Liquid Filled SS

[Scotty-G]

Was feeling inspired and tired pikeman's SS recipe for the first time.  Following Sailor's reduction for 5 lbs I made 10 lbs of beef SS

First mistake - I followed the amounts for 5 lbs and didn't double for 10  :o

Second mistake - Ran short on some ingredients so improvised with others but still only used enough for 5 lbs in a 10 lb batch  :(

Third mistake - Didn't pack it tight enough into the fiberous casings

Forth mistake - Didn't take pictures along the way  ???

... I'll stop there  :'(

So - after drying for 1 hr and smoking for 2 hrs I put the sausages into a 160°F-165°F water bath for ~35 min (my temp probe stopped working today too so unable to read IT of sausage - just not my day)

After 35+ min in wather bath, put SS into cold water bath for ~10 min when they felt cool to the touch, took them out. They are now resting and blooming for a few hours.

Questions for the experts and those with more sausage scars than me -

When I took the SS out of the cold water bath I noticed that the fiberous sausage casing was also filled with liquid - both ends of the casing were crimped closed with hog rings - Assuming this is not melted fat, how do I best get the liquid out?  Pierce a hole into the casing?  Was planning on giving these as gifts and a hole in the casing might not be a good thing.

I also didn't put in enough Tenderquick (ordered Cure #1 few weeks ago and it finally arrived [mail was delivered 10 min after I finished stuffing into cases - universe is against me right now]) - 7.5 tsp for 5 lbs of meat but mixed into a 10 lb batch.  After blooming was thinking of vacuum sealing them so I could mail them out to family.  Are they still safe or is the batch lost? 

Want to ship to opposite coast - is it better to freeze and let thaw on the way or just keep at room temp, vacuum sealed and still in it's casing but tell family to put into fridge and leave there until after consuming?

Next up (tomorrow?) - cold smoking cheeses to go with SS

Thank you -

[Sailor]

Well Scotty, sounds like if you got "water" in a sealed casing you might have a fat out.  If you were to prick a hole in the casing I bet you will shoot at stream of hot grease across the kitchen.  But then again you may just have some water in there.  Only way to know is to just let them bloom and cool down and put them in the fridge over night.  Next day peel the casing and see if you have fat caked on the outside rind of the SS.  If you have some fat then just rinse them in some warm water to melt the fat off and you will be good to go 

[JZ]

Sorry for your bad day.

I have very limited sausage making experience but will help where I can. I am sure others with more experience will be along soon.

First mistake - I followed the amounts for 5 lbs and didn't double for 10

For spice this is not a big deal. It just means your sausage maybe kind of bland. It is recommended that you take a bit of the sausage mix and fry some to taste before stuffing to see if it needs more spices. Try this next time. But the CURE must be right.

Second mistake - Ran short on some ingredients so improvised with others but still only used enough for 5 lbs in a 10 lb batch  :(

A taste test before stuffing will tell you if anything needs to be adjusted and using different spices is one of the advantages of making your own. Adjust the spices to your liking.

Third mistake - Didn't pack it tight enough into the fiberous casings

This is likely why you have water in your casings. I don't think fibrous casings are waterproof but if the meat is stuffed well then little if any water gets into the casings. Hopefully others will confirm or correct this point.

The issues I see are;

1) 7.5 tsp of Tenderquick for 10 lbs of meat is not enough. Tenderquick is NOT a substitute for Cure #1. I do not use Tenderquick, but I believe it is used at a rate of 1 TBSP /lb of meat. Check the label. If you used less than 1 tsp per lb the meat was not properly cured. What color was the sausage after all was done? Is it a bright pink or more of a grey color?

2) You are not sure what temp the sausage was cooked to since your thermometer was not working. Therefore you do not know if it was cooked to a SAFE temp. This is important, especially in consideration of the lack of cure. A pic of the finished sausage would help.

3) What temps were you drying and smoking at.

