Sasusage goofup

[watchdog56]

I made some venison summer sausage and polish this am. Has been smoking for 4 hours and my Maverick had food temp at 155 and cabinet temp was at 141 probably because I have opened the door a couple of times to check food prob was in food ok. Well I took polish out and put in ice water then moved probe to summer sausage and realized I had the probes mixed up,them food one was giving me cabinet temp and cabinet on was stuck in food. I plan on put the probes where they belong and wiped off water from polish and going to bring temp back to 156. Do you think my polish may be wrecked?

[3rensho]

Personally I'd say you're OK especially if the Polish has cure no. 1 in it. 

[watchdog56]

I am not sure if it is in there or not. It was a Cabela's onion and garlic brat kit mix.

[3rensho]

Anything about E-250 or E-251 on the ingredients label?  Or "contains nitrites or nitrates"?  Was the meat squeaky clean, fresh and cold (38F or less when you stuffed them?

[watchdog56]

Nothing like that on label. It did come with natural hog casings so they were soaked in a lot of salt. I did rinse and soak like they suggested. The ingredients just says onion and garlic brat seasoning. Meat was clean and refrigerated until grinding and stuffing.Don't know if it was that cold though.

[pensrock]

I would not worry about it. I would just make sure to cook it before eating. I have made kielbasa and venison sausage many times and did not fully cook it in the smoker cause I always cook it before eating. I have always been a little unsure about fully cooking in the smoker then cooking again to eat at a later time, thinking it will dry out too much. But thats just how I do it.

[NePaSmoKer]

IT of sausage in 4 hours at 155*?  IT of smoker at 141*?

Check your probe placement in the meat.

Takes my sausages to get 152/155 around 10 to 15 hours. Fastest was 11 hours in my smokehouse.


nepas

[Habanero Smoker]

I just want to add you should never take the chance to smoke sausage (or ground meat) at a low temperature if you are not sure whether you have sodium nitrite in sufficient amount mixed in. Botulism is always a risk when you do that.

[marauder11]

I agree never take a chance. No cure No smoke.

[NePaSmoKer]

Cabelas kits are made by PS Seasonings. All of the kits or packs that are for a smoke method have cure in a separate pack. If the kit or pack is not intended for smoking it will not have cure packet.  IE  Fresh sausage made to be cooked, BBQ, fried or frozen right away.


nepas

[watchdog56]

The garlic and onion brat had no pink package with it and did not say anything in directions. It did say it is ready to use,just mix water,meat and seasoning and put in casings supplied. Right now they are in frig,uncovered. I did soak them in ice water for about 30 minutes and it was 45 degrees here today when they came out of smoker. When should I vacuum seal them?

[Habanero Smoker]

There are lots of sausage mixes out there that are ready to use, which do not contain nitrites. As NePas pointed out, there are sausage mixes that are for fresh sausage. I like to use the ready to use Penzey's Bratwurst Sausage Seasoning, and if I want to smoke them I have to add my own cure #1. The only thing I can say is, if you cooked them without a cure, there is a chance they are alright, but if not vacuum sealing the sausage will only make matters worse. Personally I wouldn't take the chance.

[watchdog56]

I always either boil or grill my brats before eating so I think I am ok.

[Tenpoint5]

Watchdog,
I know times are tight for everyone, and we surely don't want to throw out any meat/sausage. As everyone is trying to tell you itwould be cheaper and smarter to CHUCK THE WHOLE WORKS in the garbage can. It might work this time but then you might do it again and say to yourself "It worked last time I did it this way". Then a bunch of folks get really sick or dead. It JUST IS NOT WORTH THE COST OF 10 OR 25 LBS OF MEAT TO LOOSE A FAMILY MEMBER. We are just looking out for you and yours. Pitch it!

From 3men.com

Botulism

Botulism is a serious form of food poisoning caused by eating food contaminated with the deadly toxin botulin. Foodborne botulism was first identified in Europe during the 1800s as a problem in - sausage. Then name botulin even comes from the Latin word for sausage, botulus. Botulin is particularly insidious because it can exist without a foul odor or other sign of contamination. This is probably going to be more than you care to read about botulism but it is very serious form of poisoning and precautions must be taken to prevent it.

Symptoms of botulism poisoning usually appear suddenly within 18 to 36 hours after eating contaminated food. These symptoms include blurred or double vision, droopy eyelids, dry mouth, slurred speech, swallowing difficulty, vomiting, diarrhea and muscle weakness. Botulism can lead to death without the proper medical treatment.

The toxin is usually found in contaminated or improperly prepared canned foods. If you ever see a bulging can of food, do not open it – throw it away. It may very well be contaminated. Botulin can also exist in sausage and that is what we are discussing here.

The conditions that are necessary to produce foods contaminated with botulin include lack of oxygen, low acidity, the presence of moisture, and temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. All of these conditions can be present when smoking sausage: lack of oxygen from the smoking, low acidity and moisture in the meat and smoking temperatures in the above range.

Cures containing sodium nitrite must be used to prevent the occurrence of botulin contamination in smoked sausage. Suppliers of sausage making equipment and supplies, and some butcher shops sell cures. Some names these cures are sold under include Prague Powder No. 1, Insta Cure and Heller's Complete Cure. Morton Salt also sells these products and they publish an excellent booklet that discusses the use of cures titled 'Home Meat Curing Guide'.

Mail order sources, which we use for cures, are:

Stuffers Supply Company                     (Located in Canada but will ship to USA)

Eldon's Jerky and Sausage Supply     

The Sausage Maker     

Allied Kenco                       

Handle cures carefully and follow the directions on the package. Be sure to measure or weigh cures accurately. The cure should be mixed well with the water or other liquid that you will mix with the meat. Be sure to distribute the liquid containing the cure over the meat evenly.

This is clearly not intended to be a complete discussion of botulism, it's causes or when, where or in what it can exist. Use your favorite search engine to search "botulism" for more information. This writing is meant to alert you to the danger of botulism when smoking sausage and the need to take precautions to prevent it.

If you are not using a cure in your sausage, don't smoke it!

[watchdog56]

10.5, I was able to get temp up to 155 in polish and summer after that and the brats did cook for 5 1/2 hours and summer 10 hours.