Mis-colored Kielbasa

[Jshefts]

I have been smoking for years, no pro by any means, but have had lots of smokers over the years and enjoy. I even have my own line of sauces, jaymos.com, which are in Kroger, HyVee and other retail outlets - soon going into Food Service. Say this just to say I cook a lot - but cant figure this one out ....

I have an opportunity for assistance: I have a newer MB smoker and have been attempting to take my Polish sausage recipe, add Cure #1, and make kielbasa. Flavor is there, may have an issue with salt after I add the cure.. but overall fine .. prob is that that half of the sausage, 1 side, is a nice smoke color, other side is pale in color. Have tried to rotate the hung up sausage rings ( I tie the ends and hook them to a grate above and let them hang ).

For Process I am doing the below:

1) Make sausage and add cure
2) stuff in natural casings
3) hang in downstairs refrig overnight
4) Allow sausage to hang in smoker, not turned on yet, to get towards room temp
5) warm up smoker, sausage is in the smoker still, to 130 degrees
6) after it gets to 130 i let it smoke for 1 hr raising the temp every hr by 20 degrees for 4 hrs
7) put sausage in pot on stove in hot 165 degrees water and let sausage sit in there for 1/2 hour
8) put sausage in cold water for 20 minutes to stop the cooking process

I have tried to rotate the sausage links in the smoker say after the 150 hour and before the 170 hour - no avail.

Gotta be something simple that I am missing ....

Jaymo

 

[sawhorseray]

Are you making sure the sauages aren't touching up against each other when they're in the smoker hanging. Even the sausage that has a darker color looks like it could use more smoke. What kind of wood are you smoking with? RAY

 

[Jshefts]

Are you making sure the sauages aren't touching up against each other when they're in the smoker hanging. Even the sausage that has a darker color looks like it could use more smoke. What kind of wood are you smoking with? RAY

They are not touching no - sure of that.
I typically use a fruit wood like pecan or apple ....

 

[Jshefts]

Here is a picture of 2 smokes ago - sausages are close but not touching ( but who knows what happens behind closed doors right )

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Dont look like your smoker is staying at temps. If the sausage was touching with the woods you are using you would have light spots and heavier smoke coloration around the spots touching.

Pre heat your smoker to 130 before you add the sausage. Even room temp sausage will make the mes struggle to get to the 130 temp.

 

[sawhorseray]

I don't much smoke sausage anymore, just like the fresh I make more. I used to smoke sausage quite a bit and when I did I'd hang my sausage for a couple of hours @ 100º, vents wide open, no smoke. Then I'd close the vents to about 1/3 open, raise the smoker temp to 110º and put on a pan of wood chips, usually apple. I'd raise the smoker temp 2-3 degrees every 10-15 minutes until it hit 165 and the IT of my sausage reached 150, then a ice water bath. I'm not sure what you are doing, but that's what always worked pretty well for me. RAY

 

[Jshefts]

Dont look like your smoker is staying at temps. If the sausage was touching with the woods you are using you would have light spots and heavier smoke coloration around the spots touching.

Pre heat your smoker to 130 before you add the sausage. Even room temp sausage will make the mes struggle to get to the 130 temp.

I did it both ways -- brought them up to temp in the smoker ( trying to dry the skin out more so they are smoke ready - had read that ) and then put them in after 130 was reached -- same results

1/2 the link has some color and 1/2 is paler .... have tried diff combos - even rotated

If the smoker isnt staying at temps - and it always seems like it is digitally anyway from its own thermostat - why would 1/2 the sausage be "ok" and the reverse side not so much ...

I am thinking it is the smoker in general - maybe just this unit. combo perhaps of inconsistent heat along with non uniform smoke throughout chamber ---- lord knows

 

[thirdeye]

Okay.... you have dry sausage rings in the smoker, and the 130° setting is a good starting point but you then ramp up 20° per hour for 4 hours, so 130° + 80° = 210°. I think this is too hot and you risk breaking the fat and protein, but this is not going to solve your color issue, which from the photos looks pale to begin with. So, bear with me as I'm putting my thinking cap on:

What type of wood, and what form of wood are you using? How much wood is used over the full smoking cycle?

What kind of casings, hog or lamb.... and are they packed in salt, or liquid? How do you prepare your casings?

