I showered the links with cold water until the INT fell below 100*. I pulled a link off one of the rods and set it aside to sample. The rest are blooming on two chairs.
Up close:
It was windy today, little bit of ash got airborne in the smokehouse and landed on the links. Nothing a little water won't rinse off....
LETS CUT INTO THE SUCKER!!!
Perfect bind. Nice densely packed links. Very nice snap to the casing. and JUICY, JUICY, JUICY!!! The egg whites really made the difference I think!
All that sugar and egg really help hold onto the water!
Here is a lengthwise cut...
Overall, I'll take it as a success for my first pineapple sausage. Now for the flavor profile...
The heat was a little more pronounced than I expected, probably due to the amount of sugar which enhanced the heat taste. Ginger was spot on @ 1/4 cup. Just a hint to let you know it is there. Compliments the pineapple well. The soy actually mellowed upon smoking. The Maple is very faint (or overpowered by the soy sauce). I will more than likely need real maple extract or maple sugar to kick it up on par with the lil butcher shoppe sausage. Now for the spice blend...The clove is spot on, just a hint and not over powering. The cardomom is good, not overpowering. The oregano, might could use a touch more.
Garlic is good. Paprika, might could go a little more.
Sugar-it is a sweet sausage, but could go more to match the sweetness of what the lil butcher shoppe makes.
So, changes for the next batch are:
Dial back the pepper
use maple extract or maple sugar
dial back the soy and replace with pineapple juice
little bit larger pineapple chunks (more on this later)
I'm happy. I know what direction I need to go with the next batch, but the recipe as is will make a good sausage.