Question about smoking/cooking summer sausage in collagen casing

[kilohertz]

I'm just realizing I may have screwed up this 4 lb batch of summer sausage. I had a pound of ground pork and 3 lbs of ground beef to use up so I went trolling for easy recipes for my 3rd go at sausage making and found a nice summer sausage recipe in one of my books. I miss-read the first ingredient, beef casings, and I ended up stuffing them in 30mm collagen casing which I had. (this recipe says you can use liquid smoke and cook in the oven to 160* if you don't want to smoke house them, I compromised and put just a little LS in and am planning to lightly smoke to 160* in the MES30.

So my question is, is there a big difference between cologen casing and beef casing? I'm guessing the beef casing is the typical peel before eating type of case, whereas collagen is edible. I don't think there would be a safety issue. I also am wondering if I don't want a really smokey flavour, do I still need to step up the smoker temp by 10* every hour starting at 130* like I do for the snack sticks or is it okay to just put them in at 170* smoker temp?

The good news is the fry test was AWESOME! Best I have made, it made me think damn this is good, that's what I was looking for in my snack sticks but that will come with time.

Thanks for the help.

Cheers

 

[DougE]

Just smoke as normal. Collagen casing are smoke permeable and will work fine, but you probably will end up stripping them off. While they are edible, they tend to be tough.

 

[kilohertz]

Thanks Doug, as always, you're right there to help me along my smokin' journey, appreciate it.

I have been using collagen casing for my snack sticks as well, as that is what came with the kit, are there better alternatives?

Thanks

 

[JckDanls 07]

Everything looks great and your making improvements to the way YOU want them... I assume your writing down your measurements for repeatabilty ??

do I still need to step up the smoker temp by 10* every hour starting at 130* like I do for the snack sticks or is it okay to just put them in at 170* smoker temp?

Yes you will still need to ramp temps each hour... Start cooking at 170` and your going to have fat out (fat rendered down to oil)...

 

[DougE]

Collagen is fine for snack sticks because you want some "bite". I find natural casings best for fresh or smoked sausages and fibrous casings work for summer or similar sausages where they will be removed.

 

[kilohertz]

Cool thanks boys. I need to put together a shopping list of things I need for sausage making.

Yes, keeping notes, using an Excel speadsheet shared by tallbm as well as some in my recipe binder.

One thing I really need to improve is my link making skills, they currently suck, all different lengths, overstuffed and too tight to make links etc. I know it will come with time, it's just embarrassing posting pics of my results.

But since you asked, here are yesterdays snack sticks.

Cheers

 

[DougE]

Thanks Doug, as always, you're right there to help me along my smokin' journey, appreciate it.

What I say isn't always the only way, but I try to share what I have learned from experience and other sources I have learned from.

 

[kilohertz]

OK today it’s smoke day for the summer sausage, I may need to take some time off work to start this in time. Any idea how long it’ll take to smoke to an IT of 155° this is summer sausage in 30 mm collagen casing?

Snack sticks in my MES30 take 5 to 6 hours in 21 MM cases.

Thanks!

 

[DougE]

One thing I really need to improve is my link making skills

I have marks on the tray I use for linking. Once you have the first link made, you just go off it to keep uniform lengths.

 

[tallbm]

Cool thanks boys. I need to put together a shopping list of things I need for sausage making.

Yes, keeping notes, using an Excel speadsheet shared by tallbm as well as some in my recipe binder.

One thing I really need to improve is my link making skills, they currently suck, all different lengths, overstuffed and too tight to make links etc. I know it will come with time, it's just embarrassing posting pics of my results.

But since you asked, here are yesterdays snack sticks.

Cheers

View attachment 671347

Lookin good to me!

You will get better with linking. Watch a couple of videos and get a little practice with it and you will have it down in no time.
Also a tip on linking. It doesn't hurt to have them be a little lose so when you link them they don't pop. ALSO, when you cook them they won't bust or pop either.

In my experience, fresh links (no cure so not going to be smoked) that are somewhat squishy ALWAYS plump up and never bust when grilled.

Smoked sausage done this way may not plump up when smoked BUT when you throw it on the grill, microwave, etc. it will plump up then. Again it won't bust :)

So, it may not look pretty if they are a little loose BUT you avoid a ton of issues with linking, busting, etc. so don't be afraid to on the side of less tight than going towards tight links and stuffings :)


Finally, feel free to give 17mm-19mm Cellulose casings a try.
You peel these after you ice bath the sausage/sticks and they will pop right out. The case are an all around breeze to work with! The only quirk is that you have to tie the links with butcher twine unless you get good with a double, triple, quad link method. With those methods you will use less butcher twine but still need it to tie some links.
This will make skinless sticks but that should be no problem.

