Wrinkeled summersausage and beerstick casings

Moisture I would think. They were swollen with water in the smoker as moisture left the meat. They then cool and dry, so maybe brush them with water, reheat or serve warm. I dont make summer sausage but maybe somebody can recommend a particular casing?

Some say to dunk the sausage in ice water immediately to cool the meat and stop the shrinkage.... cool to

Need some more info on how you're smoking them. Are you running the smoker at a consistent temp, or are your ramping up the temp during the smoke? How hot are you running the smoker? What IT are you taking the sausages to?

soak them in ice water.  I have some snack sticks and summer sausage in the WSM now.  As soon as they hit temp I will remove them and dunk them until internal is below 100*F.  Then hang dry before refrigerating.

From Let's Make Sausage:

"Once your sausage has reached the correct internal temperature (152 degrees F.), it needs to be cooled quickly and thoroughly or the casings will shrink and shrivel.

This happens very quickly once the links are taken from the smoker, so you need to have things ready in place for the showering process.

Showering really just means cooling the sausage quickly with water.

If you have made a large batch, the most efficient way shower it is with a garden hose. Simply remove the sausage with the racks or smoke sticks and spray them with cold water. The goal is to cool the sausage down to 120 degrees as quickly as you can.

For smaller batches of sausage, I find that it is easier to take them out of the smoker and put them directly into a tub or basin of cold water.

I have a large, deep kitchen sink, and find that it works well for batches up to about 15 lbs. By using the sink, I'm able to keep cold water running so the water bath stays cool. You could also do this with a large pail or tub and a garden hose.

Tip

• If your sausage does shrivel before you can get it cooled down, you should be able to plump it back up by reheating it in a hot water bath (160-170 degrees F.). It's a lot easier though to get it cooled off right the first time."

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