Hanging Sausage in my Smoker

[Caribou]

Hi everyone and Happy Mom's Day, too!
I have been wanting to try hanging my sausage in my 4 shelf BS.
I notice when I smoke using the racks that there are temperature gradients in my smoker: hotter at the bottom compared to the top and hotter in the back of the unit compared to the front.
Which I understand is caused by the location of the heating element.

Will the hanging sausage have to be moved around during the process like I do when I use the racks?
OR If I want to hang sausage vertically will I need a fan to insure even cooking?

Thanks for any ideas!
Carolyn

[Mr Walleye]

Carolyn

When I was doing sausage in my Bradley I preferred to hang it for a couple of reasons. The main reason is I found it provided better heat circulation but also so that I didn't have rack makes on the finished product. I do have a circulation fan in mine which also helps. Towards the end of the process I would still pay attention to the IT of the individual sausages and you will soon learn where in the cabinet the sausage will finish first. I used an inverted rack, spaced up to the top of the cabinet, then hung the sausage from hog rings. The reason I used this method as opposed to using sticks is it was easier to remove individual sausage that finished early. Here is a picture of how I hung mine.




Mike

PS
Happy Mother's Day Carolyn!

[NePaSmoKer]

Hi everyone and Happy Mom's Day, too!
I have been wanting to try hanging my sausage in my 4 shelf BS.
I notice when I smoke using the racks that there are temperature gradients in my smoker: hotter at the bottom compared to the top and hotter in the back of the unit compared to the front.
Which I understand is caused by the location of the heating element.

Will the hanging sausage have to be moved around during the process like I do when I use the racks?
OR If I want to hang sausage vertically will I need a fan to insure even cooking?

Thanks for any ideas!
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn and Happy Mothers Day to you.

Your smoker will still have temp variations wheather hanging or on racks. Here is what i have found with hanging. You need to make the sticks short enough so the ends dont burn being close to the element. I am finding that if you stuff the sticks the same size as your racks they come out better and they are easier to rotate. A fan is ok to use, like a 5 or 8 cfm computer fan. Some use wood dowels for hanging, I use 2 metal smokesticks, they hold the heat and the sausage cooks nice on them.

Mike has shown you a good photo of his.

Here is my last batch.



So There  ;D

nepas

[Caribou]

Thanks Mike and Rick for the Mother day wishes!
I appreciate your photos showing me ways to achieve more even cooking.
Where do you locate the fans in your smokers?
Rick you mentioned a computer fan, is that something I would have to know how to hard wire?
Where do you run the wire for it, through the top possibly?
See, now I want fan!
Carolyn

[Mr Walleye]

Carolyn

Here is a post I did on my fan.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6843.0

If you like I can round up the part numbers for everything as well.

Mike

[NePaSmoKer]

Thanks Mike and Rick for the Mother day wishes!
I appreciate your photos showing me ways to achieve more even cooking.
Where do you locate the fans in your smokers?
Rick you mentioned a computer fan, is that something I would have to know how to hard wire?
Where do you run the wire for it, through the top possibly?
See, now I want fan!
Carolyn

I dont know to much about wiring and stuff like Mike does. He did his mod with an internal fan. I have asked him for help a few times  ;D

Anyways here is what i use on my smoker.  http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/2754
Its CCW to draw from the cabinet, but i take it out and flip it so it blows in to circulate. I have a 1/2" hole on the side of my cab to allow for venting.

Last winter smoking sticks.



nepas

[Caribou]

Wow!  Thanks for the very informative info Mike and Rick.
Is it scary drilling holes in your BS?  :o
I'm kind of surprised that Bradley hasn't come up with their own fan that they could sell to BS owners.
Carolyn

[NePaSmoKer]

Wow!  Thanks for the very informative info Mike and Rick.
Is it scary drilling holes in your BS?  :o
I'm kind of surprised that Bradley hasn't come up with their own fan that they could sell to BS owners.
Carolyn

Not scary, just close your eyes and drill  :D  :D

Yeah it would be nice if the Tech guys at Bradley could come up with a fan mod.

So There  :D

nepas

[Caribou]

With the fan running and just the heat on, I bet you can use the smoker as a dehydrator.
I use mine as a passive dehydrator sometimes because of the low temps and the air vents.
So there!  :D :D :D
Carolyn

[NePaSmoKer]

With the fan running and just the heat on, I bet you can use the smoker as a dehydrator.
I use mine as a passive dehydrator sometimes because of the low temps and the air vents.
So there!  :D :D :D
Carolyn

Yes your right.

nepas