Smoked Cajun Pork Sausage from Pine Prairie Louisiana

[SmokinEdge]

Shouldn't be a "pale grey brown" color but a nice pink-red one. That color is actually pretty easy to achieve if you're doing it right. Are you are allowing enough time for curing? From here, how much cure are you using? With any luck that is the flavor your i... PS That Teets stuff looks like a fairly large grind to me.

On the pale grey brown color, I was referring to the color of the ground pork after blending in basic spices, water and cure and prior to smoking. Not sure if that color description is accurate but it definitely loses the nice red/pink it has prior to cure addition which from all I've ever seen is typical and also allows one to judge if they've missed some areas of the mix. I use 1.36 g /lb of #1 cure.
I stated that mine hits a light brownish tan internally after smoking. Brown is probably also not a good descriptor and is probably closer to a very light pink/tan but if you look carefully at the Teets image, their cooked/smoked product is almost the color of an uncooked steak blood red which makes no sense to me.

There are a plethora of things that effect cure final color. The biggest of which is meat selection. Its the hemoglobin that’s in the meat that ultimately brings color. Nitrite reduces to nitric oxide and fixes the iron molecules in the hemoglobin. The more hemoglobin the more iron and the darker the color. Muscles that work hard like shoulders or hocks have the most hemoglobin while muscles that work less like loin have the least.

That said, beef has more hemoglobin generally, pork much less as evidenced by the white and dark meat within the muscle groups. Pork generally is pail compared to beef. Meat selection is absolutely key for cure color.

A sausage made with beef hock and shoulder mix will be much more red once cured than a sausage made with any pork product.

Meat selections are absolutely key. Other things the addition of sodium erythorbate can and fix color and brighten the final product while also fixing the color as not to fade. This is all a science based class. Not hard but you do need to watch your top knot, (pay attention).

 

[indaswamp]

You are correct. After adding the cure, and prior to cooking, the meat will be a pale color. This is perfectly normal.

I use 1.36 g /lb of #1 cure.

you are at roughly 188ppm of cure #1 in your sausage. You only really need 156ppm per the USDA, so you could back that off to 1.14g/lb. and that'll give you 156ppm...

 

[embersmks]

you are at roughly 188ppm of cure #1 in your sausage. You only really need 156ppm per the USDA, so you could back that off to 1.14g/lb. and that'll give you 156ppm...

After posting my last post, I located a chart somewhere on this site and it shows a descending ratio as we go up in weight which seems to be closer to what you are showing at 1.14g/lb. I'll definitely back it off to adjust to that as I sure don't want to use any more than necessary.

You mentioned a 6 or 8 mm plate for what may be the case for the Teets image. I will try my 9mm next time (for some reason, don't have an 8) and see how that works out. I have a 6mm I typically use but would like to see how the larger grind works out for this sausage.

 

[zwiller]

On the pale grey brown color, I was referring to the color of the ground pork after blending in basic spices, water and cure and prior to smoking.

Gotcha, yeah there's no pink and color is pale like you say. (from exposure to air)

it definitely loses the nice red/pink it has prior to cure addition which from all I've ever seen is typical

90% of the time I mix, stuff and rest/ferment (cure) overnight so I don't see the mince but the few times I've cured loose/no stuff I did see some nice color improvement.

Sounds like your doing mostly right (but sounds to me like not fully cured). How LONG are you curing?

Good call on grabbing a plate. Using a larger grind is a nice easy way to get a more authentic look.

 

[embersmks]

I always mix the batch and stuff right afterwards and leave the links open to air in the fridge overnight. Smoke the next morning.

 

[zwiller]

Perfect... Is your FINISHED product nice and pink/clearly cured?

 

[embersmks]

The exterior is a nice mahogany brown and the interior is a very light pink. My original color description for the interior was tan but was a poor choice of color description. I confirmed with Guillorys grocery back when they gave me the sausage recipe that they only use oak but maybe they do slip in some pecan to get that deep red interior.

