2009, 05:42:16 AM

Quote from: smokeitall on September 28, 2009, 07:35:05 PM
I think you should stuff tonight, smoke tomorrow and send half home with me for testing  ;D

I'll test the other half  ;D

John

Ya better make a second batch if you want to try any!  :D  :D  ;D

Mike

Butcher & Packer is fast but not that fast  ;D

You all will have to wait... I still need to make a custom stuffer tube for ME  :o

John

Got that Kielbasa smoking yet John? Sounds like my works are gonna be cut so I may just have to make some sausage myself.

BJT, I know a guy who make custom stuffer tubes.... LOL

I better hurry the hog casing will be here tomorrow. I have a load of work piled up too...

John

The hog casings are here! After reading the natural casing section of Rytek's book (loaned to me by a friend) I'm thinking that I'm doing 10 lbs of Kielbasa so I need to take about 10% more or less of the casings from the hank and prep them for the stuffing party.

The rest go in a zippy bag and into the refrigerator?

Ok, say I have a couple left over... what do I do with them?

So the basic procedure as I understand it at the moment is rinse inside and out, place in a container of cold water and put into the refrigerator overnight for use the next day. You want them to be wet or moist when you slide them on the horn. Not much pressure when you stuff. Does this sound more or less correct.

Hey Scott wanna show me how to stuff kielbasa?

For the 32/35mm casings I need to make a 3/4 OD stuffing tube as far as I can tell.

Thanks
John

Hey John

I'm assuming your casings are salted and if they are pretty much right on the money. If you have some left over just squeeze out as much moisture as possible and salt them and store in the fridge with the others. They will keep almost indefinitely this way.

One other thing you can do with your casings is to add a shot of vinegar to the soaking water. This helps ensure the casings on the finished product are not tough.

You'll quickly learn how much you can stuff them before they split. If you do have a blow out it's not a big deal.

The 3/4 inch tube should work fine for you.

Mike

John, here's some good answers to FAQuestions About Natural Casings (http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/popup_text.php/fld/howto/tbl/howtos/key/17) from Allied Kenco.

Hi Mike,

Yes, the casings are packed in salt. They are from Butcher & Packer. By salt them do you mean add some salt to them then place them back in the package with the others? Do you add the vinegar to the overnight soak water?

Hi HS,

Thanks for the FAQ's the more information the better.

Thanks
John

Hey John, I really like that info from Allied Kenco. It's one of the better one's I have read about natural casings.

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 01, 2009, 06:22:15 PM
Hi Mike,

Yes, the casings are packed in salt. They are from Butcher & Packer. By salt them do you mean add some salt to them then place them back in the package with the others? Do you add the vinegar to the overnight soak water?

Hi HS,

Thanks for the FAQ's the more information the better.

Thanks
John

I use Kosher salt. I just put them in a bag, salt them fairly heavily (similar to the amount of salt on them when you got them) and store them in the fridge. Usually just pack them with my other unused casings although some people keep them in a separate bag but I have never had a problem.

The vinegar does go in with the water for the overnight soak. You can also use lemon juice. I usually just go with a splash of vinegar though.

Mike

Quote from: Mr Walleye on October 01, 2009, 06:46:11 PM

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 01, 2009, 06:22:15 PM
Hi Mike,

Yes, the casings are packed in salt. They are from Butcher & Packer. By salt them do you mean add some salt to them then place them back in the package with the others? Do you add the vinegar to the overnight soak water?

Hi HS,

Thanks for the FAQ's the more information the better.

Thanks
John

I use Kosher salt. I just put them in a bag, salt them fairly heavily (similar to the amount of salt on them when you got them) and store them in the fridge. Usually just pack them with my other unused casings although some people keep them in a separate bag but I have never had a problem.

The vinegar does go in with the water for the overnight soak. You can also use lemon juice. I usually just go with a splash of vinegar though.

