Natural casing smoke penetration

[kielbasa king]

Hello,

I have been making fresh kielbasa for years using pork and beef mix and stuffing into fresh pork casing.  It is a 5th generation reciepe that was brought from poland.  My question relates to the smoking of this sausage.  Traditionally it has always been made and sold as fresh and then baked.  I am the first to try smoking and the flavor is awesome.  The issue I have is that the meat is red around the outer edges but brown in middle.  Seems like a smoke penetration issue.  I use a smallish propane smoker and hickory wood.  Smoke for about 3 hours at 200 degrees.  Any suggestions on getting the smoke to the middle or if that is not even the probelm???

 

[venture]

Smoke will penetrate the natural casing with no problem.  Witness the red "smoke ring" you are observing.

Part of it is how much smoke flavor you want.

Also, color is not a good indicator of smoke.  Are you using cure?  The cure would give a red or pink color, but be little indication of smoke.

I would go for the flavor you want.  The smoke ring is for the TV chefs.  Meat can be well smoked with or without the famous "smoke ring".

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[jp61]

A sausage making rookie's opinion.... you're probably smoking at too high of a temperature and if your goal is a pink color throughout the sausage you could use the proper amount of cure#1 for the recipe.

 

[kielbasa king]

Thanks for your reply.  I do not use cure.  the color is brown throughout when baked.  I assume the red ring i am seeing when smoked is the smoke ring.  I have not seen this type of ring in commercially bought sausage.  Of course I havent tasted as good a flavor in commercially bought sausage either. 

 

[diggingdogfarm]

Any suggestions on getting the smoke to the middle???

Use cure and cold smoke.

The traditional recipe for kielbasa biala (fresh kielbasa) and kielbasa wedzona (smoked kielbasa) are pretty much the same, except for the addition of the cure and the smoking.


~Martin

 

[rexlan]

I don't think the smoke creates a "smoke ring"

Also, IMHO, you are cooking/smoking at much too high of a temperature and your sausage is "well done" = brown.  If you are eating it right then it is fine.  If you are going to eat it later ... it is still well done and now has to be heated.

Here is the scoop on the smoke ring:

"From the fire: NOx Emissions - these come from high temperature combustion (2O2 + N2 --> 2NO2; 2NO2 --> 2NO + O2).  The NOx gases dissolve in the moist meat surfaces, forming nitric (HNO2) and nitrous (HNO3) acids that leach into the meat (3-8 mm, typically) and react with myoglobin.  Wood, charcoal, natural gas, and propane combustion all produce NO2, so a smoke ring can be made by most ovens.  Having no combustion, electric cookers won't make a ring by themselves."

 

 

[coffee_junkie]

I smoke store bought kielbasa all the time. The ring around the outside is described as a smoke ring, scientifically it has something to do with the smoke reacting with the meat and making nitric acids, not a chemist and don't fully understand.

For my money I don't think you would want the smoke to penetrate to the absolute center of the sausage. If your experience is "awesome" then I think what you are doing is good. You are baisaccly just baking the sausage in your smoker instead of your oven, thus adding a smoke flavor yum! I don't think you have an issue at all, unless you are looking for more smoke flavor. If that is the case try smoking for longer, but you must pass through 40-140 degrees in 4 hours or less if you are smoking an uncured item. Also try using different smoking woods, maybe your are looking for a stronger flavor? Check out the WIKI on smoking woods and experiment a little. I would also suggest trying different variations of water/no water/flavored water in your smoker. If you don't use water you have to use play sand in its place to keep the smoker temps down. Let me know if you have any questions.

Smoke on bro