Plan for smoking/cooking with new setup - MES 35 and A-Maze-N

[bison123]

Hi all - newbie here who has been buying stuff perhaps faster than he's been thinking about how to use it. I've made one batch of sausage using a KitchenAid attachment and my pellet smoker - they turned out great and it got me hooked but I realized that I need a better setup. I bought a LEM #12, a 7 lb stuffer, and yesterday bought a new MES 35 off CL cheap. I also have a A-Maze-N tube on the way. What is the best way to use this setup to smoke and cook sausages? I plan on using cure for the foreseeable future and would prefer not to do the "mailbox mod" for now.

Specifically questions are how to best do the cooking process as I've heard it's best to dry the sausage at low temp without smoke first. So some heat, then use the AMN for a couple hours then turn up the heat gradually to get to the 150 degree internal temp?

Also the MES has several racks but no way to hang sausages. Should I jury rig something to be able to hang?

thx

 

[Lorenzoid]

Does MES not sell smokesticks for hanging sausages as an accessory? I’m looking at acquiring an MES myself and, like you, would need smokesticks.

 

[DanMcG]

1/2" wood dowels work fine

 

[bison123]

1/2" wood dowels work fine

Having just looked at the smoker again, my idea is to run four screws into the cabinet (two from each side) so that they protrude 1/2" or so, basically making another rack support. Then I'll either just use one of the racks that came with it and fashion some hooks to hang from it, or I'll make a shelf with 1/2 dowels that I can slide in when it's loaded with sausages.

 

[Lonzinomaker]

I just used 1/2 oak dowels cut to length. And then some stainless steel "S" hooks I found in hardware store. If you want to raise the dowels, you can get some aluminum angle or flat stock at Home Depot, cut it to length and drill a hole in it to put a screw in the ends of the dowel.