What temp is the sausage when you are ready to move from the smoker to the hot water bath? (The finish temp is 152° for cured and smoked sausage, I use 155° for safety).

What temp is the sausage after coming out of the hot water bath?

Are you blooming, and for how long?

 

[Jshefts]

Okay.... you have dry sausage rings in the smoker, and the 130° setting is a good starting point but you then ramp up 20° per hour for 4 hours, so 130° + 80° = 210°. I think this is too hot and you risk breaking the fat and protein, but this is not going to solve your color issue, which from the photos looks pale to begin with. So, bear with me as I'm putting my thinking cap on:

What type of wood, and what form of wood are you using? How much wood is used over the full smoking cycle?

What kind of casings, hog or lamb.... and are they packed in salt, or liquid? How do you prepare your casings?

What temp is the sausage when you are ready to move from the smoker to the hot water bath? (The finish temp is 152° for cured and smoked sausage, I use 155° for safety).

What temp is the sausage after coming out of the hot water bath?

Are you blooming, and for how long?

 

[Jshefts]

ok ....

130 to 150 to 170 to 190

using pecan or apple - i like subtle wood flavor

natural hog casings

I dont check temp - just do the 4 hours and then put them in the warm bath for a half hour ( the coloring is very set when I take them off - WAY before this stage )

I dont check temp after the warm water bath - but they do seem very cooked - just not consistent

NOTE: On a guess .. I have decided, on a small 5# batch, to make sure I use a tooth pick on BOTH sides of the sausage after casing ... perhaps, just perhaps , that is the side that is not coloring and finishing ..... perhaps

 

[thirdeye]

ok ....

130 to 150 to 170 to 190

using pecan or apple - i like subtle wood flavor

natural hog casings

I dont check temp - just do the 4 hours and then put them in the warm bath for a half hour ( the coloring is very set when I take them off - WAY before this stage )

I dont check temp after the warm water bath - but they do seem very cooked - just not consistent

NOTE: On a guess .. I have decided, on a small 5# batch, to make sure I use a tooth pick on BOTH sides of the sausage after casing ... perhaps, just perhaps , that is the side that is not coloring and finishing ..... perhaps

On the temperature note, you should monitor the internal , but that is only to make sure you have not under (or over) cooked them.... but this won't have an effect on color, which you mentioned was set before the hot water bath. I'm thinking it's got to be the smoke. The form of wood (sawdust, chips, pellets or splits), the quality and the amount you are using for the 4 hours has got to give us a clue. But obviously you are okay with the flavor, so it's not a situation where you want to increase the amount of smoke because that could backfire and give you a bitter product. The top photo is pork sausage in pork casing, smoked for about 5 hours with pellets (cherry, hickory, maple) to 155°ish, showered, then bloomed for an hour. Look close, you can see a touch mark on the inside of the far-side link. The second photo are hot dogs in sheep casings, same wood as above, but I only smoked for 2 hours and I had the color I wanted, the internal was only 100° so I finished them in a 180° oven until they hit 155°, then showered and bloomed. These were both smoked in a Big Chief box smoker, the smoke generator is the hot plate style.


These next examples are pork sausage, pork casing, similar procedure as above but the wood was 100% cherry and it was splits not pellets.

 

[Jshefts]

On the temperature note, you should monitor the internal , but that is only to make sure you have not under (or over) cooked them.... but this won't have an effect on color, which you mentioned was set before the hot water bath. I'm thinking it's got to be the smoke. The form of wood (sawdust, chips, pellets or splits), the quality and the amount you are using for the 4 hours has got to give us a clue. But obviously you are okay with the flavor, so it's not a situation where you want to increase the amount of smoke because that could backfire and give you a bitter product. The top photo is pork sausage in pork casing, smoked for about 5 hours with pellets (cherry, hickory, maple) to 155°ish, showered, then bloomed for an hour. Look close, you can see a touch mark on the inside of the far-side link. The second photo are hot dogs in sheep casings, same wood as above, but I only smoked for 2 hours and I had the color I wanted, the internal was only 100° so I finished them in a 180° oven until they hit 155°, then showered and bloomed. These were both smoked in a Big Chief box smoker, the smoke generator is the hot plate style.
View attachment 446207
View attachment 446208
These next examples are pork sausage, pork casing, similar procedure as above but the wood was 100% cherry and it was splits not pellets.
View attachment 446209
View attachment 446210

 

[Jshefts]

I tried it again. Much better results this time. I am using chip wood, cherry this time. However this time, using a toothpick, put holes on both sides of the sausages ( I only did 1 side in the past to get rid of any air pockets ). I also closed to vent on top of smoker completely. Put in smoker for 5 hours, temps 130, 150, 170 ( 2 hours ) and then 180 for last hour. Internal temp was 145 so I put in a hot water bath at 165 degrees only for about 15 minutes and the internal went to 155. Put them in cold water then let them bloom ( I put them back in the now cool smoker to hang - shown in picture ).

