Need guidance on smoking NON-cured sausages

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

So I'm fairly new to smoking and I'm completely new to making/smoking sausages. This past weekend I made 6 lbs of spicy Italian, 6 lbs of linguica, and 5 lbs of brats. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking about the 40-140 in 4 hours rule, so I only used cure # 1 on the linguica because that recipe specifically called for it.

I froze half of my links raw and was planning to smoke the rest today. I would like to smoke, drop in an ice bath, dry off and vacuum seal for the freezer. But I'm concerned about balancing safety, by hitting 140 in 4 hours, but also not rendering out the fat and ruining the sausages. And to be fair, I probably should aim for 3 hours because my kitchenaid grinder/stuffer definitely took some time, so I'd guess I already hit 40+ for a short while in the process. I have a LEM stuffer on the way after this weekend's air-filled experience.

I have two questions that I can't seem to find an exact answer for.

1. I have the links tied together in traditional fashion. Should I cut them apart now that they've dried out a bit, so that they heat through more evenly or should I hang the tied links in my smoker from hooks?
2. What is a good "minimum" temp that will get me to 140 within the right amount of time so that I can try to hit 155-ish without rendering out the fat? I was originally planning to set my smoker to 225 and just run with it. I think that'll allow me to hit my temperature mark, but now I'm concerned about dry mealy sausages.

Thanks for your help.

 

[SmokinAl]

You have fresh sausage if you didn’t use cure #1 in them. They need to be grilled or smoked at a higher temp, just like store bought brats. Keep them in the freezer until you are ready to cook them. We usually just vac pack them in portion sized batches & pull them out as needed. The sausage with cure in it should be put in the smoker at 120 degrees for an hour with no smoke to dry the casing, then add smoke & bump the temp up 10 degrees every 45 minutes to an hour, until you get to 170. Then hold it there until the IT of the sausage hits 152 degrees & then into a cold ice bath. You can hang them at room temp for a couple of hours, then into the fridge. We also freeze them in portion sizes too.
Al

 

[BGKYSmoker]

What Al said is good. Also where your sausage touch they will not get smoke (just how it is) I would stay away from the 225 of your smoker (instant fat-out)

 

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

You have fresh sausage if you didn’t use cure #1 in them. They need to be grilled or smoked at a higher temp, just like store bought brats. Keep them in the freezer until you are ready to cook them. We usually just vac pack them in portion sized batches & pull them out as needed. The sausage with cure in it should be put in the smoker at 120 degrees for an hour with no smoke to dry the casing, then add smoke & bump the temp up 10 degrees every 45 minutes to an hour, until you get to 170. Then hold it there until the IT of the sausage hits 152 degrees & then into a cold ice bath. You can hang them at room temp for a couple of hours, then into the fridge. We also freeze them in portion sizes too.
Al

Thank you. For the fresh sausages, do you have advice on the temperature I should cook with to be safe, while not also rendering out all the fat?

 

[jimmyinsd]

Thank you. For the fresh sausages, do you have advice on the temperature I should cook with to be safe, while not also rendering out all the fat?

you cant safely do that with fresh (sausages NOT containing cure) I have always done like Al stated, freeze them raw, take out what I want for the meal, and just smoked them at a higher temp when I make them. traditional sausage smoking techniques that are designed to prevent "fat out" are at to low of a cooking temp for way to long to safely get that 160 degree mark that signals safe to eat.

You can get plenty of smoke flavor while grilling them for a short period of time. I will often just throw them on the grill indirect (running hot) and put a small chunk of cherry (my preferred wood for brats) on the coals, and shut the lid for 20 minutes, they wood will burn up pretty quickly, but its all I've ever needed and they are pretty much safe to eat at that point. Ive done this with gas grills as well as charcoal and have gotten great results. of course check the temp on them before serving, and I typically turn them over and spin them end for end about half way through so they smoke up evenly.