Sausage maker makes a 17mm but seems to be out of stock, you can likely get the 19mm. I LOVE cellulose casings and will never go back to lamb/sheep casings for smaller diameters because of how much of a pain it is working with those lamb/sheep casings.

 

[kilohertz]

OK no laughing at my sausages.

I left work early and just took these out of the fridge to warm up. I have 3 racks like this, they sure smell good raw, can hardly wait until they are done.

Is there a traditional smoking wood for summer sausage? I loaded up dust in the tube with some cherry and a mix of maple and a few other hardwoods I made from pellets.

Cheers

PS I'm guessing no water in the tray in the MES30?

 

[tallbm]

OK no laughing at my sausages.

I left work early and just took these out of the fridge to warm up. I have 3 racks like this, they sure smell good raw, can hardly wait until they are done.

Is there a traditional smoking wood for summer sausage? I loaded up dust in the tube with some cherry and a mix of maple and a few other hardwoods I made from pellets.

Cheers

PS I'm guessing no water in the tray in the MES30?

View attachment 671466

Those look fine to me!

As for traditional woods for summer sausage I'm not exactly sure. I kno win Texas summer sausage gets smoked with Oak a ton... but Oak is used on most stuff.

In my reading it seems the Maple is a more traditional wood for a variety of sandwich meats/sausages.

I like my sausages and my bacon with 70% Apple, 30% Hickory.

FOR ME, if I am going to go 1 "all purpose" wood for smoking, I'm in love with Maple. Again I feel like most people go with Oak (especially in TX) but for me the Maple is my preference. I'm oaked out.

Finally, I think you will do very well with cherry and maple and then some other wood(s). A can't go wrong blend is Maple/Cherry/Hickory (MCH) in equal parts. I believe most of the MCH blends I have researched are like 20-25% Hickory and then equal parts Maple and Cherry.

The cherry color is going to be awesome too!
Oh, no need for water in the pan in your MES and keep the vent completely open. You'll be good to go.

I can't wait to see what you turn out :D

 

[JckDanls 07]

Your on your way to some absolutely good sausage...

If not to late... straiten the curved ones out... Just looks more appealing...

 

[kilohertz]

If you’re completely bored, and have nothing better to do, you can follow along with the temperature of the sausage and the smoker. I’m still tuning the PID controller.

Smoker/meat temp display

 

[Winterrider]

kilohertz , if doing summer sausage again I highly suggest trying these bags. They can be packed very tight and take on smoke better than the collagen casings I think. Very easy to cut and tear off when finished and chilled. A couple other members introduced them to me. My other posts in search forum using them.

2 lbs Red Stitch Cloth Sausage Bags

Our cloth sausage bags are of the highest quality and are made by hand. Available with draw-string by request at an extra cost. Each cloth sausage sack is white with red stitching down the side.

butchersupplycompany.com

 

[tallbm]

If you’re completely bored, and have nothing better to do, you can follow along with the temperature of the sausage and the smoker. I’m still tuning the PID controller.

Smoker/meat temp display

Hahahaha that's so cool and fun to be able to monitor your smoke in real time :D

 

[kilohertz]

Thanks guys appreciate all the comments and help and suggestions.

I’ll have to look into those sausage bags. Very interesting, this is only my third batch ever in my life of making sausage so I have a ton to learn.

Not too late to straighten them out but it’s a matter of room on the racks, actually, I just tried straightening one and it refused so I guess yes it’s too late to straighten them. These preliminary batches are just for myself and my son, so not too critical how they look.

And combining my passion for electronics, and now smoking and barbecue, and you get all sorts of weird and wonderful Wi-Fi things hanging around the deck.

Still mucking about with the PID controller, I think the slow response time of the thermocouple and the low temperature could be part of the problem. I’m not too worried about it, the sausage will taste the same no matter what. It just gives me something to do while sitting on the deck, drinking beer and listening to the sausages cure.

Cheers

 

[pc farmer]

If you’re completely bored, and have nothing better to do, you can follow along with the temperature of the sausage and the smoker. I’m still tuning the PID controller.

Smoker/meat temp display

That's cool. I use a fireboard and can do this too. Looks different but very useful.

 

[kilohertz]

Well, the sausages have hit 153 at 4 1/2 hours and I haven’t even got the smoker up to 175 yet it’s been at 165 for the last half hour. Should I just knock the smoker temp down to 160 and let them just cruise for a while another hour or two to help dry them out further or should I pull them now and call them done. It’s only 8 o’clock here so I can stay up for a few more hours and babysit them.

Here they are…

PS I have nailed the PID programming finally after six months, three days, 14 hours and two minutes

 

[pc farmer]

I would pull them and hang them if you can. 175? Don't go that high, it will cause fat out.