Not sure if it was the air holes on both sides of the sausages and/or the closing of the top vent on smoker - or both - but these 2 changes made all the difference.

 

[thirdeye]

I tried it again. Much better results this time. I am using chip wood, cherry this time. However this time, using a toothpick, put holes on both sides of the sausages ( I only did 1 side in the past to get rid of any air pockets ). I also closed to vent on top of smoker completely. Put in smoker for 5 hours, temps 130, 150, 170 ( 2 hours ) and then 180 for last hour. Internal temp was 145 so I put in a hot water bath at 165 degrees only for about 15 minutes and the internal went to 155. Put them in cold water then let them bloom ( I put them back in the now cool smoker to hang - shown in picture ).

Not sure if it was the air holes on both sides of the sausages and/or the closing of the top vent on smoker - or both - but these 2 changes made all the difference.

The color on this batch looks better for sure. Let the flavor be your guide when changing around your vent settings. Some things, like cheese and butter, like no restriction at all as it's easy for them to darken or become bitter. Also watch for condensation as you experiment with vent adjustments.

Pricking sausages is a lively discussion, because the practice started when producers used more fillers and fats (say depression and when rationing was popular during both world wars) so fried links were prone to swelling and bursting. The Brits gave them the nickname "bangers". Nowadays, people that grill even high quality links at high temps still might opt to prick sausages for that same reason. That said, pricking cured sausages is performed more often because pockets of air can host of bacteria which we are all trying to avoid. I've had one of the 3-needle ones from The Sausage Maker for many years, they were $4 back then, and now are maybe $8, but the holes are very, very small.

 

[Gwanger]

when I smoke sausage the colors deepen after the bloom. and I would never smoke for 4-5 hrs unless it was an Andouile sausage that requires a deep brown color almost black but that is done by throwing brown sugar on smoke wood.a 4-5 hr smoke would be too long on a keilbasa it would taste too smoky almost inedible.

 

[DanMcG]

my guess is the casings were to wet throughout the smoke.

 

[Jshefts]

The color on this batch looks better for sure. Let the flavor be your guide when changing around your vent settings. Some things, like cheese and butter, like no restriction at all as it's easy for them to darken or become bitter. Also watch for condensation as you experiment with vent adjustments.

Pricking sausages is a lively discussion, because the practice started when producers used more fillers and fats (say depression and when rationing was popular during both world wars) so fried links were prone to swelling and bursting. The Brits gave them the nickname "bangers". Nowadays, people that grill even high quality links at high temps still might opt to prick sausages for that same reason. That said, pricking cured sausages is performed more often because pockets of air can host of bacteria which we are all trying to avoid. I've had one of the 3-needle ones from The Sausage Maker for many years, they were $4 back then, and now are maybe $8, but the holes are very, very small.

I went on the theory that the sides that I did not prick stayed pale in color do to excess moisture. I let them sit in fridge overnight to help dry the casings. My theory was that the side where I didnt prick stayed moister and therefore did not allow the smoke to adhere. Not sure if that is/was the case or not but by pricking ( I only used a toothpick ) both side of the sausages every few inches or so, on both sides, and then closing, almost completely, the air damper - well they came out perfect.

I dont think I am going to smoke for 5 hours any longer though. I think 4 ( 130 degrees, then 150, then 2 hours at 170 degrees - total 4 hours ) hours is plenty. I still had to do the hot water bath to get them to 155 internal so why leave them on the smoker if I am going to have to put them in the bath anyway. They were only in the bath for a short time before reaching 155 and then a quick cold water bath.

Then the Bloom. Boy is that ever important. "Tightened" everything up.

The above worked for me so I am going to try it again.

Jaymo

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