Question for the sausage makers.

[Habanero Smoker]

I'm in starting to get into sausage making. In the past I have only done "fresh" sausage, but I am now planing to smoke and cook some of the sausages that I plan to make; especially the hot dogs. I read on several post that one should use a cold water shower after the sausage is cooked; but I have seen more references to using an ice water bath. The ice water bath would be easier for me to do.

Question: Is there any drawbacks in using a ice water bath, rather then the cold water shower? If so what are the advantages or disadvantages?

[winemakers]

My version of cold water shower is to fill the sink/sinks with coldest tap water and immerse.  If I have large dia. ie: summer sausage, I will slowly drain/refill the sink to keep the water as cold as possible.  I really think the intent is to drop the internal temp through the 'danger zone' quickly and set any potentially rendering fat in those succulent morsals.  Long winded way of saying I dont think it will make any difference. 

My choice of the sink method is really lazyness.  The stainless sink is easier to clean the fatty residue out of following cooling than any other option I have at home.  Though of showering them in the master bath.....then calculated the cost of divorce........back to the sink.

mld

[Habanero Smoker]

Oh! So showering and immersing in ice cold water (shocking) is essentially the same. It makes it a lot easier. I thought that showering was placing the sausage in a sink, and using a cold water; showering the sausage with the sprayer until the temperature dropped.

[winemakers]

just my simple take.  Long way from an expert here but the net effect seems the same to me.

mld

[iceman]

They are one in the same anymore. The old showering was done when they wanted a quick cool down then they were wiped dry and continued to hang to get them to "bloom" more before refrigerating. With the modern ways sausage is made that part of the stage is gone except for the hard salamies. I'm no expert for sure but the whole idea of the water bath I was taught was to get it cooled to a safe temp. and it also keeps the casing from shriking and getting all wrinkled up. :)

[jaeger]

Hab,
The commercial smokers have a microprocessor that control the entire process each stage of the smoke/cook/cool. The last stage is a "shower" that sprays on the whole cartload for 10 - 15 minutes. This last stage serves two purposes. First, to start the cool down of the meat and the second is to cool down the smokehouse so the heat is eliminated from the smokehouse until it is removed and placed into refrigeration.
I would forego the ice bath, instead spray with cold water to start the cool down and finish in the refridgerator preferably not sitting in water or touching each other to much until they are dry.

[coyote]

Hey Hab, The sink shower useing the hose works pretty good. I think the main purpose is to keep the casings from drying all wrinkled. It makes for a much better
presentation on the final product. As far as taste , we did the cold water shower
on some and nothing on some...tasted the same. But the ones we showered looked
much more commercial.
                                                       Coyote

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks, everyone for the information. I was hoping that the bath would be either just as good or better than the showering, because that would have been so much easier for me.

When I do get around to smoking and/or cooking sausage I will be doing around 5 pounds or more at a time. So the showering brings up another question. When showering the sausage can you pile them in the sink 3 to 4 layers deep, or do you have to have them in a single layer with airspace in between each layer?

[iceman]

I'd do like jaegar says and squirt them off in the sink to start the cooling then give them a quick wipe and set them on a rack in the fridge so the aren't touching and let them finish cooling there. The casing gets white ugly spots if it sits in water puddles to long while cooling. :o ;D