Summer sausage problems

[the hunted]

I have made 3 batches of sausage and each of them have had a great flavor but the texture is pasty. I have been smoking it at 180 on my treager until the internal tempos 150. I have been using dried milk as my binder and adding pork shoulders in the mixture. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong. Thanks

 

[DanMcG]

What do you mean by "pasty"? like under cooked, raw texture?

 

[dward51]

Are you hanging it vertical or is it laying horizontal on a grate?  Reason I ask is sometimes hanging meat will cook faster at the top and the center of the bottom section can still be not totally cooked and set.  I've seen this before with kielbasa.   If your probe was inserted at the top, did you also spot check the lowest section of the hanging meat?

Incomplete cooking and setting of the meat is the only thing I can think of that I would call "pasty".

 

[oregon smoker]

too high of fat ratio could be considered "pasty"  more information might be hlpful to fully help you solve this issue. what meats and their fat ratio, lenth of time coking, etc. possibly their was a temp spike (stranger things have happened) and some fat wetted out?

Keep On smokin

 

[driedstick]

Yep, fat ratio also how many times thru the grinder and smallest plate??

A full smoker is a happy smoker 

DS
 

 

[daveomak]

Got any pictures ??

 

[smokin phil]

.

 

[the hunted]

Not raw I have cooked it for 13 hours the first time. The texture never changed

 

[the hunted]

The first time I made it was a 60% deer 30 pork country sty.le ribs (they where cheep) and the rest fat I did some reading after that and read that I was using to much fat. The next two rounds where 70 % deer 30% pork butts. I don't have any pictures. The better way to compare it would be to a cracker spread. I ran it thru my grinder once with the course disk then mixed everything and then into the casing.

 

[the hunted]

Sorry I keep thinking of questions. How much dried milk should I be using and water? I have been making 20lbs at a time. And when is best time to add the dried milk?

 

[smokin phil]

.

 

[crazymoon]

I always  put my venison/pork mixture through the grinder twice. I  use a 3/16 or 1/4 inch plate.

 

[oregon smoker]

I grind it thru on my coarse plate first then take half of the mix and run it thru the smaller plate so I have a combination of texture (somewhat like linguisa just not as drastic.

Tom

 

[reinhard]

Sounds like your meat is being emulsified someway.  Are your blades sharp?  Here is what I   would do.  Next time grind your meat just once through a medium plate. You asked about adding powdered milk.  One cup per 5 pounds.  With 20 pounds of meat I would add 5 cups of water.  The powdered milk should be added in my opinion by sprinkling it on the meat after the meat is ground.  Put the seasoning and the cure [ 4 tsp. with the 20 pounds or one tsp per 5 pounds of meat] in the water and mix and then pour over the meat and then mix everything up well.  Let the meat mix set overnight and then stuff the next day.  I lay my summer sausage tubes on the racks vs hanging myself.  Hope this helps.  Reinhard

 

[oregon smoker]

 
Sounds like your meat is being emulsified someway.  Are your blades sharp?  Here is what I   would do.  Next time grind your meat just once through a medium plate. You asked about adding powdered milk.  One cup per 5 pounds.  With 20 pounds of meat I would add 5 cups of water.  The powdered milk should be added in my opinion by sprinkling it on the meat after the meat is ground.  Put the seasoning and the cure [ 4 tsp. with the 20 pounds or one tsp per 5 pounds of meat] in the water and mix and then pour over the meat and then mix everything up well.  Let the meat mix set overnight and then stuff the next day.  I lay my summer sausage tubes on the racks vs hanging myself.  Hope this helps.  Reinhard

Reinhard,

when you lay your sausage on the racks during the smoke, do you rotate them periodicacaly? I have read that many people do rack them and have thought about it (I can smoke more at the same time)

thank you for your time,

Tom

 

[reinhard]

I think most smokers have "hot spots" so that should be taken into account whether you lay them or hang them.  So you just have to keep an eye on them and see if you have a hot spot.  Cold smoking not so much, except the area by the tube smoker or AMPS.  First time I ever used the tube smoker I found out that it generated heat LOL.  Well not that much but just enough to affect the sausage directly near it.  So I have learned to keep the tube away from the sausage.   So in the end rotation is something that is done by most I would guess.  A buddy of mine built his own and it's good size [smoker].  He has two small fans in there and that helps distribute the heat and he doesn't rotate much at all.  Depends on the type of smoker you have I guess.  Wish I had the talent to build one like that.  Reinhard

 

[oregon smoker]

 
I think most smokers have "hot spots" so that should be taken into account whether you lay them or hang them.  So you just have to keep an eye on them and see if you have a hot spot.  Cold smoking not so much, except the area by the tube smoker or AMPS.  First time I ever used the tube smoker I found out that it generated heat LOL.  Well not that much but just enough to affect the sausage directly near it.  So I have learned to keep the tube away from the sausage.   So in the end rotation is something that is done by most I would guess.  A buddy of mine built his own and it's good size [smoker].  He has two small fans in there and that helps distribute the heat and he doesn't rotate much at all.  Depends on the type of smoker you have I guess.  Wish I had the talent to build one like that.  Reinhard

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding...when I said rotation I did not mean from shelf to shelf etc. what I was asking was about rotating in place (think flipping a burger ) I was curious about even coloring/smoking and even distribution of fats/juices. I have always hung my SS and considered the possibility of settleing at the base of sausage

Thanks,

Tom 

 

[reinhard]

Ok, yes the closer to the heat source the more rotation needed regardless of hanging or placing them on a rack is what I have found.  Try a small batch and see what you think.  The flipping like a burger thing I have had to do at times but not that much.  This is why this is personal preference regarding both ways.  I guess it is what you are used to doing.  I get more even temps by putting them on a rack.  I have had uneven temp readings by letting them hang.  Also make sure the links or tubes are not touching each other so the smoke flows freely through the sausage.  Reinhard

 

[the hunted]

Thanks for all the help. I'll Try a batch in the next few days and let you all know how it turns out thanks

 

[oregon smoker]

 
Ok, yes the closer to the heat source the more rotation needed regardless of hanging or placing them on a rack is what I have found.  Try a small batch and see what you think.  The flipping like a burger thing I have had to do at times but not that much.  This is why this is personal preference regarding both ways.  I guess it is what you are used to doing.  I get more even temps by putting them on a rack.  I have had uneven temp readings by letting them hang.  Also make sure the links or tubes are not touching each other so the smoke flows freely through the sausage.  Reinhard

Thanks,

I have had temp issues at various times with hanging, (top VS Bottom) temps. I will have to run of a small batch and try the racks (laying out) method see if I get a difference in product .

Tom