5 logs of Summer Sausage (pre-ground meat?) - Finished!

[Neocrunch]

Looking good.....taking on some color.  Not sure how you are regulating the cabinet temp.  Are you relying on the door temp or do you have a remote?  Try to keep the cabinet temp below 175 if at all possible.  Don't want them chubs to start fatting out.  You will be fine to finish them off in the Bradley.  As said above you will shave a lot of time off if you poach them in 165 degree water.  Either way you have a nice chub.  Keep us posted.

I've got a remote thermometer.  Started at 120 and now at 150.  I figure I'll bump it up 6-8 degrees each hour, making sure not to exceed a cabinet temp of 175 before I hit an IT of 153.  Then into an ice water bath and into the basement to bloom for...  um, how many hours to you bloom?  I've got an unfinished basement so I was just going to hammer in 5 nails to hang them from; maybe put down some newspaper to catch any drippings.  Or will there by any drippings?  (Honestly, I'm not even sure what it means to "bloom" the sausage)

[Tenpoint5]

Make sure you rotate your rack front to back. That way all the heat doesn't build up under the same two clubs the whole cook.

[Sailor]

The ice bath stops the cooking and keeps the product from shrinking.  After the ice bath and when you bloom you are drying the casings and letting the meat continue to take on color.  You should not have any wrinkles in the casings.  If you do get some wrinkles it is no big deal.  I normally will bloom for 2 to 3 hours.  Ice bath to a IT of around 100 then bloom.  You can hang to bloom or lay them down on a pie rack or turn over the bradley rack and let lay on it.  Get some air around them to dry.  After blooming I normally rest them in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.  Everyone does things different.  Might take some notes one how you did the smoke and how you finished them off.  Once you find the sweet spot and like your final product you will be able to duplicate it time and again. 

You will get some water dripping from the bath but a cardboard box fixes that.  I will either bloom laying on the cabinet using a pie rack or Bradley rack.  I will also hang them between my bar stools.  If ya got some big dogs might want to think about how to keep them from reaching the meat.  Don't ask me how I know this  ::)

Don't ya just love smokin?   ;D

[OU812]

Dont pull outta the ice bath till the IT is below 100 F

And whatever you do dont get the wire part of your probe get wet,,,,,,,you will fry it if ya do

I bloom for 2 or 3 hr,,,,,,,,,,,,bloom is just allowing the sausage to drip dry and color to darken

Or What Jim Said  ;D

[Neocrunch]

Got it.  I ruined a meat thermometer a few years ago, so I've already learned that lesson.  I rotated the rack and hammered some nails into the rafters in the basement.  Cabinet is running at 163 with an IT of 109. 

[Sailor]

with IT of 109 I think I would hold the cabinet temp around 160 for a good bit.  You will hit a stall in the 120 degree area.  Don't want to get the cabinet temp in the 170's too fast as that is risking fat out.  Nothing wrong with having the cabinet temp 150 to 160 for most of the smoke.  That will keep it from fatting out.  You can alway take it nice and slow but once you get too hot and fat out then you will have a very dry and crumbly product and will not be happy with it.  Just sayin

[Neocrunch]

I'm about 5 hours in and so far so good.  I'm holding the cabinet temp between 158-165, with constant fiddling.  I'm currently at 158 with an IT of 120.  I rotated the rack again and used a screwdriver to push one of the two remaining pucks onto the hotplate.  Totally unnecessary, but a little extra smoke shouldn't hurt anything.

[Tenpoint5]

Keeping doing what your doing your gonna be just fine

[NePaSmoKer]

Yup what 10.5 said.

I always get a stall when i do sausage, no matter what the size casing.

3/20

[Neocrunch]

9 hours later I finally hit an IT of 153.  Took them out and put them in an iced water bath until the IT was down to 100, then hung them up to dry for a couple of hours.  I can't wait to taste these things. 


Done blooming and ready for the fridge.

[Neocrunch]

And 12 hours after I started, I'm finally able to taste the sausages of my labor. 


The sausage tastes great.  Thanks for the help.  I really appreciate it.

Here's some victory dance music...
http://vimeo.com/18358933

Time for the meatstick. Bury the meatstick. Take out the meatstick time. Whoa, shocks my brain. Whoa, shocks my brain!

[Tenpoint5]

They look great neo.

1/20

[OU812]

Ya Baby!

[Neocrunch]

I should have taken the casing off before taking the picture.  I'll post a better picture (of the insides of all 5 chubs) this afternoon.  They didn't fat out at all.  I'm very pleased with the finished product.
;D

[SiFumar]

Looks good!