Not meant to make sausage this week

[GusRobin]

Got a new weston stuffer for Christmas and I am off this week. Thought I would be stuffing up a storm. First batch the other day was pepperoni and bologna and turned out a disaster as noted in another thread. Primarily because I used a hot bath instead of the smoker the whole time and screwed it up.

So today I thought I would try again.

Make 2 1/2 lbs each of Bologna, hot dogs, and chorizo. The bologna and chorizo was made with the LEM kit, collagen for the bologna and hog casing for the chorizo. The hot dogs were made from a recipe in Rytek's book but I made them all beef with collagen casings.
The chorizo is fresh sausage so I will have some for breakfast toorrow then vac seal the rest. The bologna and hot dogs will be smoked and cooked in the bradley tomorrow. (giving up on hot bath for a while).
Chorizo top left, bologna top right and dogs on the bottom. The dogs look bigger due to the camera angle but some are "Dodger Dog" size - at least the old Dodger dogs when O'Malley owned the team - but I digress.


My newest problem, and hence the name of the post, is that as I was smoking some pastrami my PID died.
I have an OBS with dual elements and have never run this without a PID except when I first seasoned it. Luckily when I installed the second element I installed a shut off switch for it (thanks Habs). So I can run it safely with just the single element. It is going to be interesting learning how to control the temp manually without screwing up the sausage.

After the sausage was done I was going to do a butt using the recipe that Hal4UK posted. It involves injecting with honey, blackberry jam, and bourbon among other things.( I'll use Jack Daniels) I hate to do an all night smoke without my PID working. I may smoke it then bring it inside in the oven. For those that have finished in the oven, do you foil it or just cook it uncovered like in the Bradley? Or I may just throw it in the freezer for another day and just drink the Jack.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

[classicrockgriller]

Drink the Jack! ;D

[KyNola]

Butt in the oven in a roasting pan on a rack.  No foil for me.  You absolutely can foil it but in my experience the bark won't form as pronounced because all of the moisture/steam from being wrapped in the foil.

[TestRocket]

Gus, do ya want to borrow my PID?

[GusRobin]

Gus, do ya want to borrow my PID?

That's a thought. On the other hand it may be an adventure trying to do this manually. Let me think about it, and I appreciate the offer.

[NePaSmoKer]

Looks good Gus.

Just watch the temps

[Keymaster]

Glad to see your right back at it, Looking Good gus   :)

[Ka Honu]

As KyNola says, if you're looking for bark, "nekkid" is better.  Foiling equates to steaming and retards bark formation.  I do, however, recommend putting your liquid of choice (beer, stock, water, juice, etc.) with some aromatics (onion, garlic, whatever) in a pan under the butt.  Seems to give it a moist environment (without steaming - a good thing) and adds a bit of taste.

[GusRobin]

So today turned out better. Smoked the sausage that I stuffed yesterday. As mentioned my PID died yesterday. TR was kind enough to offer me the use of his (gotta love the folks you meet on this forum --thanks Morgan) but I thought I would be brave and do it manually. Worked out okay and here are the bologna and hot dogs blooming.



Also took time to vac seal the chorizo and pastrami that I made yesterday.



Didn't drink all the Jack Daniels so tonight I'll try the bourbon (using JD) blackberry injected butt that Hal posted. I'll smoke in the Bradley and then put in the oven overnight. Don't feel comfortable overnight cooking without the PID.I'll post some pics in another thread.

[TestRocket]

So today turned out better. Smoked the sausage that I stuffed yesterday. As mentioned my PID died yesterday. TR was kind enough to offer me the use of his (gotta love the folks you meet on this forum --thanks Morgan)

Well you know I did have an ulterior motive to my offer! I might have got a little taste of something good!  ;)

It looks good Gus I'm glad it worked out for you!  ;D 

[OU812]

Looks grrrrrrrrrrreat!

Adapt and overcome I always say.