Hi, I'm Al from Sunland, CA, nestled in the Foothills of north-eastern L.A. County. I've been reading the newsletter for quite a while now, but just joined this forum.
I've been smoking off and on for a couple of years, having smoked plenty of brisket, pork shoulder, chicken and so forth. I've done sausages with mixed results. The first time (pork) I got confused and smoked them to 190-degrees internal temp. Needless to say they were dry, dry, dry. They still tasted O.K., so I used a lot of them in gumbo and soups. The second batch (chicken) was smoked properly, but I didn't use any cure, plus they were very mild, almost to the point of tastelessness.
It's hot and dry here in the summer, but I do most of my smoking in the winter anyway, because of the work I do (entertainment industry, naturally; L.A. is kind of a company town!) I have a Perfect Flame upright smoker (a Lowes knockoff of some other brand). it's essentially a black metal box with a propane flame in the bottom, a wood box, a water tray, several places to slide in wire racks, and hooks hanging down from inside the top. It has adjustable vents in the sides and one in the top. It's not a fancy smoker, but it does the job for me, and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg!
I've been smoking off and on for a couple of years, having smoked plenty of brisket, pork shoulder, chicken and so forth. I've done sausages with mixed results. The first time (pork) I got confused and smoked them to 190-degrees internal temp. Needless to say they were dry, dry, dry. They still tasted O.K., so I used a lot of them in gumbo and soups. The second batch (chicken) was smoked properly, but I didn't use any cure, plus they were very mild, almost to the point of tastelessness.
It's hot and dry here in the summer, but I do most of my smoking in the winter anyway, because of the work I do (entertainment industry, naturally; L.A. is kind of a company town!) I have a Perfect Flame upright smoker (a Lowes knockoff of some other brand). it's essentially a black metal box with a propane flame in the bottom, a wood box, a water tray, several places to slide in wire racks, and hooks hanging down from inside the top. It has adjustable vents in the sides and one in the top. It's not a fancy smoker, but it does the job for me, and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg!