[Scotty-G]

JZ - Thanks for the feedback
I operate my smoker with a auberman PID - dialed in the temps 110°, 130° & 150° for 1 hr each
Water bath was cooking on an induction cooker that was set at ~160°
Meet has a slight grey, slight pink color

It's cooled down - bloomed for ~2 hrs now
Am thinking of pricking a hole in the casing to drain out the liquid and then vacuum sealing and putting into the fridge

[viper125]

Way short on cure that's for sure. But i would think its plenty safe at them temps. Definitely affected color and for sure will affect taste..I made a batch of trail one time and forgot the salt. And that alone made it where it didn't taste good.But if that's the case here is what we did with it. Ground some up added miracle whip and sweet relish and hot peppers to make a great sandwich spread. Oh yes and Salt! LOL! And we saved the rest of the rings by freezing. Pull them out and made a fresh batch every now and then. Kids like it so much they take my good trail bologna and still make it. Nice thing about smoking. You mostly can eat your mistakes,  :D

[pmmpete]

Insta Cure #1 and Prague Powder #1 contain 6.25 percent sodium nitrite.  Morton's Tenderquick contains .5 percent sodium nitrite and .5 percent sodium nitrate.  Thus, a teaspoon of Tenderquick contains only eight percent the nitrite of a teaspoon of Insta Cure #1.  Putting it another way, a teaspoon of Insta Cure #1 contains the same amount of nitrite as 12.5 teaspoons of Morton's Tenderquick.  And the 7.5 teaspoons of Morton's Tenderquick which you put in your sausage contained the same amount of sodium nitrite as .6 teaspoons of Insta Cure #1.  The proper amount of Insta Cure #1 for ten pounds of meat is two teaspoons.  So you didn't put enough sodium nitrite in your summer sausage.  Specifically, you only included 30 percent of the sodium nitrite you should have included.

Another issue is that Morton's Tenderquick also contains .5 percent sodium nitrate.  Sodium nitrate is included in Insta Cure #2 and Prague Powder #2, which are mainly used only for fermented sausages.

[Habanero Smoker]

The proper amount Morton states to use TQ for sausage is 1/2 tablespoon per pound. So you only used 1/2 of the required amount for your sausage. The main need for nitrites in sausage is to prevent the bacterian clostridium botulinum, which produces the deadly toxin botulinum. Under general cooking conditions these toxins are not destroyed.

I read somewheres, that botulinum is the Latin word for sausage. Before the use of nitrates and nitrites, sausage was the main cause for botulism. Clostridium botulinum may not grow every time you cook sausage without a cure,  but the time that it does it can be deadly. I would not chance it.

[drunknimortal]

Sometimes its better to just start over, Ive had to throw out a few batches for different reasons.

[JZ]

I,m with Habs on this one.

You don't know if the sausage was cooked to a safe temperature and there is a shortage of cure in the meat which is why it is not the right color. If you eat it, you may get away without any adverse effects but there is no half way with Botulism and if you are unlucky you won't be making any more sausages.

I wouldn't take the chance and definitely would not give to friends or relatives. I had a batch of sausages that looked something like recently and tossed the whole works. :( But I can always make more. :)

[buttburner]

I would just start over.

I would not be giving it away as gifts thats for sure

sausage making requires you to be very precise in preparation for best results.

Practice a few times, when you have it down pat then start giving it away as gifts.

[Sam3]

X2

[OU812]

Reading what went on and what didnt get added along with the pictures, I stick with the code

When in doubt,,,,,,,,throw it out

Just sayin

[Scotty-G]

I'm listening -
Decided to slice open all the sausages and they all looked the same  :o



Full of liquid & almost raw in the center - WOW
Into the trash they went!

Having to redeem myself to myself - I cold smoked a bunch of cheese (sharp cheddar, mozzarella, swiss & pepper jack) and then vacuum sealed



Later this week with either try the sausage again or attempt Meube Nuggets for the first time (or both ;D)

[viper125]

Probably cooked at to high a temp. Outside cooked and inside didnt even get the heat. Then fatted out.
Been there done that.

[NePaSmoKer]

This is not a cure issue. Its a heat issue. Too hot too fast causing the fat to cavitate and fat-out.

Cure 1 @ 1 tsp per every 5 lbs of meat
MTQ @ 7.5 tsp per every 5 lbs of meat.