 

[zwiller]

Ok then I am back at double or triple smoked. Be curious if they even pull them off the smoker and into the fridge in between.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I always mix the batch and stuff right afterwards and leave the links open to air in the fridge overnight. Smoke the next morning.

This will dry out the casing which will not allow it to absorb as much smoke or make color. Refrigerator run around 40% humidity this is to low. Humidity must stay above 70% preferably closer to 80%. I bag mine then air dry the next day a couple ours at room temp or go straight to the smoker at about 120F no smoke dampers wide open about 1 hour then apply smoke.

These are not brown or golden, but then again I don’t want them to be. Technique is important. How you get there is half the fun.

 

[B_R_Brian]

I've been attempting to replicate a smoked pork sausage that my mother and grandmother used to buy from Guillorys Grocery in Pine Prairie LA. I was able to enjoy it every time we visited my grandmother in Ville Platte from the 1960's through the mid 70s.

I know a couple of Guillory's from Evangeline Parish and can check if this is their family - and if they are, see what they can find out about their smoking process and report back.

I've picked up a wealth of knowledge from this forum but seldom post because I don't have much to offer - glad I have an opportunity to 'pitch in!'

 

[chopsaw]

I ground and mixed on Monday . Rested it through Tuesday , and stuffed it today .
Just because I had it in front of me , and there was some question about color , I snapped a couple pics . This all came from the same pork butt .
Cured added .

No cure .

 

[embersmks]

I know a couple of Guillory's from Evangeline Parish and can check if this is their family - and if they are, see what they can find out about their smoking process and report back.

Nice! The guy who owned and ran the grocrery but unfortunately passed away a while back was JR Guillory and was related to my Grandfather (Arcille Guillory) who lived a few miles south down veterans hiway. I've never known JR or his family.

 

[embersmks]

I ground and mixed on Monday . Rested it through Tuesday , and stuffed it today .
Just because I had it in front of me , and there was some question about color , I snapped a couple pics . This all came from the same pork butt .

Thanks for the pics. That is pretty much what I see with mine.

 

[B_R_Brian]

It turns out that Guillory is the Evangeline Parish version of Smith, Jones or Johnson and the guys that I know are only distantly related to the Guillory's that used to own the grocery. He does know the current owners and said he would let them know about this thread - hopefully they'll sign up and let us know how they run their smokehouse.

 

[indaswamp]

^^^^Why this forum is so awesome! Thanks for the update B B_R_Brian !

 

[B_R_Brian]

When the internal temp. hits 136*F, start the clock and time it for 1.5 hours. This is to insure all links achieve 136*F incase you have some cool spots. USDA says they are one after about 30 minutes, but I do like DaveOmak and let them go for 1.5 hours for a LOG7 reduction. The links have been pasteurized...safe to eat. And until the surface hits about 140*F, the sausages will continue to take on smoke flavor.

I realize this is off-topic from the original post, but your 136* target temp caught my attention - I'm new to sausage making and most 'recipes' seem to say smoke to 154* and hold for 15 minutes. I understand that either approach results in pasteurization, but I'm curious if there's a difference in the finished product?

 

[indaswamp]

I realize this is off-topic from the original post, but your 136* target temp caught my attention - I'm new to sausage making and most 'recipes' seem to say smoke to 154* and hold for 15 minutes. I understand that either approach results in pasteurization, but I'm curious if there's a difference in the finished product?

From a safety stand point- both would be safe to eat. From a fat integrity stand point, you risk slight fat out if you smoke to Internal temp. of 154*F because to get there you need to run the smokehouse 25*F higher than the internal temperature for the heat to transfer to the middle...so that puts you at 179*F. Most here will tell you that for a low and slow approach, it is best not to smoke sausage above 180*F. Now hot smoking sausage is another topic entirely and does not apply here. I guess the biggest difference would be the texture and smokiness of the finished product. Low and slow will give you a more pronounced smokey flavor.

 

[Dirtymike5]

I'd say 6 or 8mm plate for the grind on that Teets sausage....

Indaswamp, I'd like to see a few pictures of your plywood smokehouse. Would you mind sharing?