Mike

Mike has you right. Using vinegar or lemon juice works. It' the acid in either one that breaks down the protein in the casing to make it more tender. And kosher salt is the way to go. It's all I use unless I make popcorn.  ;D

When I use natural casings I take what I need out of the package and using warm (not hot) water I rinse them inside and out.  I leave them rest in warm water for about 1 hour before stuffing.

Whats the reason for the overnight soak?

Hey John, if you want help, I will down there on Thursday.  I just picked up some more pork butt from Shnucks this weekend for .89 / lb.  So I think I will have to also give this recipe a try soon.

SIA

SIA

I have done both an over night soak and as little as an hour just depending on how organized I am. Both work fine.

I just did another 80 lbs of Kielbasa this weekend. I did the over night soak with vinegar and I was a little disappointed. It definitely makes them more tender but I think to us vinegar over night is too much. I had to be careful when stuffing or they would burst. So for me, I will only use the vinegar trick on shorter soak times.

Mike

Hey Scott,

If you think you will have time we can do the one hour soak and then stuff.

I think I'm ready...

(http://smokeandstuff.com/images/tubes.jpg)

John

Hey Mike,

Thanks for the tip... don't need exploding casings on my first try  :o

Thanks
John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 04, 2009, 02:13:13 PM
Hey Mike,

Thanks for the tip... don't need exploding casings on my first try  :o

Thanks
John

You have to blow up one!!! It's required in the Learning Curve.

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on October 04, 2009, 06:31:12 PM

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 04, 2009, 02:13:13 PM
Hey Mike,

Thanks for the tip... don't need exploding casings on my first try  :o

Thanks
John

You have to blow up one!!! It's required in the Learning Curve.

Been there, done that!  ;D

Ok, I'll blow one up just to learn the limits of the hog casings.

John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 04, 2009, 07:09:07 PM
Ok, I'll blow one up just to learn the limits of the hog casings.

John

ROFL  :D

I'll have Scott take a video of the explosion in slow motion so we can all get the full effect in real time slow motion.  ;D

John

I don't think you will have to try and blow one up...it just happens.  Nice looking set of tubes there!!!  See you tomorrow.

See you in a few minutes.

John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 04, 2009, 07:13:33 PM
I'll have Scott take a video of the explosion in slow motion so we can all get the full effect in real time slow motion.  ;D

John

Its not really an explosion. More like a rupture. The casing splits and the meat pours out. When it happens back off on the stuffer pressure so too much meat does not come out.

Quote from: pensrock on October 08, 2009, 06:40:35 AM

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 04, 2009, 07:13:33 PM
I'll have Scott take a video of the explosion in slow motion so we can all get the full effect in real time slow motion.  ;D

John

Its not really an explosion. More like a rupture. The casing splits and the meat pours out. When it happens back off on the stuffer pressure so too much meat does not come out.

You forgot the cuss words that come almost at the exact same time!!!

QuoteYou forgot the cuss words that come almost at the exact same time!!!

Oh, I did not forget but this is a family site.  ;D ;D ;D

We just say "oh bother" and go on with what ever we are doing... keeps the blood pressure in check you know.

John

So did you decide if you are making a batch this weekend after your ride?
SIA

I think I'll give it a shot Sunday after the benefit ride on the bike. It's all cleaned and polished up and we have the long johns out LOL. I'm glad we have seat and grip heaters...

John

Well here goes guys and girls my first Kielbasa.

Well I got past the hog casings and that was an experience. After opening up the bag and getting them out and scratching my head a while I finally found a string and a ring that the casings were tied around. I cut the string and followed the the casings from the ring and finally found the end of one real long one. Not having a clue as to how much I needed for my 5 lb batch I weighed the casings and cut off 1/20 of the weight of the batch from the long one. The next experience was finding the inside so I could flush it... I finally got past that.

Now I mixed up all the dry ingredients in a bowl and proceeded to fold them into the ice cold ground pork and mix them well. So far everything is OK.

Now I start to clean my 11 lb stuffer and WTF is that sticky stuff on the inside. I tried soap and water, naphtha, acetone and kerosene. Nothing but the acetone touches it and the acetone just barely does. Any ideas on how to clean this sticky stuff out?

Ok, add citrus degreaser to the list and it got a lot of it out...

Thanks
John

Yep mine had that too, I used a lot of soapy water and soaking after I wiped it with paper towels.  I was not sure it was food grade grease or not so I got it cleaned up real good and then greased the o-ring with some crisco.
SIA

My guess is it is some kind of food grade wax. HOT soapy water took it off in the end. It's my first encounter with the stuff... meat is in the fridge waiting for me to get this clean and cold... then the stuffing will commence.

John

You dont sound real impressed with the "Big Ball of Snot" attached to a red ring there John!!! I remember the first time I encountered one of them beasts. I said the same things you did. Keep us posted on your adventure. If Momma isnt looking go in the drawer where she keeps the Tater chip clips. Pampered Chef has several sizes so I grab the smallest one. Clip that on the end of the twisted casing after the air is all gone. Then you can hold the main casing on the tube with one hand and crank with the other.

Salty Snot to boot. Then it gets to be slippery snot  ;D

Hog casings in the bowl waiting for me to stuff.

(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/Kielbasa/HogCasings.jpg)

When you take them out of the bowl and load them on your tube do you kinda squeeze the excess water out of the inside of the casings? Do you just pull them out of the bowl onto the tube?

Thanks
John

I usually hold the end under the faucet and run about 6 inches of water through the casing sqeegeeing it out with my fingers before putting it on the tube. Careful with that because the casing will seem to come alive and run all over the place on you. If you need right now answers I will PM my number John.

The only thing I forgot was the cup of water... Caught that and mixed it all up.

(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/Kielbasa/MixingKielbasa.jpg)

John

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on October 11, 2009, 09:56:13 AM
I usually hold the end under the faucet and run about 6 inches of water through the casing sqeegeeing it out with my fingers before putting it on the tube. Careful with that because the casing will seem to come alive and run all over the place on you. If you need right now answers I will PM my number John.

Thanks for the offer 10.5 but I'm past that now.  ;D

5 lbs of experience here...
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/Kielbasa/KielbasaStuffed2.jpg)

The left over is good fried up slow in a pan.

Engine Room Prepare to make SMOKE!  ;D

Thanks
John

Looks good Big John!! Make sue you poke holes in the air pockets or you will get fat pockets.

So what did you learn with your 5 lbs of experience?

I learned that if the stuffer is not bolted down you need an assistant or an electric drive LOL. Also how to load the casing, how much back pressure to hold on the casings as you stuff, which way the seal goes on the ram  :o

Thanks for the tip on poking holes in the air pockets.

Off to rig up my Kielbasa hanger thingy whatever that might be  ;D

Thanks
John

C-clamps or them black plastic squeese clamps work wonders for holding the stuffer down. As for loading the casings remember back to high school  ;D ;D
I wish I could be there when you get done and have that "I made that" Smile on your face. I'm having just as much fun watching as you are doing in case you haven't figured it out.

Here is a couple more pix.

(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/Kielbasa/KielbasaStuffed2.jpg)

(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f163/johnplctech/Smokin/Kielbasa/KielbasaHanging.jpg)

John

Quote from: Tenpoint5 on October 04, 2009, 06:31:12 PM
You have to blow up one!!! It's required in the Learning Curve.

Maybe next time ;D 10.5

Well lets see, if my ciphering is correct I'm five pounds done and 95 to go on kielbasa...

John

You gotta fill them casings up if you want to experience one blowing up. Yes after tasting the first batch it wont be long and you will be making another and it will be 10lbs. then you will get the big smoker done and it will be 50lbs vac sealed and in the freezer. Of course you could make some fresh sausages with the casings for grilling. I would suggest a 10lb batch of the fresh garlic sausage.

Before I do a 10 lb batch I need a 12 lb bowl to mix it up in. It was dicey mixing 5 lbs in a 4 1/2 pound bowl  ;D

I'd like to find a mushroom swiss brat recipe. The ones from Swift Meat are delicious. I don't even care if the had mushrooms in the recipe. A pepper jack brat would be good too.

They look kinda lumpy in the pics... I'm thinking I need to fill them a bit more.

John

I would suggest picking up a meat lug at Sam's I think I got 2 of them for $10-15

When I make Brats I add 5lbs of cheese to a 25lb batch (makes about 110-117 Brats). I use Mozzarella most of the time but have tried Pepper Jack and your right it is good. I tried the mushroom and swiss but I used Portabella's and it tasted like dirt to me and I cleaned them twice just to make sure they was clean.

Do you mix the meat in the meat lug or is that where the stuffed sausage goes? BTW, I googled meat lug so now I know what one looks like  ;D

Thanks
John

I mix the meat in the lug

B&P has a 25lb lug for $8...

Is it suppose to take a long time to get to an IT of 152F for the Kielbasa? I have the cabinet at 165F atm.

John

I also use a couple meat lugs when I go over 5 lbs in a batch.  If you need me to pick some up for you from Sams let me know John.  I made 6 lbs of mushroom asiago today....packaged up about 2.5 lbs to bring down for gillin this week.  Also got some jerky done  ;D  Sorry to highjack your thread but here is a pic of the mushroom swiss. (figured it was ok to highjack your thread since I'm bringing a sample)  :)

(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/th_mushroomswiss101109.jpg) (http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/mushroomswiss101109.jpg)

Yes it takes forever to get there. When you get to 150 get your turkey roaster full of water and Ice so the water will be good and cold when you get to 152. Give it a quick dunk about 5 min then hang to bloom.

Nice looking 5lb batch there Scott

Scott,

If you go by Sam's pick me up a lug or two and a cover if they have one. You can't hijack my thread cause your my friend... Are you going by Swiss before your next trip to swamp east Missouri?

Crumb, it's 9'pm and I'm only at 140 or so IT...

John

Sounds like a late night, might want to pop open another bottle.  I may be able to go to swiss this week, I will let you guys know.  I might go to Sams on Wednesday.

I always tell myself that it is in a plateau and it is just getting better by the minute. John theres nothing wrong with cutting off a taster when you pull it out of the Ice water bath.

Well I made it. I don't know how I managed to stay awake but lesson learned put them kielbasa in the smoker before breakfast  8) I did let them bloom for an hour or two after cooling them down but can't remember cause it was too late.

Do you freeze them for long term storage?

Scott the power function in the PLC worked like a champ.

John

I do I vac seal then freeze.    How did you like the taste? I know you had a taste test

When i do sausage like this i freeze for about 1.5 hrs then i vac seal so it dont compress the sausage.

nepas

They tasted great. The casings are a little tough... other than starting too late in the day and having to stay up way past my bed time it was good. I think some brats are next up for stuffing.

Thanks
John

ARE WE HAVEING FUN YET ?

That looks great for your first batch, what a great sense of accomplishment when you get your first batch done. Isn't it?

Next time the Kielbasa goes in the smoker before breakfast not after lunch... It was not bad once it was over with...

But next up is some swiss brats.

John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 12, 2009, 04:57:20 PM
Next time the Kielbasa goes in the smoker before breakfast not after lunch... It was not bad once it was over with...

But next up is some swiss brats.

John

Maybe next time make your sausage the night b4 and lay out on your racks to dry in the fridge over night that way your ready in the morning. Then when you wake up all you have to do is shake off the hangover, fire up the smoker and pull the sausage out of the fridge to bring to room temp. Then smoke away.

