New to Bradley... not smokin'

[PaddyH]

Hi folks. I have been smokin' meats for years, probably not very efficiently. I look forward to this weekend when my Bradley arrives. Please share your thoughts on curing/not curing homemade sausage prior to smoking.

Thanks,
PaddyH

[mikeradio]

Welcome PaddyH  make sure you season your smoker first.  Lots of great information and people on this forum.

Cheers

Mike

[pensrock]

check out the recipe site it has in addition to great recipies the FAQ section as well. there are a lot of sausage makers here so I'm sure you will be able to find information pertaining to your comment. In addition to seasoning your smoker, keep the vent 1/2 to full open so smoke and moisture does not back up into the smoke generator and damage it.
oh yea, welcome to the forum,
pens

[PaddyH]

Mike & Pens,

Thanks for the tips. Just curious however, what is involved in seasoning an electric smoker, and why?

Paddy

[mikecorn.1]

Welcome to the forum.  Check out the FAQ site and it will answere you ?'s

Recipe site http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180

FAQ's  http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=481

[smokeitall]

Welcome Aboard PaddyH

Curing and not curing just depends on what type of sausage you are making.  What type do you have plans to do?

SIA

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum PaddyH!

[OU812]

Welcome to the fun PaddyH

The instructions for seasoning the smoker are in the manual you get with the Bradley. Its mainly to heat up the smoker so you remove the oils form assembly and introduce smoke to it before you use it.

The curing has to do with what type of sausage you are making. If you plan to hot smoke some you will need cure in it, if you plan to cook it on the grill, pan fry or poach it you wont.

[FLBentRider]

The curing has to do with what type of sausage you are making. If you plan to hot smoke some you will need cure in it, if you plan to cook it on the grill, pan fry or poach it you wont.

The reason is that in smoking sausage you (typically) smoke them at low temps for an amount of time that would allow bad things (botulism I believe) to grow in your sausage.

The cure in the sausage prevents this from happening.

Sausage that goes from raw to cooked fast, like breakfast sausage, does not need cure, nor is it smoked.

[PaddyH]

Hi SIA,

Thanks for the reply. Just started making my own sausage. So far have made a fresh Kielbasa Krakowska, jalapeno, and apple cinnamon pork. All very good, but unless we were cooking them very soon we had to freeze. That was mainly why I went the Bradley route. I guess my question was if I cold smoke I know I have to add cure to the recipe, but if I hot smoke, does this provide the necessary cure? I do not want to add "cure" (potassium/sodium nitrate) to the sausage unless forced to.

Appreciate the advice.

PaddyH

[OU812]

With sausage if you smoke it you cure it, 1 tea cure #1 to 5 lb meat, just remove that amount of salt from your recipe

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi PaddyH;

Welcome to the forum.

Hot smoking technically is smoking at a temperature between 100° - 180°F (depending on your source); and you need to add a cure to you sausage in the amount the OU812 stated. If making less then 4 pounds add 1/4 teaspoon per pound. Also smoking any ground meat below the temperature of 225°F is not a safe practice and a cure should be added; or cook the ground meat at an appropriate temperature.

[smokeitall]

I follow what Habs says 100%  The only time I do not use cure is when making fresh sausage.  Then I typically make a 10lb batch or more, keep a little to grill, then vac seal and freeze the rest.

I hope all this helps.  Do you use your own recipes or do you use pre-packaged seasonings?

SIA