Unless your outside ambient humidity is above 60% then you run the risk of drying the casing to much, which will make it chewy even leathery in texture. By smoking low temp just to good color (around 3-4 hours) then finish final IT in a water poach, you rehydrate the natural casing. Making a great snap bite and very chewable bite. The poach just makes a superior finished product when smoking low to warm temps.
Arbol powder as a direct replacement for cayenne, but you can grind the pods in a spice grinder if you like. It’s a little hard on the sinuses though.
I assume this is your IT. What temp do you set your smoker to or do you work the temp up like usual on sausages? Just got my first grinder and am about to try my hand at andouille.
Since I started poaching for finish IT I don’t mess with ramping up the temps now. My smoker will run 140-150 with smoke until I get the color I want then finish in poach or SV. Now, if I want a stronger smoke profile I will run the smoke house 120-130 and get more smoke time.
I start at 100 for an hour to dry the casings, then bump to 120 with heavy smoke for 4 hours. then bump 10*F as needed to keep the chamber temp about 25-30* above the INT. When I reach chamber temp 160*F, the andouille is usually real close to hitting 136*F. I will hold chamber temp. at 160*F for about an hour, then lower slightly....to 145-150*F to ensure no fat out. Continue pouring smoke to the Andouille for another 3 hours or so....that is how I smoke Andouille.
