Shooters Andouille Part 2 the Smoke!
Well I got up about 7 am this morning and proceeded to make Mrs. Shooter Caramel Apple Pancakes. This is one of her favorites and you will understand as we proceed for the need to score some positive love points!
After breakfast I disappeared to the guest bath. Wanting the sausage to be dry to the touch before smoking so maximum color could be achieved, I had neglected to think ahead yesterday and never picked up any hardwood dowels I was planning to hang the sausage on. My brain on overtime, I began to remove the guest shower curtain.. LOL Now you understand!
A quick rinse and about a 30 minute hang dry in the shower: Since the sausage was cured I wasn’t too concerned about this additional time out of the fridge and as I said, the casings needed to be dry to take on maximum color. They would have dried in the smoker fine at a low temp say 120. That temp is hard for me to maintain consistently in a stick burner even if it is a Lang.
Mrs. Shooter’s thoughts as she tracked me down! LMAO “It had better be dammmmm good sausage” , she said.
With the above concern averted, I wanted to assess the heat and flavor profile without the enhancement of smoking so I tossed one of the bulk balls into a frying pan. I would say this is a hot Andouille but not as hot as some I have eaten. The heat is manageable by most that like a spicy product. If you are familiar with a sausage called Manda Hot, this is one step below that. The flavor overall is very good and I can’t wait to test the smoked!
.
Onto the smoker at 140-150 for 3 hrs and then to170 with pecan and oak for about another 2 hrs- an internal temp at 150-160: I still have not finished my mods on my Lang so sausage is lying down and not hung.
After 5 hrs they had the great Mahogany color associated with traditional Andouille. They were then immersed in cold water and back to the guest bath to bloom! LOL
No she is not counting down. I am sure she is saying its ok! LOL
Tossed on the grill to sample and they were good! Andouille traditionally is made with large chopped or coarse ground meat. Notice in the pic below. The texture and individual pieces of meat and fat. This is the difference with a stuffer that is hard to get using my grinder to stuff with. Shooter is very HAPPY and my marriage is saved! LOL
What I learned: A stuffer is the way to go if you can. Get the mods done on my smoker to hang sausage. Some sausage should just be left and smoked in bulk length on a rod, and then cut to package.
Hanging after smoking to bloom develops better color. Maybe fit my Lang with a nipple to accommodate a smoke generator of some sort for cold smoking. I should have done this sooner!
Mistakes Made: Make better knots when using twine. (Some pulled through) I would reduce the black pepper of the original recipe by 10-20%. Neither I nor Mrs. Shooter care for the red wine and for us it was the difference between good and fantastic. I will replace it with water.
Well I got up about 7 am this morning and proceeded to make Mrs. Shooter Caramel Apple Pancakes. This is one of her favorites and you will understand as we proceed for the need to score some positive love points!
After breakfast I disappeared to the guest bath. Wanting the sausage to be dry to the touch before smoking so maximum color could be achieved, I had neglected to think ahead yesterday and never picked up any hardwood dowels I was planning to hang the sausage on. My brain on overtime, I began to remove the guest shower curtain.. LOL Now you understand!
A quick rinse and about a 30 minute hang dry in the shower: Since the sausage was cured I wasn’t too concerned about this additional time out of the fridge and as I said, the casings needed to be dry to take on maximum color. They would have dried in the smoker fine at a low temp say 120. That temp is hard for me to maintain consistently in a stick burner even if it is a Lang.
Mrs. Shooter’s thoughts as she tracked me down! LMAO “It had better be dammmmm good sausage” , she said.
With the above concern averted, I wanted to assess the heat and flavor profile without the enhancement of smoking so I tossed one of the bulk balls into a frying pan. I would say this is a hot Andouille but not as hot as some I have eaten. The heat is manageable by most that like a spicy product. If you are familiar with a sausage called Manda Hot, this is one step below that. The flavor overall is very good and I can’t wait to test the smoked!
.
Onto the smoker at 140-150 for 3 hrs and then to170 with pecan and oak for about another 2 hrs- an internal temp at 150-160: I still have not finished my mods on my Lang so sausage is lying down and not hung.
After 5 hrs they had the great Mahogany color associated with traditional Andouille. They were then immersed in cold water and back to the guest bath to bloom! LOL
No she is not counting down. I am sure she is saying its ok! LOL
Tossed on the grill to sample and they were good! Andouille traditionally is made with large chopped or coarse ground meat. Notice in the pic below. The texture and individual pieces of meat and fat. This is the difference with a stuffer that is hard to get using my grinder to stuff with. Shooter is very HAPPY and my marriage is saved! LOL
What I learned: A stuffer is the way to go if you can. Get the mods done on my smoker to hang sausage. Some sausage should just be left and smoked in bulk length on a rod, and then cut to package.
Hanging after smoking to bloom develops better color. Maybe fit my Lang with a nipple to accommodate a smoke generator of some sort for cold smoking. I should have done this sooner!
Mistakes Made: Make better knots when using twine. (Some pulled through) I would reduce the black pepper of the original recipe by 10-20%. Neither I nor Mrs. Shooter care for the red wine and for us it was the difference between good and fantastic. I will replace it with water.
