First smoke in the vault 24

[mcdbrog]

Smoked some snack sticks tonight for my first use of the new smoke vault. Used some high mountain pepperoni seasoning and 75/25 ground beef (want to make sure I get a bit of experience with the smoker before using my venison,(I can buy more beef). Mixed up 3lbs, stuffed it and let it sit in the fridge for a day and a half. Started the smoker at 120 for an hour. Was a bit tough keeping the temp steady bieng really windy and in the low 20's. Slowly brought the temp up over 4 hours with pecan chips and a couple apple chuncks. Took it out when it hit IT of 156 and did an ice water bath down to 85 and hung for 2 hours. Tried one and the flavor was good but would like just a touch drier on the next ones. Maybe leave them in the smoke for a bit longer?

 

[forluvofsmoke]

Nice Pepperoni!!!

If you want drier, but don't want to ferment/dry cure, just keep your smoker temp down in low temp range for longer and bump it up in stages of 15-20* over several hours. Of course, finding that sweet spot (time/temp profile) for the cross-sectional density of your sausage will come in time...getting just the right amount of drying for your preference. I've taken all day and into the evening to get 2lb cured chubs up to finished temps.

BTW, congrats on the SV-24!!! I used one for over 5 years...it was my go-to for any bigger smoke projects, and even most of the smaller stuff. Temp control can be touchy-feely on the dial, but I could always get it within 10-15* of my target temp without much difficulty.

Eric