Fresh Italian Sausages

[ksidener]

Hello All,

I just made a couple batches of Italian Sausages.  About 2 kilos of Northern Italian Sweet Sausages and about 3 kilos of Sicilian Hot Sausages.  I'd like to smoke some of them.  I would appreciate any suggestions as to how long to smoke them, whether I should smoke them hot or cold smoke them and any other input would be most appreciated.

I have a new Bradley Original Smoker and a variety of flavoured bisquets so have some options on what I do with them.

Thanks in advance,

Kelly

[Sailor]

The 1st question is.....did you put cure #1 in the mix?

If not then I would not smoke them.  Smoking is done at a low temp of 140* and is susceptible to getting nasty bugs that will make you sick.

If you put cure #1 in then I would dry the casings at 130 for 1.5 hrs then bump the temp up to 140 and apply 2 hrs of smoke then go to 150 for 3 hrs then to 160 for 3 hrs then 170-175 to finish off with Internal Temp of 152.

good luck with your smoke.

[OU812]

You could crank your smoker up to 250, stab a probe in one of them sausages, throw them in the smoker and roll smoke for an hr or two and pull them out when the IT hits 165.

I do it with German sausage.

Only smoke/cook what I'm eatin that night.

If you want a snap when you bite into them drop them on a hot grill for a couple min.

[ksidener]

Thank you Sailior and OU812.  I wish I had put the cure in them, but alas, did not.  I will next time.  On the sausage forum they advised me to dry the casings for an hour at 120 degrees, four hours of hot smoke at 165* and an further until an internal temp of 152* is attained.  They then sugges to coolw ith cold water until internal temp hits 110* and allo bloom to desired colour is reached.  I just got my Auber PID and will be able to monitor not only the internal temp of the cabinet, but also the meat as it is a two probe unit.

I intend to vacum pack and freeze them

Further thoughts?

K.

[jiggerjams]

Hi K,

I have never made or smoked sausage before but I am doing my best at becoming a reading veteran on the subject of sausage making. Based on the advise given above and other posts I have read it appears that you have a good understanding of what needs to be done. I am sure advice/tips that I can not provide will arrive shortly.

[OU812]

Hi K,

I have never made or smoked sausage before but I am doing my best at becoming a reading veteran on the subject of sausage making. Based on the advise given above and other posts I have read it appears that you have a good understanding of what needs to be done. I am sure advice/tips that I can not provide will arrive shortly.

You sound like a lawyer.  ;D



ksidener

What you just described is basically the way you would cook sausage that has been cured.

Now that its "fresh sausage" you have to hit it with high heat so you dont get any nasties growing.

[ArnieM]

Yep, fresh sausage should be smoked/cooked hot to get it up to the finished temp as quickly as possible.  Basically, you're cooking pork and don't want it hanging around at lower temps.

The same sausage, with a cure (sodium nitrite) is usually called summer sausage and can withstand the longer, cooler temps.

I'd suggest you get the book "Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing" by Rytek Kutas.  There's a lot of good info in there.  My other 'bible' is "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman.  Both very good books.

Good luck.

[ksidener]

I've posted the same info on Franco's Famous Sausage Making forum and they're telling me I needed to put in Cure #1.  To be safe, I think I'll just freeze the lot and thaw and cook them as I want to eat them.  I think I'll scrap the thought of smoking some of them, with the exception of just a few to give it a try, at high heat, and simply cook them through using the smoker.

Last thing I want to do is get myself or friends sick, or ruin my hard work and investment in the product.

Kelly

[jiggerjams]

Man did I ever miss my call  :D :D

[Sailor]

I've posted the same info on Franco's Famous Sausage Making forum and they're telling me I needed to put in Cure #1.  To be safe, I think I'll just freeze the lot and thaw and cook them as I want to eat them.  I think I'll scrap the thought of smoking some of them, with the exception of just a few to give it a try, at high heat, and simply cook them through using the smoker.

Last thing I want to do is get myself or friends sick, or ruin my hard work and investment in the product.

Kelly

I think you made a good call to freeze them and then cook.  Unless you have added cure #1 at a ratio of 1 tsp per 5 lb of meat I would not want to smoke it at a low temp.

As has been stated in above posts you can still take your fresh sausage and bring the Bradley up to 200 and put your sausage in and smoke.  The IT may get up to the finish temp before you get your full smoke but at least you can get some smoke on it.

[GusRobin]

or you could tear them open, mix, add cure, mix, and restuff.

[NePaSmoKer]

Fresh is non cured and non smoked and normally stuffed into hog or other natural casings or made into pattys. If your looking for smoke in your fresh sausage i would use some liquid smoke or smoke powder and skip the smoker UNLESS your going to crank it to 225* or more and put smoke to it then eat or double freezer paper wrap and freeze.

Anytime you hang sausage in your smoker with low temps use cure #1


Gus has a point there also, But remember with the salt and seasonings the meat will be tight and harder to re stuff unless you add more liquid or let rest to room temp.

If you are not sure or need more answers there are many here to lend help. No dumb questions cuz we all been there.

[Phone Guy]

I have cooked fresh Italian Sausage in my Bradley many times. Just crank it up to something around 220 or higher start the pucks and put the sausage in to cook and it will smoke/cook them just fine. The Cure is for if you want to leave them in the fridge for any length of time like bacon or summer sausage etc. I am not a Dr. but I have smoke/cooked many a sausage cured and uncured. If you have your Italians frozen now just take out what you want to have for dinner and thaw then cook in the Bradley.

[Sailor]

I have cooked fresh Italian Sausage in my Bradley many times. Just crank it up to something around 220 or higher start the pucks and put the sausage in to cook and it will smoke/cook them just fine. The Cure is for if you want to leave them in the fridge for any length of time line bacon or summer sausage etc. I am not a Dr. but I have smoked many a sausage cured and uncured. If you have your Italians frozen now just take out what you want to have for dinner and thaw then cook in the Bradley.

Hmmmmmm maybe I have it wrong but I thought that cure #1 was to keep the nasty stuff from growing when you are smoking at low temps.  Low temps to me is below 180 degrees.  When you are at 220 you don't need cure #1.  I also have cooked sausage at 220 but that is cooking and not "smoking" at a "low" temp.  The reason we smoke at a low temp is keep the sausage or snack stix from fatting out.  Hence we need cure #1. 

[Phone Guy]

I have cooked fresh Italian Sausage in my Bradley many times. Just crank it up to something around 220 or higher start the pucks and put the sausage in to cook and it will smoke/cook them just fine. The Cure is for if you want to leave them in the fridge for any length of time line bacon or summer sausage etc. I am not a Dr. but I have smoked many a sausage cured and uncured. If you have your Italians frozen now just take out what you want to have for dinner and thaw then cook in the Bradley.

Hmmmmmm maybe I have it wrong but I thought that cure #1 was to keep the nasty stuff from growing when you are smoking at low temps.  Low temps to me is below 180 degrees.  When you are at 220 you don't need cure #1.  I also have cooked sausage at 220 but that is cooking and not "smoking" at a "low" temp.  The reason we smoke at a low temp is keep the sausage or snack stix from fatting out.  Hence we need cure #1. 

You are correct. I was trying to tell the OP that he can cook the sausages in the Bradley and apply smoke. That is why I said "just take out what you want to have for dinner and thaw then cook in the Bradley" Curing not only keeps stuff from growing when when you are smoking but after as well. The OP just got the smoker and I got the impression that they want to get the smoke flavour in the sausages. They can do that by applying smoke during the cook.