Cooking Sausage

[SJCurrence]

Hello gents,

I have some pork and crawfish sausage and I want to cook it up in my smoker.

I was thinking of getting up to a good internal temp, about 165, then finishing it on a grill to get the casing crispy.

This will be my first time doing it so I wanted to ask the experts if that sounds about right.

Thanks much.

 

[Steve H]

I would smoke to around 140. Then finish on grill. Are these fresh or cured?

 

[SmokinEdge]

I was thinking of getting up to a good internal temp, about 165, then finishing it on a grill to get the casing crispy.

Personally I would not IT any higher than 152F. Once you approach 160F the sausage will “fat out” if left in that temp range very long you will have a dry crumbly sausage.

 

[Steve H]

Personally I would not IT any higher than 152F.

That too.

 

[SJCurrence]

Personally I would not IT any higher than 152F. Once you approach 160F the sausage will “fat out” if left in that temp range very long you will have a dry crumbly sausage.

Thanks much. 152 it is!

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks much. 152 it is!

How do you plan to bring them up to temp? Poaching? SV?

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks much. 152 it is!

You never said if you used cure 1 or not . 165 is the safe internal temp for ground meat and ground meat mixtures .

 

[SJCurrence]

I would smoke to around 140. Then finish on grill. Are these fresh or cured?

They were brought frozen from Louisiana.

 

[SJCurrence]

How do you plan to bring them up to temp? Poaching? SV?

Smoker. SV?

 

[SJCurrence]

You never said if you used cure 1 or not . 165 is the safe internal temp for ground meat and ground meat mixtures .

Was thinking 152 in the smoker then a bit of time on the grill to crisp up the casing.

 

[thirdeye]

It's the crawfish that could take the hit if you get the internal up too high. I'm going to suggest another approach.... How about putting the sausage in your smoker until it's in the mid-150°'s then instead of a grilled finish, how about using an cast iron skillet finish (with a little oil)?

 

[chopsaw]

It's the crawfish that could take the hit if you get the internal up too high.

That's a part of it I didn't know about , but was thinking along those lines .
If he didn't use cure , I think I would poach it then use the pan finish like you say .
I did uncured Bockwurst at 176 degrees for 30 minutes . It was perfect .

 

[SmokinEdge]

There is no food safety concerns finishing at IT of 152F it’s in the Baldwin charts for pasteurization.

I have been smoking my cured sausage as long as I like with a smoker temp no higher than 150F I don’t even care what the IT of the sausage is, just the color and time. Then I finish in SV naked at 152F until internal temp is same. No reason to cremate the sausage. I’ve tried SV temps in the 170’s and had fat out. This is a bit of a delicate dance, but can easily be done successfully.

 

[thirdeye]

I have been smoking my cured sausage as long as I like with a smoker temp no higher than 150F I don’t even care what the IT of the sausage is, just the color and time. Then I finish in SV naked at 152F until internal temp is same.

Yes, this method works great. What is the skin like? Or do you give sausages a light grill following SV?

 

[SJCurrence]

You never said if you used cure 1 or not . 165 is the safe internal temp for ground meat and ground meat mixtures .

Not cured

 

[SmokinEdge]

Yes, this method works great. What is the skin like? Or do you give sausages a light grill following SV?

The skin is why I started finishing this way. It is bite through and excellent. No other process gives this kind of texture to the casing that I have tried. I swerved into this method because the Pol’s always poach to finish. I found that method difficult to manage fat out, but the casing texture was what I was looking for. So I went SV where I could control exactly the water temp. I finish at 152F then cool in water, no ice. The finished product is top shelf, even excellent. The hot water on the casing is a game changer and doesn’t effect the smoke flavor much, although it does some but the benefits out weigh the negative.

 

[DougE]

I have been smoking my cured sausage as long as I like with a smoker temp no higher than 150F I don’t even care what the IT of the sausage is, just the color and time. Then I finish in SV naked at 152F until internal temp is same.

What SE said. I smoke my sausages on a pellet grill @160* until I get the color I want, than finish in SV to 152*. The last batch of jalapeno cheddar sausages I did, I decided to let them ride on the pellet grill all the way to 152* while I mowed the yard, and it was a mistake to do it. Even though I was monitoring temps via my phone the whole time, I ended up with a lot of fat out, and basically ruined a 3kg batch of sausages. They will still get used, but the quality is pretty poor. The batch before this one, I smoked long enough to get the color I wanted and finished in SV, and they were some of the best sausages I have ever eaten.

 

[SJCurrence]

I would smoke to around 140. Then finish on grill. Are these fresh or cured?

Fresh

 

[SJCurrence]

That's a part of it I didn't know about , but was thinking along those lines .
If he didn't use cure , I think I would poach it then use the pan finish like you say .
I did uncured Bockwurst at 176 degrees for 30 minutes . It was perfect .

It is similar to bratwurst

 

[chopsaw]

Was thinking 152 in the smoker then a bit of time on the grill to crisp up the casing.

I would smoke for color , then bring it to finished temp on the grill if that's what you're thinking . Don't worry about what temp it is coming out of the smoker , get to the color you like . Several ways to do it , and I have no idea what you're working with for equipment . So I'm giving you basic info if you're just starting out .
For hog casing sized sausage , I smoke to color ( I don't temp ) then I poach in 176 degree water for 30 minutes for 35 mm casings . I have also used the SV'd , but like the results of the poaching at higher temp for a short time better .