after sumer sauage has reached 152 IT?

[razzle]

my question is after I get to 152 IT do I ice bath to stop the cooking? or let sit at room temp before putting in the fridge?
I see some people talk about letting them bloom? is that just air drying at room temp?
Thanks in advance for the info, this forum is great... maybe a little addictive.

Ray

[Sailor]

You want to give it an ice bath or cold water shower to lower the temp to around 100 and then hang to let dry and bloom for a couple of hours.

[OU812]

You would put in a ice bath till the IT is below 100 then hang to drip dry, which is the blooming.

I hang but you could lay on a inverted rack also.

Blooming is drying and allowing the collar to get darker.

[NePaSmoKer]

Lots of great suggestions here Ray

When i do put cold water to my sausages i shower. This coagulates the fat (which does happen next to the casing) this method keep the sausage from shriveling. However taking the sausage to 147* and then out to cool at room temp is ok too. Yeah the casing will shrivel some.

[TheHardWay]

Just a thought....
But if you use pork fat/trimmings in your summer sausage, shouldn't you cook it until the IT is at least 160*.  That is the Government's suggestion as to when harmful bacteria will be killed

[KyNola]

Uh..NePaS?  You want to field TheHardWay's question about going to 160 and the Government's recommendations? :)

Sorry THW, inside joke but the short answer to your question is no. If you go to 160 you will begin to melt or render the fat and dry out your sausage.  As for the Government's recommendations, food police have a job to do but there has not been a documented case of trichinosis in many many years due to the high quality of pork today.

[Tenpoint5]

Just a word of Caution here. DO NOT put your probe into the Ice Water Bath with your sausage!! You WILL kill it!! Probes do not like water in any way shape or form.

[NePaSmoKer]

Uh..NePaS?  You want to field TheHardWay's question about going to 160 and the Government's recommendations? :)

Sorry THW, inside joke but the short answer to your question is no. If you go to 160 you will begin to melt or render the fat and dry out your sausage.  As for the Government's recommendations, food police have a job to do but there has not been a documented case of trichinosis in many many years due to the high quality of pork today.

:D :D

how bout it

[pikeman_95]

ten point

I have a little trick that can save the probes. I dip the joint in liquid rubber or vinyl or what ever it is. I get a can of dip and grip from Ace hard ware and dip the joint where the cable meats the probe. I go up and down a inch on each one so that it is well sealed. The thermesters will short out when they get wet. This process keeps the water out of the probe. If the cable is a woven wire protector make sure that you work the liquid plastic into the mesh.I have had good success doing this.
When I water bath my sausage I have the probes in the water and they are OK. I do check them often and make sure that the seal is maintained. If it starts to come loose I just dip it again. I will take a picture and post it.

[drano]

Well, if I was making sausage today, I'd just throw it in some clean snow outside.  I think -5 F would have it cooled (maybe froze) in just a couple minutes ;D
Seriously, I throw mine in an ice bath in the sink to cool down.  I use my Thermopen (carefully) to test the temp as it cools down. 
Speaking of -5 F and more snow in the forecast, I'm trying to figure out what I was thinking when I decided to move from TX to SD this summer . . .
get smokin
drano