Ice bath question

[SmokinHot77]

Straight smoke at 175 IT at 153..taking off at 154. How long to bathe in ice water or what IT before hanging?

 

[SmokinAl]

10-15 minutes is good, you just want to stop the cooking. My question is why did you smoke them at 175 the whole time. I would think you would get the fat moving to the outside of the casing (fat out). Most start at 120 & ramp up 10 degrees every hour or so until they get to 170-180 and an IT of 152, then ice bath. What kind of sausage did you smoke? I’m assuming it’s cured, not fresh sausage.
Al

 

[SmokinHot77]

10-15 minutes is good, you just want to stop the cooking. My question is why did you smoke them at 175 the whole time. I would think you would get the fat moving to the outside of the casing (fat out). Most start at 120 & ramp up 10 degrees every hour or so until they get to 170-180 and an IT of 152, then ice bath. What kind of sausage did you smoke? I’m assuming it’s cured, not fresh sausage.
Al

This was the way I was taught and it is awesome! The fat stays within the casing and the texture is great with a loud snap when i break a link in half. This was 1st time using ice bath and my sausage didn't wrinkle!! Hung in cool pantry for 1 hour then vac sealed.

 

[pc farmer]

I also ramp the temps up. 175 should be fat out. But I never iced bathed. I pull at 150 and the temp will carry over. Ice bath will stop the wrinkle

 

[SmokinEdge]

I don’t ice the bath. Just cold water. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes. This does help stop the wrinkle. To really help the casing texture, the SV finish is my favorite.

 

[Steve H]

I ice bath until they drop to 100 degrees.

 

[thirdeye]

I don’t ice the bath. Just cold water. Soak for 20 to 30 minutes. This does help stop the wrinkle. To really help the casing texture, the SV finish is my favorite.

Not to hijack this SmokinHot77 thread, but would you describe your smoker pit temp, smoke time, and SV temp and timeline? It finally dawned on me that my vintage Big Chief combined with a SV finish is something to play around with.

 

[SmokinHot77]

Not to hijack this SmokinHot77 thread, but would you describe your smoker pit temp, smoke time, and SV temp and timeline? It finally dawned on me that my vintage Big Chief combined with a SV finish is something to play around with.

I am not familiar with SV method. I've seen many posts about it, can you give me some info so I can learn?

 

[thirdeye]

I am not familiar with SV method. I've seen many posts about it, can you give me some info so I can learn?

SV is an acronym for sous vide, a very precise hot water bath (that circulates) and can cook and/or pasteurize food in freezer bags or vacuum bags (the little balls stop evaporation). But, sausage makers can finish their smoked sausage in the water bath without bags if they choose. The older hot water bath involved a roaster, but the temps were harder to control, and the water did not circulate.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Not to hijack this SmokinHot77 thread, but would you describe your smoker pit temp, smoke time, and SV temp and timeline? It finally dawned on me that my vintage Big Chief combined with a SV finish is something to play around with.

All really depends on the season and ambient temps, winter being easier than summer in my smokehouse. I generally start at 120F with smoke then gradually let it climb to no more than 140F, in winter I can get 4-5 hours of smoke but summer it’s usually a fight over 2 hours just because the temp wants to climb and it’s hard for me to control while smoldering wood chunks in the CI pan. The shorter time works but obviously less smoke and lower IT.

In the winter (colder weather) my sausage IT will get into the 120’s by the time I pull them to go into the SV. I run my water at 151F and time for 30-40mm casings is generally under 1 hour, closer to 45 min. If it’s warm out and my smoke time is short the IT is about 15* less and SV time is about 1 hour. Then I go into a cold water soak for at least 30 min. Then hang to dry and bloom.

Some are having good luck in SV of 140-145F and holding for pasteurization time, I’ve not tried it but I probably will with my next batch.

 

[thirdeye]

All really depends on the season and ambient temps, winter being easier than summer in my smokehouse. I generally start at 120F with smoke then gradually let it climb to no more than 140F, in winter I can get 4-5 hours of smoke but summer it’s usually a fight over 2 hours just because the temp wants to climb and it’s hard for me to control while smoldering wood chunks in the CI pan. The shorter time works but obviously less smoke and lower IT.

Thanks for the follow-up. So it sounds like the SV picks up the slack based on the outside temp and smoker temp on any particular day. In my case, the Big Chief has an infinite temperature control based on the amount of dimensional lumber I have on hand, and if I'm in the shade. A 120° to 140° range is doable. And the internal rack is perfect for stuffing and hanging rings instead of links.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks for the follow-up. So it sounds like the SV picks up the slack based on the outside temp and smoker temp on any particular day. In my case, the Big Chief has an infinite temperature control based on the amount of dimensional lumber I have on hand, and if I'm in the shade. A 120° to 140° range is doable. And the internal rack is perfect for stuffing and hanging rings instead of links.
View attachment 662864

I hope you give this a try. I see only positive final results. It really helps the texture and snap of the casing, which for me was huge because our humidity here is so low that if I smoked sausages to long, the casing would leather and be very chewy. This SV process really helps with conditioning the casing during the process. I’ll be anxious to see what you think.