Second post, a few questions on Hot Links

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flatlander 38

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 29, 2015
2
10
Hello all, this is my second post (whoo!) and I have done hours of research on one of the things I have never made but seems to come up with two thousand directions. I just bought a Masterbuilt MES30 and plan on seasoning it tomorrow. I also ordered a hand crank meat grinder/sausage stuffer and really want to try my hand at making some sausage.

My issues and conflicting information come from types of casing. I want to use collagen casings that are not covered in salt (blood pressure is not fantastic, so sodium is an issue) and want to make a really spicy hot link that will be cooked hot and not needed to be left at room temperature for a while. It seems that a cure would be needed if I wanted to smoke for 4+ hours at a really low temperature, or at least that's what I gathered although I have been known to be very wrong in the past.

If I want to use a unsalted synthetic casing, grind 75% pork 25% beef, season with lots of cayenne, crushed red, black and white pepper, minced garlic, ground mustard, a pinch of cumin, chili powder, a pinch of salt, Texas Pete, and a bottle of beer, what do I really need to do?

The best hot link I have ever had was in San Antonio, can't recall the name of the place but I had to wait in a line for about 45 minutes just to order and it was pretty much take out only. Very spicy, obviously it was a natural casing which I am going to have to skip for the time being, but the flavor was out of control.

I was thinking of stuffing the casings, setting over night in the fridge to dry some, hanging and smoking with hickory at 200 for about two hours or until the IT is above 170. I plan on eating the sausage that day or the day after. Does this sound reasonable or am I out of bounds? Thank all of you in advance for the help.
 
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Hello, you'll get better results with natural casings vs collagen.... Just my opinion from trying both... Soak the casings for a few days & you'll get most the sodium out !

Yes, if your smoking at low temps, a cure would need to be used ! The last hot links I made I did not use cure because when cooked, I hot smoked !

Use the search bar at the top for hot links or Texas hot links & you'll get some results ! Try searching for Chef Willies Texas Hot Links, that's the recipe I used & it was great !
 
Hello, you'll get better results with natural casings vs collagen.... Just my opinion from trying both... Soak the casings for a few days & you'll get most the sodium out !

Yes, if your smoking at low temps, a cure would need to be used ! The last hot links I made I did not use cure because when cooked, I hot smoked !

Use the search bar at the top for hot links or Texas hot links & you'll get some results ! Try searching for Chef Willies Texas Hot Links, that's the recipe I used & it was great !
+1 on this post. I used the same hot link recipe and it is the bomb. Great flavor and taste. I have made it with 32mm colligan & they came out fine.
 
I take my salt stored pig casings out of the container, I run them under cold water, squeezing the salt off of them.  Then I open one end and run cold water through the casings, lots of it, then I pl;ace them in bowl with some cold water and a bit of vinegar. 

If my desktop computer was not so screwed up at this time, I would have made a video for you, of how I do this.

I have never had salt problems doing it that way
 
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Here is a link to the "Chef Willlie's Texas Hot Link" recipe that's mentioned above.  It's posted in several threads.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/182911/texas-hot-links-one-of-my-favorite-sausages

Also X2 on not worrying about salt in natural casings.  They are washed so much before use, there is really no salt left.  And I think you will like the natural vs the collagen, but either would work.  If you wash more natural than you end up needing, you can re-salt them and save them in the fridge.  The high level of salt slurry acts like a preservative, but again, it's washed off before use and I don't think the casing really retains any if washed properly.
 
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I did the hot links in a Snack stick form and they are flipping great!! 

Good luck and let us know 

A full smoker is a happy smoker

DS
 
 
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