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Slowly Increasing Temps

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mabrandt

mabrandt

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 22, 2008
65
10
Indiana
I responded to this thread in the electric smoker forum.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/137661/smoking-sausage#post_961602

I got to that thread off of a Google search and assumed I was in the Sausage forum. It turned out I wasn't and since I don't have an electric smoker, I would ask here.

Why do you folks recommend slowly increasing your smoking temps instead of just setting the smoker to 165 and letting the cured sausage come up to IT of 152? In the other thread, it was recommended to keep yout smoker about 30 degrees higher than your IT. I don't quite understand the reasoning. As stated in the other thread I plan on smoking some Kielbasa this weekend for the first time. Just got a new Smoke Vault 24 and a AMNTS. Only mod to the smoker was I added a needle valve. I can get down to 160 with no problem, but not sure of anything lower. This is replacing a GOSM that I could not get that low. Smoking sausage was one of the reasons to upgrade.

Thanks!
 
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I was responding on the other thread the same that you asked this question. There well be other reasons that I'm not aware of but here are a few reasons:

Going slow gets sausage smoked evenly and allows for a longer smoke period. It also helps prevent case hardening where the meat next to the casing is hard and the center is soft. It would be the same as putting a raw chicken in a 500 degree oven, the outside will done and the inside will be raw. Also the slow method prevents your sausages from condensing. Smoke doesn't stick to moisture so your casings will not take smoke evenly and be spotty.

If you load your smoker up with cold or room temperature sausage then start your smoker at 165 or your lowest setting, the meat acts like a heat sink. It will prevent your smoker from heating up right away. You can watch your smoker temp and meat temp rise slowly. Both temps normally rise slowly together, the smoker temp is normally 20-30 degrees hotter than the meat.

If your smoker temp exceeds 180 degrees the fat in the sausage will render and redistribute in the casing or leak out leaving crumbly sausage.

I hope this helps, I have better results with slower rising temps and longer smokes.
 
Yes, That makes a lot of sense. I'll start out as low as I can and slowly increase it as the meat heats up. I have always planned to do it slow, I was never intending to go past 165 on the cabinet temp. I just thought you could start there and let the meat catch up. Hopefully with the needle valve I can get there.
 
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One more quick question. When I pull it out at IT of 152 or so and give it a bath to stop the cooking is this sausage edible?
 
 
Yes it is edible. After a quick water bath it helpful to hang it again for a couple of hours to dry. It will also "bloom" and let the smoke and seasonings blend together. I'm in Wisconsin and during the winter I often shut the smoker off and open the door and just let everything bloom hanging in the smoker. (Skip the cold water bath)

You can also do a hot water bath to finish getting your sausage to 152. Just leave your temp probe in and when it reaches 152 transfer it to the cold water bath then hang. If your smoker has any hot spots the hot bath will even out the cooking process make the sausage consistent. I like the hot bath with larger diameter sausage like summer sausage. Some of the smoke will come off in the baths so you are aware.
 
Thanks for the help. It looks like I'm set for the weekend. I have been making fresh sausage for a few years now, and have really enjoyed the process. First time smoking with the new smoker too. Should be an exciting weekend.
 
 
My main reason for going up gradually, or hanging around at a low temp for awhile is because I am a "Smoke Hound". The longer I keep it from getting done, the more smoke I can get on it, but not so long that you allow it to get dry.

Bear
 
Woodcutter said:
What kind of sausage are you going to make? Just wanted to be sure you are using cure for this slow method.
Click to expand...
 A polish Kielbasa, actually a Wiejska, if you want to get technical.. Yes, I have a cure and everything. If this goes good, I'd like to try some andouille. Two of my favorites. Looking forward to it.
 
I was browsing the forum this morning and realize I need to ask a question about my casings. I am using collagen casings and am wondering if the same rules apply? I have always used collagen for my fresh and I really don't see any reason to change when I go to smoke. The casings I have are designed for smoking. I made sure of that as I know some are not.  Is the drying the same? I read a post saying you really don't need to dry them. I know in my experience with the fresh sausage, they really don't seem wet after stuffing. Not sure now. My original plan was stuffing the sausages this evening and hanging them in the basement fridge overnight and starting the smoke first thing in the morning.
 
 
You need to keep natural casings wet when stuffing so they need longer to dry. Collagen casings will be much drier when you are done stuffing. If you think they are a little moist when you put them in the smoker, let them dry a little as the smoker is starting to warm up before starting any smoke. It sounds like you will be in good shape with your plan of overnight in the fridge.
 
Great. I'm not to far off base then.  I was going to use sand in my water tray. I read a few threads that talked about collagen needing more humidity and am now questioning myself. Is sand still a good idea?
 
 
Sand acts as a heat sink and stabilizes temperature spikes. My smoker is homemade and has a 220v stove element. The smoker is fairly large and I don't need sand. If you smoker is compact and you feel the heat source is close to what you are smoking you may want to use it to buffer the heat a little. Most of this you will figure out as you are getting used to your smoker. The water tray will hold the temp of your smoker to 212 degrees and will add humidity. If your casings look like they are getting too dry (cracking) and your still waiting for your IT to get to 152 you can add the water tray near the end of your smoke to rehydrate a little bit.
 
I feel your pain with the GOSM and low temps. I added the needle valve so I can get down to about 120*, but it can't be windy, and I have to constantly watch the temps. Once I get up above 130* it's a little less involved as long as it's not windy. I am going to be making a dedicated smoker for sausage and jerky. In my GOSM I have sand in the water tray, haven't used water in years. Good luck with your new smoker and let us know how it goes.
 
Ok, Everything came out fairly well. Not perfect, but tasty.

Here's a shot of the new smoker smoking away with my AMNTS.

2.jpg

2.jpg


Here's the Kielbasa. I have just removed the smoke after 3 1/2 hours.

3.jpg

3.jpg


Here they are blooming down in the basement.

4.jpg

4.jpg


As said, all in all a success. I did get a very hard rind. At first I thought it was the collagen casing, but it also included a layer of meat that got hard. The interior was a perfect consistency and texture. These smoked for 3 1/2 hours and then cooked for another five. The IT was only at 142 when I finally removed them and gave them a bath at 170* and then immediately cooled them. I started the temps of the smoker in the 130-140 range. After an hour or so I upped it to the mid 150's until I took the smoke off. Then kept it at about 163 until it started to get late and I wanted to try these for dinner. They also seemed to be getting very dry, hence the bath. This was 5lbs of sausage in 32mm casings. Does it normally take that long? I feel that the length of the cook contributed to the abnormally hard casing. Everything else was good, except maybe a little less garlic. Had some for dinner and froze the rest to consume at my leisure.

Next up I'll try some Andouille! Thanks for all the help. It went much more smoothly than I thought it would.
 
 
You should start a new Kielbasa thread about your smoke (show off your hard work a little). They look absolutely perfect on the pictures! You may be right about your smoker time and that is just one of things that will come as you get used to your smoker, batch sizes, weather etc. I think you did great! Glad to hear your already thinking about what you are going to make next.

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