First time making brats

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

rsrobins

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2013
10
11
What did I do wrong for my brats to vary so much in color? Should I have dried them longer before putting smoke to them? The ones on the outer edges got good color but the ones in the middle didn't. I rotated racks a couple times in the process.
 
 
What was your process?
  This^^^^^  
110.gif
 
Yah,sorry. Well I loaded up smoker and ran it at about 90 degrees for an hour. Then I added smoke and turned it up to 130 degrees for an hour then bumped it up to 150 degrees for about two hours. Then bumped it up to 170 for about an hour then brought temp up slowly to 180 degrees till I reached internal temp of 156 degrees. Then I pulled them and ice bathed them. I noticed when I swapped racks for the first time that some of the brats were sweating or had condensation on them when the temp was in the 130 ish range. This is my first time smoking sausage of any kind. Was hoping for a more appealing look but they taste good anyway. I did have a water pan after I started the smoke. Is that something I should avoid?
 
Last edited:
It looks like some are touching each other. You need about an inch of space on all sides of each link to assure even smoke absorption. Plus loading the racks that full will inhibit circulation, another cause of uneven color.
 
HI...yeah, I'd ditch the water pan.....steam is counterproductive to smoke adhering to the sausages. Most here will make a heat sink of sorts out of the pan by filling with play sand. I'd also venture a suggestion that there were just to many sausages in there and it looks like many are touching each other...another thing to avoid. If possible, next time hang them off bars and use spacers to keep them apart. A spacer can just be a small piece of cardboard to keep them apart. I've also in the past hung the links in my kitchen and had a fan on them for an hour to dry, then again in the smoker for an hour with no smoke to help dry more. Usually, I also leave them in the fridge overnight uncovered on a clean towel to help dry them out. I might also suggest 4-5 hours of smoke then immerse into a barely simmering water bath to poach to fully cooked. I've had good success with that method......HTH, Willie
 
Kind of looks like you weren't putting out much smoke there. Maybe that was part of the problem. Did you use cure? Cure adds a little color, plus a measure of safety. In fact, if you didn't use cure you probably should toss it all. Did you make sure that smoker has good air flow? Can you post a pic of the build? Ok I saw your build thread. Maybe you need more air circulation?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the advise everybody. I'll take all I can get. I made 30 pounds that batch. I agree they were very crowded. They were only touching where they join together at the bends but definitely overloaded. I need to try hanging a batch next time and maybe make half of what I did this time. I think o will ditch the water pan also. Can you put just any kind of sand as a heat sink or does it have to be something special? Thanks a g ain, rookie Rich:-)
 
Oh good. I bet they tasted good anyway right? I just had to ask as all the Bratwurst I have made was fresh uncured. Might have to try that mix if you thought it was good.
 
Last edited:
Oh good. I bet they tasted good anyway right? I just had to ask as all the Bratwurst I have made was fresh uncured. Might have to try that mix if you thought it was good.
They taste pretty good but I dont think I'd get that particular one again. I think I should have got the german flavor. I might try that next. I think I'm going to try some summer sausage next though.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky