First sausage on the new Offset

[HushyQ]

Hey all, I guess my kids got tired of me complaining about the lack of smoke flavor using the Treager, lol. For Christmas they got me a new offset. Char Griller XD series. I've only ever gotten the really cheap offsets in the past and was surprised by how thick and heavy this guy is. Broke it in with a Prime Rib and definitely got the smoke flavor I'd been craving since my last one rusted out several years ago and I replaced with the Treager. Thought I'd try to see if it would up my sausage game so I made a 10lb batch of Slovenian Sausage. I had been using the Treager and smoke tubes with good success but just not the smoke flavor I craved. It's been super cold here in Ohio so I figured it would be pretty easy to keep a low temp and get a good 4 hours of smoke on these babies. The Review??? Very easy to keep my temp between 150 and 175 with it being so cold. Waaaay better smoke flavor than the smoke tubes on the Treager. Ability to hang the sausages with some small S hooks off the top rack which helps to avoid the ugly black grill marks. Just have to wear long sleeves when moving the links around and taking them off to avoid the ugly grill marks on my arm, LOL.
Finished them off on racks in the oven to 150 then gave em a cold bath and a 3 hour dry. Really happy with the smoke flavor and taste. So damn happy to have an offset back in the arsenal. Thanks kids! Best gift ever!!!!

 

[bmudd14474]

Those look beautiful. Great job

 

[Redicans]

Nice those look Awesome! I have the XD also. I love it, great smoker!

 

[chopsaw]

Nice work on that .

 

[SmokyMose]

VERY nice! You're a better fire manager than I because there's no way I could keep that low a temp in my offset!
Using wood, charcoal or a mix?
What's with the cement block on the firebox?

 

[HushyQ]

It was single digits so pretty easy to keep the temp low. The lid on the firebox isnt heavy enough to seal tight. The block just helps the seal. mix of charcoal, Hickory and Post Oak chunks.

 

[indaswamp]

Great color on those sausages...bet all that white stuff on the ground helped to keep the temps. down too!

 

[SmokyMose]

It was single digits so pretty easy to keep the temp low. The lid on the firebox isnt heavy enough to seal tight. The block just helps the seal. mix of charcoal, Hickory and Post Oak chunks.

Thank you! I've always started with charcoal and used wood from there.
I think I just learned something.
I figured that was what the block was for but I had to ask.....

 

[jcam222]

Man those are gorgeous sausages!! Color is phenomenal and the cut shot is mouthwatering.

 

[HushyQ]

Thanks all. They were really good and juicy. Dried them a little longer than usual and did closer to 30% fat this time.

 

[Fueling Around]

Outstanding.
Congrats on the feature

 

[indaswamp]

did closer to 30% fat this time.

I was gonna ask how much fat you used in the links. It looked higher than a 20-25% mix. I personally like a fattier sausage.

 

[Timber II]

Looks great!

 

[mr_whipple]

Killer looking sausages! Not familiar with Slovenian but I'm sure its awesome. Left Michigan winters behind in '87 and can't say I miss them....

 

[HushyQ]

VERY nice! You're a better fire manager than I because there's no way I could keep that low a temp in my offset!
Using wood, charcoal or a mix?
What's with the cement block on the firebox?

Great color on those sausages...bet all that white stuff on the ground helped to keep the temps. down too!

I was gonna ask how much fat you used in the links. It looked higher than a 20-25% mix. I personally like a fattier sausage.

Couldn't remember how to quote. Looks like I still don't, lol.
started with 3/4 chimney and post oak and hickory chunks. Went through a lot of chunks in this cold.
Yes, the white stuff sure helps. I have found this is the best time to make sausage for me.
This was the first time I did a batch with 30% fat. Had some great hard pork fat from my butcher and used some of the side hump fat from my brisket. I think I'll start leaning fatty myself indaswamp. So juicy. They stay so juicy even after re-heating in a hot oven. Did a bone in pork loin set over some sauerkraut at 400 degrees. laid 4 of these sausages on the kraut and took em out after 30 min. The casings crisped up nicely and you had to be careful if someone was too close when you bit into them. Was like a hot juice gun, lol.

 

[HushyQ]

Killer looking sausages! Not familiar with Slovenian but I'm sure its awesome. Left Michigan winters behind in '87 and can't say I miss them....

Thanks all for the kind words. I call them Slovenian when I link them and Polish when I rope them. I also refer to both as Kielbasa although that may not be technically true. Oh well, basically garlic and pepper. All the old-time butcher shops around here in NE Ohio had both Slovenian and Polish sausage and the taste was very similar to me. I suspect Marjoram in the Polish. I haven't strayed too much as it has taken me a half dozen attempts to get these to my taste. The only change I made to one batch was adding nutmeg and caraway as suggested by @SmokinEdge. Stuffed those in sheep casings and dried them out a bunch to make smokies. Really good. I think he called them Kobanasy.

 

[DEERMAKER]

Hey all, I guess my kids got tired of me complaining about the lack of smoke flavor using the Treager, lol. For Christmas they got me a new offset. Char Griller XD series. I've only ever gotten the really cheap offsets in the past and was surprised by how thick and heavy this guy is. Broke it in with a Prime Rib and definitely got the smoke flavor I'd been craving since my last one rusted out several years ago and I replaced with the Treager. Thought I'd try to see if it would up my sausage game so I made a 10lb batch of Slovenian Sausage. I had been using the Treager and smoke tubes with good success but just not the smoke flavor I craved. It's been super cold here in Ohio so I figured it would be pretty easy to keep a low temp and get a good 4 hours of smoke on these babies. The Review??? Very easy to keep my temp between 150 and 175 with it being so cold. Waaaay better smoke flavor than the smoke tubes on the Treager. Ability to hang the sausages with some small S hooks off the top rack which helps to avoid the ugly black grill marks. Just have to wear long sleeves when moving the links around and taking them off to avoid the ugly grill marks on my arm, LOL.
Finished them off on racks in the oven to 150 then gave em a cold bath and a 3 hour dry. Really happy with the smoke flavor and taste. So damn happy to have an offset back in the arsenal. Thanks kids! Best gift ever!!!!View attachment 731441View attachment 731442View attachment 731444View attachment 731443View attachment 731445

Fantastic!!

 

[in. pred]

looks great man! some mustard n relish on about three of those. lol

i prefer wood to pellets also. tried but i just couldnt get the deep flavor of real wood. i up graded my really old rusted out char-griller very late last fall. i settled for the model just under yours. was too cold to do much besides ice fishing so hasnt been used much after seasoning it. i smoked a couple ribbs and deer roasts in the firebox itself before the super cold set in. i didnt need the space and didnt want to burn up huge amount of wood for the small smokes. the fire box is a great grill/smoker for the small stuff itself!!!!
as for winters with an offset. i was thinking about a welders blanket to make a jacket for the smoke chamber. i dont mind the cold but im sure the big smoke chamber would scoff at 10* lol i am also going to make a divider for smoke chamber. i dont need 4 foot of grate and chamber to do most of my smoking after all. and again it would cut down on the fuel use. i like it so far though.

 

[Jim_C]

Great looking sausage! Hotdog bun and some mustard, a few chips............

 

[DRKsmoking]

Nice, I could sit for a few of those.

David