When I drink enough to have a hangover I usually forget my name and fall asleep... I try to avoid that.

However making the kielbasa the night before sounds like a very good plan.

I think I skipped the blooming process but can't remember... my wife woke up at 1:30 and I was asleep in my chair and the kielbasa was still in the sink full of water  :'( I think at that point I just put them in the fridge and went to bed.

Thanks
John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 13, 2009, 07:46:31 AM
When I drink enough to have a hangover I usually forget my name and fall asleep... I try to avoid that.

However making the kielbasa the night before sounds like a very good plan.

I think I skipped the blooming process but can't remember... my wife woke up at 1:30 and I was asleep in my chair and the kielbasa was still in the sink full of water  :'( I think at that point I just put them in the fridge and went to bed.

Thanks
John

Pretty good guess then that you skipped the Blooming phase of the process. I aint even gonna ask if you took any pics when they came out of the smoker.

I can't even remember if I did but I doubt it  ;)

John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 13, 2009, 07:46:31 AM
When I drink enough to have a hangover I usually forget my name and fall asleep... I try to avoid that.

However making the kielbasa the night before sounds like a very good plan.

I think I skipped the blooming process but can't remember... my wife woke up at 1:30 and I was asleep in my chair and the kielbasa was still in the sink full of water  :'( I think at that point I just put them in the fridge and went to bed.

Thanks
John

Well at least you got the important part done "cool the sausage" the blooming part is more for the color than anything.

So to recap:

1 Started Too Late (know better now how long it takes)
2 Stuffed Too Little (I know how much is too little now)
3 Drank Too Much Wine (no comment)
4 Cooled Too Long (fell asleep in my chair, see item 3)
5 Bloomed Too Little (30 seconds from the sink to the fridge)

All in all it was a good experience and the kielbasa tasted good.

John

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 13, 2009, 08:12:03 AM
So to recap:

1 Started Too Late (know better now how long it takes)
2 Stuffed Too Little (I know how much is too little now)
3 Drank Too Much Wine (no comment)
4 Cooled Too Long (fell asleep in my chair, see item 3)
5 Bloomed Too Little (30 seconds from the sink to the fridge)

All in all it was a good experience and the kielbasa tasted good.

John
That's all that really matters!!

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 13, 2009, 08:12:03 AM
So to recap:

1 Started Too Late (know better now how long it takes)
2 Stuffed Too Little (I know how much is too little now)
3 Drank Too Much Wine (no comment)
4 Cooled Too Long (fell asleep in my chair, see item 3)
5 Bloomed Too Little (30 seconds from the sink to the fridge)

All in all it was a good experience and the kielbasa tasted good.

John

YES all that matters is that it tastes gooood

Quote from: BigJohnT on October 13, 2009, 08:12:03 AM
So to recap:

1 Started Too Late (know better now how long it takes)
2 Stuffed Too Little (I know how much is too little now)
3 Drank Too Much Wine (no comment)
4 Cooled Too Long (fell asleep in my chair, see item 3)
5 Bloomed Too Little (30 seconds from the sink to the fridge)

All in all it was a good experience and the kielbasa tasted good.

John

#4 Cooled Too Long (fell asleep in my chair, see item 3)   -   That's OK, you just want to get it below 110 degrees as quick as possible. Keeps the sausage from over cooking and getting wrinkled.

Next time when your cutting up the pork cut out all the fat and grind the fat twice through a 1/16" plater. The meat through a 3/8" plate. By doing the fat real fine it will mix with the binder better and fill into or around the meat and you get less air gaps.

Roadking,

Thanks for that info. I cheated last time and used porkburger meat from the butcher shop. I didn't want a learning overload situation to erupt...

Thanks
John

It's just something I picked up over the years. As long as it tastes good in the final product. Wife and I did 20 lbs. of it last weekend. 15 years ago I fell a sleep and destroyed the whole load.