Smoked Bratwurst instructions needed

[Saber 4]

I have 20lbs of pork cubed and 4lbs of pork fat trimmings to add as needed because the wife thought the first batch was a little to lean with just butts. My plan is to use up the last of the Hi Mtn Bratwurst kit by doing 10lbs of fresh and 10lbs of smoked. Where I need help is with the smoked batch I can follow the instructions for mixing the cure and seasonings and do the grind and stuff with my new Weston stuffer, not sure which sized tube to use with the hog casings, I used the stick size last time and that was a mistake so I guess I'll go up a size.

I've read different things about putting in the fridge vs. straight to the smoker, ramping up temps slowly, then into a water bath vs. finishing in Bradley. I want to twist into links again before smoking.

Can one of you sausage guru's please give me a step by step, play by play on what I need to do after the stuffing is done to be successful?

Thanks, Robert

[Saber 4]

The HI Mtn instructions include some drying times and temp ramps that don't seem to jive with what I've seen here.

What times and temps should I use to smoke the brats?

What is the best way to do a water bath to finish?

[devo]

As far as your stuffer horn or tube use the biggest one that the casings will fit over without a fight  ;)  Makes for a faster stuffing job.

Now here is a recipe and some guide lines for smoking brats. You don't have to follow the recipe but it will give you an idea for smoking them.

For smoked Brats I personally wouldn't do a hot water bath but its up to you.
If you hot water bath them I would take them out at around 130 IT Place in your hot water bath set at 165 degrees. You need to watch them close. Take them out at 150 IT.

7 lbs. pork butt (nearly frozen)
2 lbs. beef chuck (nearly frozen)
1 lb pork backfat (frozen solid)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tblspn. very coarsely ground black pepper
1-3/4 cups soy protein concentrate
2 large eggs (cold)
1 cup heavy cream (cold)
1-1/2 tblspns. rubbed sage
½ tspn. ground nutmeg
½ tspn. dried thyme
½ tblspn. ginger
4 tblspns. kosher salt
3 tblspns. sugar
1 pint flat lager (not pilsner) beer

"Fresh"-Type Beer Brats

Cut the meat with fat into inch cubes then grind it through a 3/8" plate. Stir all the dry ingredients with the cream for even distribution in the meat. Whip the eggs and add them to the beer. Finally, blend all the ingredients together with the meat and mix the sausage until the actomyosin forms a "meat paste". Place the meat into the freezer twenty minutes while you clean up your equipment. Finish by stuffing the sausage into 36 m.m. hog casings. This recipe is for "fresh" sausage and must be refrigerated and eaten within three days, or frozen. 

Cured-Cooked-Smoked Beer Brats

If you wish to cure and smoke the brats, simply add 2 level tspns. cure #1 to the liquid in the recipe for even distribution throughout the meat. Stuff the sausage into casings and hang them on smokesticks to dry half an hour. Preheat your smoker to 120˚F. (49˚C.) and then cook them slowly over a period of several hours, introducing smoke and raising the temperature 10 degrees every hour until the smoker temp reaches 165˚F. (74˚C.). When the internal meat temperature reaches 150˚F. (66˚C.), place the sausages in icewater until their temperature drops to room temperature. Refrigerate the brats and use them on the grill at your leisure

[Saber 4]

Thanks Devo,

I'm good with the times and temp and will skip the water bath as you suggest. I'm reading that I don't need to refrigerate overnight like the HI Mountain instructions call for, just the half hour or so to dry out the casings.

Is there a particular sausage link that you put your probe in (near the top, bottom or middle) or do you keep using an instant read on different links? I'm assuming I don't want a bunch of holes in the sausage

[devo]

I hang mine instead of putting them on a rack so I instant read the bottom one and move them around as needed.

[Tenpoint5]

I usually pick one in about the middle when they are hanging. then as I'm rotating the sausages I will spot check a few to see how things are going, then adjust or rotate so everything is getting done about the same time. You can water bath but I would suggest waiting until you get a little more used to how that all works with the bigger sausages like summer sausage.

[Saber 4]

Thanks guy's, I'm going to try to cut some rods so I don't have to use the racks and may have to do all the sausage making tomorrow, as I bit off more than I can chew for this weekend and I still have 13 pounds of belly to trim and start the cure on as well as finishing the pulled pork I have FTC'd from overnight's smoke. I will definitely skip the water bath for now, I wasn't really looking forward to trying it now.

[Tenpoint5]

While your cutting the rods. Make you a U out of 1x4 that will sit on the upper rack holder. Then you can notch it so the rods can sit without rolling. This will raise the rods up and thus give you more room to hang your sausage.

[Saber 4]

While your cutting the rods. Make you a U out of 1x4 that will sit on the upper rack holder. Then you can notch it so the rods can sit without rolling. This will raise the rods up and thus give you more room to hang your sausage.

Thanks, that will be easier than notching the dowels to have a flat site, stronger too.

[Keymaster]

I like to use this method for parboiling my fresh sausage then freeze in foodsaver bags. Could be done in a large pot to accommodate your poundage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwv8UzVZCE

[KyNola]

Good method for parboiling the sausage.  Thanks for sharing it.

[Saber 4]

I like to use this method for parboiling my fresh sausage then freeze in foodsaver bags. Could be done in a large pot to accommodate your poundage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwv8UzVZCE

That's a good method, thanks for sharing, have you ever done it with smoked sausage coming out of the smoker to finish them?

While your cutting the rods. Make you a U out of 1x4 that will sit on the upper rack holder. Then you can notch it so the rods can sit without rolling. This will raise the rods up and thus give you more room to hang your sausage.

Thanks, that will be easier than notching the dowels to have a flat site, stronger too.

I must have had my head in my 4th point of contact, I just came across the Bradley sausage hooks that I picked up on clearance for 3 bucks :-[

[devo]

must have had my head in my 4th point of contact, I just came across the Bradley sausage hooks that I picked up on clearance for 3 bucks

Don't worry we all been there  ;D ;D ;D

[Keymaster]

I like to use this method for parboiling my fresh sausage then freeze in foodsaver bags. Could be done in a large pot to accommodate your poundage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwv8UzVZCE

That's a good method, thanks for sharing, have you ever done it with smoked sausage coming out of the smoker to finish them?

While your cutting the rods. Make you a U out of 1x4 that will sit on the upper rack holder. Then you can notch it so the rods can sit without rolling. This will raise the rods up and thus give you more room to hang your sausage.

Thanks, that will be easier than notching the dowels to have a flat site, stronger too.

I must have had my head in my 4th point of contact, I just came across the Bradley sausage hooks that I picked up on clearance for 3 bucks :-[

I have never tried it on smoked sausage but I think it would work fine. I forgot to mention I get the water to a real rolling boil not just bubbles and I go 8 minutes after removing the pot from the heat.

[TedEbear]

For brats I first brown them for 4-5 minutes on the grill and then put them in a crock pot with apple juice (beer, if you prefer), sweet onion, red pepper and a green pepper for 6 hours.  My wife took some of them to work for lunch the other day and now one of her co-workers says she wants to marry me.