Cold smoked sausage

[buckbros]

I have cold smoked rope sausage in my home made smoker & now I want to try it on my Rec Tec. In my home made smoker the temp does not get high enough to cook the sausage & this is what I want to achieve with the pellet grill. I always do several pounds and then freeze it. When I want to eat some I fry it in a pan. I think my grill has a 160 degree minimum. Will this cook the sausage @ this temp?

 

[indaswamp]

You are using cure #1 correct??

Yes. 160* will work. As long as you keep the temp. below 175*~180* so as not to get fat out.

 

[indaswamp]

Cook to INT of 152* for about 5 minutes, but I hold for longer just for insurance....20 minutes or so....

 

[chopsaw]

Cook to INT of 152* for about 5 minutes, but I hold for longer just for insurance....20 minutes or so....

He's saying he does not want to cook , just smoke .

 

[indaswamp]

He's saying he does not want to cook , just smoke .

"In my home made smoker the temp does not get high enough to cook the sausage & this is what I want to achieve with the pellet grill."

I read that he wants to cook them but his home made smoker does not get to temp., so he wants to use the pellet grill.

 

[buckbros]

I use sausage from the butcher shop. I don't know about the cure. I fry the sausage in a pan to an internal temperature of at least 170 degrees before I eat it.

 

[indaswamp]

I use sausage from the butcher shop. I don't know about the cure. I fry the sausage in a pan to an internal temperature of at least 170 degrees before I eat it.

The reason for the cure is to prevent botulism toxin, which you will only get once because it is fatal. If ground meat (sausages) is to be cooking in the danger zone of 40-140* for longer than 4 hours, then you must use a cure. If you are just getting some smoke on the links, and leave then in the smokehouse less than 4 hours and fry immediately, you will be fine.

 

[indaswamp]

Also, if there is no cure, and you want to cook the links in the smokehouse, they need to be hot smoked @225*+ to get them through the danger zone before the 4 hour time clock is up.

 

[buckbros]

The reason for the cure is to prevent botulism toxin, which you will only get once because it is fatal. If ground meat (sausages) is to be cooking in the danger zone of 40-140* for longer than 4 hours, then you must use a cure. If you are just getting some smoke on the links, and leave then in the smokehouse less than 4 hours and fry immediately, you will be fine.

I understand about the botulism. I never have cold smoked past 2 hours at the most. I then vacuum bag & freeze. When I want a link, I fry them in a pan until the internal temp is 170. Is this unsafe? Also if I went past the 4 hour mark, which I have never done, would frying in the pan to 170º make it safe to eat or would you to cook at a higher temp.

 

[indaswamp]

I understand about the botulism. I never have cold smoked past 2 hours at the most. I then vacuum bag & freeze. When I want a link, I fry them in a pan until the internal temp is 170. Is this unsafe? Also if I went past the 4 hour mark, which I have never done, would frying in the pan to 170º make it safe to eat or would you to cook at a higher temp.

As far as being 'safe', well I am not the one to ask. Dave or Chef jj can answer your question better than I.
I do not know if it is safe since you are not getting past the 140* to kill off pathogens to a log5 or log7 range. You are effectively growing and incubating the pathogens, then freezing where some will lay dormant. Then when you thaw, they reactivate and continue growing until final cooking temp. rises high enough to kill them.

 

[buckbros]

As far as being 'safe', well I am not the one to ask. Dave or Chef jj can answer your question better than I.
I do not know if it is safe since you are not getting past the 140* to kill off pathogens to a log5 or log7 range. You are effectively growing and incubating the pathogens, then freezing where some will lay dormant. Then when you thaw, they reactivate and continue growing until final cooking temp. rises high enough to kill them.

Thank you for your replies. I am not saying it is safe but I have doing sausage like this for many years and maybe I'm lucky. I have been seeing a lot about botulism & thought I'd ask some questions. I now have several pounds in the freezer & it is making me think.