 

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

you cant safely do that with fresh (sausages NOT containing cure) I have always done like Al stated, freeze them raw, take out what I want for the meal, and just smoked them at a higher temp when I make them. traditional sausage smoking techniques that are designed to prevent "fat out" are at to low of a cooking temp for way to long to safely get that 160 degree mark that signals safe to eat.

You can get plenty of smoke flavor while grilling them for a short period of time. I will often just throw them on the grill indirect (running hot) and put a small chunk of cherry (my preferred wood for brats) on the coals, and shut the lid for 20 minutes, they wood will burn up pretty quickly, but its all I've ever needed and they are pretty much safe to eat at that point. Ive done this with gas grills as well as charcoal and have gotten great results. of course check the temp on them before serving, and I typically turn them over and spin them end for end about half way through so they smoke up evenly.

I understand a bit better now. Thanks!

 

[SmokinAl]

You need to smoke them at 225, or grill them on a charcoal or gas grill. They will cook like a hot dog, split & let the juices run out, but they will not dry out, because they will only take 10-15 minutes on a grill & maybe 45 minutes in a 225 degree smoker. Personally we like them grilled. When they are done, split them & fill with cheddar cheese, and nuke them for 30-45 seconds in the bun. Good luck, you have plenty of them to experiment with & will come up with your own ideas. But remember the fresh sausages need to cook to an IT of at least 160-165. If your going to split them & add cheese then pull them at 160, and the microwave will get them up a few degrees while melting the cheese. The Italian sausage is also good in spaghetti & tacos, we also cube it up for an addition to chili.
Have fun!
Al

 

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

You need to smoke them at 225, or grill them on a charcoal or gas grill. They will cook like a hot dog, split & let the juices run out, but they will not dry out, because they will only take 10-15 minutes on a grill & maybe 45 minutes in a 225 degree smoker. Personally we like them grilled. When they are done, split them & fill with cheddar cheese, and nuke them for 30-45 seconds in the bun. Good luck, you have plenty of them to experiment with & will come up with your own ideas. But remember the fresh sausages need to cook to an IT of at least 160-165. If your going to split them & add cheese then pull them at 160, and the microwave will get them up a few degrees while melting the cheese. The Italian sausage is also good in spaghetti & tacos, we also cube it up for an addition to chili.
Have fun!
Al

Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse, but if I cook the fresh sausages at 225 and once I hit 165 IT, throw them in an ice bath immediately, vacuum seal, and freeze, will they reheat on a grill/griddle OK or am I setting myself up for disappointment?

 

[SmokinAl]

In my opinion yes you are, they are better cooked fresh & eaten right then. Again on a grill with a wood chunk over the charcoal or a burner..
But as said before you have plenty to experiment with, so try both methods & see what works for you. If you want to cook them ahead of time and freeze them do that with a few & see how you like them. This is a learning experience & you need to find what you & your family like. AllI can tell you is what we like.
Al

 

[chef jimmyj]

Even at 225, if you mixed very well, Emulsified the meat and fat, you will render some fat but should still be moist. If you smoke to 160 and Freeze, they should be fine, maybe not at their peak, as Al mentioned, but still tasty...JJ

 

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

I appreciate everyone's input. I don't spend a lot of time on this forum, but I always get good feedback and advice. I'll experiment a bit and post how it all turns out.

 

[TheReluctantCraftstronaut]

Just an update.

I decided to smoke some of the linguica in advance, as it was a cured sausage. I attempted to do this properly, but I accidentally bumped up the temp on my smoker's remote and ended up over-cooking the test batch, so they were tasty, but grainy and lacked all fat.

I grilled up some of the brats and Italian sasuage with great success and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the brats (not my first choice in sausage).

I think I need to change up the ingredients on the Italian and linguica for round 2, but I'm keeping the brats the same.

I still have raw sausages that I'll try and smoke on-demand for dinner in the near future.

I also broke down and bought a LEM stuffer. Using the Kitchenaid grinder was OK, but using it to stuff was not pleasant. Looking forward to making a second batch of sausage soon.