curing before/after stuffing

[mitchk]

HI all,

Well after a couple months or research I'm ready to start smoking.  I spent hours on here researching and picked up a MES40, Cabelas 3/4 grinder and after some input from all of you, I called Todd and picked up one of his AMAZN 5x8.  I cleaned everything and ran the smoker for 5 hours playing with the AMAZN smoker and feel like I got it all down.

 Thanksgiving morning I'm going to be grinding 15 lbs of antelope with 5 lbs of beef.   I'll be making jalapeno cheddar summer sausage in 2 1/2 x 20 logs.  I'll be using this recipe  http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1272555      but with the exception of I'll be using DQ pink curing salt.  

My question is, after I mix everything, should I let it sit for 24-48 hours in the fridge before stuffing or after stuffing.  Time wise, I would prefer to stuff it and then let it sit.  

Also,  I've seen on here that people will smoke at a lower temp and then switch to a higher temp for the last half of the smoke, shooting for a internal in the mid 160 range. Can anyone chime in on a recommended smoke temp for this first batch? 

I'll take pictures as I go through this trial run so when I screw it up you guys can chime in and see where I went wrong (haha).  

Mitch

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Nothing wrong with stuffing it and letting it sit in the fridge.
For best results, gradually increase the temp while smoking.
An a internal in the mid 160 range is too high IMHO, I, personally, wouldn't exceed 152.

~Martin

 

[mitchk]

Thanks Martin,

I was looking around and it seems like most people start around 150 and increase it up to 180 till it gets to the desired temp.   

 

[diggingdogfarm]

I start at about 100 and very slowly increase the temp to about 165-170.


~Martin

 

[mitchk]

How long do you cook a 100 before you increase to 165?  I was wondering if people are waiting for a certain internal temp before they increase to the higher temp or do you just use a set time?

 

[diggingdogfarm]

After they're dry on the outside, I slowly begin raising the smoker temp.


~Martin