summer sausage

manfromplaid · April 12, 2014, 07:17:02 AM

ok its time to delve into the world of homemade sausage.. this is my first go at it and i hope it turns out. as i proceed any tips would be appreciated. using a pre mixed summer sausage kit (comes with mix-cure-caseings) by backwoods. ground beef/ground pork 80/20 5 lbs to start.

chubs are not the same size but all very close to 1 lb each.
smoker preheating to 185 will use 2hrs hickory then IT to 165 then cool(is a water bath the best way to cool) from there no plans yet.

Sailor · April 12, 2014, 07:30:56 AM

You have the smoker set too high and you will fat it out. Dry the casings at 130 degrees cabinet temp for 1 hr. Bump the temp up to 140 for 2 hours and apply smoke. Bump to 150 for 2 hrs then 160 for 2 hours then 170 and hold until you get IT of 152. Pull then cold water bath to cool to 100 degrees IT and bloom for 2 hrs.

If you have your cabinet temp at 185 you will fat it out and you will not be a happy camper with the finished product.

renoman · April 12, 2014, 07:32:08 AM

185 is too high IMHO. Dry the sausage at 120 for an hour and then smoke for 1 hr at 130, 1 hr at 140, 1 hr at 150 then cut the smoke. Raise the temp to 165 max and pull the sausage at 155. Water bath to cool and let them sit on the counter for a few hours to bloom. Your chubs at the bottom back of the cabinet are going to over cook and fat out if you don't rotate them. If you don't have a PID your temps may get too hot so watch them closely.

renoman · April 12, 2014, 07:34:18 AM

Hey sailor.... you beat me to the answer. Pretty close though.

KyNola · April 12, 2014, 07:37:08 AM

Good catch guys!

manfromplaid · April 12, 2014, 07:45:59 AM

got it thanks changed my pid settings post pics when done

renoman · April 12, 2014, 07:52:18 AM

One more thing. Something I am going to try next time is after the smoke is done pull them off the hangers and put them on the racks to get them away from the element. Much easier to rotate like this too.

manfromplaid · April 12, 2014, 08:12:29 AM

there are only 5 chubs and using 1 hanger but i will try putting them on a rack after the smoke.

Sailor · April 12, 2014, 08:38:39 AM

Quote from: manfromplaid on April 12, 2014, 08:12:29 AM
there are only 5 chubs and using 1 hanger but i will try putting them on a rack after the smoke.

You don't need to put them on a rack. With only 5 chubs just hang them closer to the door and away from the back. No need to rotate them or rack them ;D

manfromplaid · April 12, 2014, 04:17:36 PM

my sausage temps have hit the 144-145 mark and don't seem to want to move past that any ideas

ragweed · April 12, 2014, 05:45:40 PM

Happens to me too, sometimes. Be patient, don't crank up the temp, the IT will get there. My last batch of sticks stalled at 145* F for nearly 2 hours!

manfromplaid · April 12, 2014, 06:30:53 PM

been stalled for almost 5 hrs

renoman · April 13, 2014, 06:35:20 AM

manfromplaid. If you are going to get serious about sausage and I'm sure you will after you taste what you've made. You need to get one of these.

http://www.sousvides.com/index.html

hutcho · April 13, 2014, 06:43:18 AM

Can also use a turkey roaster or build your own tank. Pikeman_95 just posted a propane setup that will work perfectly for sausage. I am also done with my electric setup and will post a writeup soon. Theres a lot of options out there thats for sure.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2

manfromplaid · April 13, 2014, 07:43:33 AM

renoman are those for sale around edmonton or would i need to order online.