Smoked sausage not taking smoke

[beardawg]

The last 2 batches of pork smoked sausage I made has not been taking on the smoke color on the casing. Can't figure it out. This batch, I let it dry in refrigerator for 2 days, let it warm to room temp and dried it at 100° in a MB electric smoker for 2 hours before I decided they were dry enough to start smoke on them. Stuffed in hog casings. Checked it into the smoke process, temp was @ 135° and I saw the casings were sweating like crazy. Where am I messing up? My first 8 or 10 batches did fine and we're pretty colored and tasty. These are tasty enough, just ugly. Help. Why are the sausages sweating after drying that much?

 

[uzikaduzi]

is your smoke source solely the materbuilt or are you augmenting with something else... they can really only generate smoke when the element is heating to control the temperature and i bet it's not working too hard at maintaining 135 (although sweating like crazy makes me wonder if your temps are accurate). you can also dry out the surface too much which will inhibit smoke penetration.

I would get a maze smoker like the AMPS to use with your masterbuilt and check the temps in it compared to what it's set at.

 

[beardawg]

I use MB cold smoke attachment for smoke. Also have verified temps. I used 2 different digital thermometers to CK IT and two dial thermometers to CK temps inside smoker. I seem for some reason to be getting a lot of moisture later in the smoke. How long do y'all dry the sausages in the smoker before you start actual smoking and cooking?

 

[uzikaduzi]

personally i don't dry mine in the smoker at all... i leave them in the ridge over night and out in the kitchen for an hour before smoking; however, i don't cook and smoke simultaneously, i cold smoke, then transfer to my oven to cook.

it seems most people dry for an hour or 2 in the smoker with no smoke at 100f from what I've seen around here... sweating could be fat out or condensation. if you're sausage was too cold compared to your smoker temp (which seems very unlikely given your description) that would cause condensation. 135 is on the cool side for fat out, but maybe if you didn't get good binding that could exacerbate the issue?

i'm not sure what to suggest... hopefully someone else will have some insight

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Bring your sausage to room temp before putting in smoker. then heat at 130 for and hour bumping 10* every 2 hrs or so with a final IT smoker of 165-170*

Your results may vary from mine.

 

[crankybuzzard]

Putting your links into a warm pit while still cold can cause condensation. I like to get them into the pit without smoke at a low temp to basically preheat and not have as much potential to condensate before I add smoke.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Putting your links into a warm pit while still cold can cause condensation. I like to get them into the pit without smoke at a low temp to basically preheat and not have as much potential to condensate before I add smoke.

 

[SmokyMose]

Try to time it to smoke the same day you stuff. It shouldn't have to dry for 2 days. Usually just a couple hours hanging at room temp works for me. When it feels "tacky" but not wet, it's ready for smoke.

 

[indaswamp]

Try to time it to smoke the same day you stuff. It shouldn't have to dry for 2 days. Usually just a couple hours hanging at room temp works for me. When it feels "tacky" but not wet, it's ready for smoke.

I would disagree here. When using a cure in the sausage, it is best to allow the sausages to sit for a minimum of 24 hours to let the cure distribute evenly throughout the meat mixture. Also, allowing the sausages to sit in the fridge gives you a great bind in the final product.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[wild west]

I would disagree here. When using a cure in the sausage, it is best to allow the sausages to sit for a minimum of 24 hours to let the cure distribute evenly throughout the meat mixture. Also, allowing the sausages to sit in the fridge gives you a great bind in the final product.

Your mileage may vary.

I'm not sure where your information comes from. When useing cure#1 most small to medium diameter sausage recipes from respected sausage makers recomend smoking as soon as the caseings are dry. Exceptions are when you add a product like fermento or bactoferm to give a tang to the sausage. Larger diameter sausage are generally hung to dry a little longer (3 to 24hrs). After mixing the meat turns grey in a matter of minutes meaning the nitrite is already doing it's job. No need to wait.

 

[indaswamp]

 

I would disagree here. When using a cure in the sausage, it is best to allow the sausages to sit for a minimum of 24 hours to let the cure distribute evenly throughout the meat mixture. Also, allowing the sausages to sit in the fridge gives you a great bind in the final product.

Your mileage may vary.

I'm not sure where your information comes from. When useing cure#1 most small to medium diameter sausage recipes from respected sausage makers recomend smoking as soon as the caseings are dry. Exceptions are when you add a product like fermento or bactoferm to give a tang to the sausage. Larger diameter sausage are generally hung to dry a little longer (3 to 24hrs). After mixing the meat turns grey in a matter of minutes meaning the nitrite is already doing it's job. No need to wait.

http://www.lpoli.50webs.com/page0001.htm

 

[indaswamp]

Another:

 

[indaswamp]

It is a practice we have always done, whether making andouille with 1/2~3/4 course grind pulled through 2" beef middles, or basic smoke sausages with the 6mm plate and regular pork casings. IMO, it's worth waiting 24 hours just for the binding, allowing gels to fill the voids in the meat which can retain moisture.

 

[indaswamp]

One distinction I will make here is this:

If you are using a store bought sausage seasoning mix pack, most come with cure accelerators such as GDL, erythorbate or ascorbate. I do not use store bought mixes and prefer to mix my own and I do not use cure accelerators.

 

[shyzabrau]

How about mixing it and letting it sit a day (in the fridge) before stuffing and then smoking an hour two after stuffing? That has been my method.

 

[pc farmer]

It is a practice we have always done, whether making andouille with 1/2~3/4 course grind pulled through 2" beef middles, or basic smoke sausages with the 6mm plate and regular pork casings. IMO, it's worth waiting 24 hours just for the binding, allowing gels to fill the voids in the meat which can retain moisture.

So you wait 24 hours after stuffing? I do it before stuffing.

 

[indaswamp]

 

It is a practice we have always done, whether making andouille with 1/2~3/4 course grind pulled through 2" beef middles, or basic smoke sausages with the 6mm plate and regular pork casings. IMO, it's worth waiting 24 hours just for the binding, allowing gels to fill the voids in the meat which can retain moisture.

So you wait 24 hours after stuffing? I do it before stuffing.

If you wait 24 hours before stuffing, some of the binding of the meat is broken during the stuffing process.

I do not use cure accelerators in my family recipes so waiting a day for the cure to equalize makes a better product.
Yes, stuff one day, smoke the next.

Also, when using dry milk powder as a binder, allowing the sausages to sit in the frig. for a day gives the milk powder time to form gels between the voids in the sausages to retain moisture.

 

[shyzabrau]

Okay. You've convinced me. Imma change my ways!

 

[pc farmer]

 
If you wait 24 hours before stuffing, some of the binding of the meat is broken during the stuffing process.

I do not use cure accelerators in my family recipes so waiting a day for the cure to equalize makes a better product.
Yes, stuff one day, smoke the next.

Also, when using dry milk powder as a binder, allowing the sausages to sit in the frig. for a day gives the milk powder time to form gels between the voids in the sausages to retain moisture.

You cover the stuffed sausage while in the fridge? 

 

[SmokyMose]

u:sausage:
 

It is a practice we have always done, whether making andouille with 1/2~3/4 course grind pulled through 2" beef middles, or basic smoke sausages with the 6mm plate and regular pork casings. IMO, it's worth waiting 24 hours just for the binding, allowing gels to fill the voids in the meat which can retain moisture.

So you wait 24 hours after stuffing? I do it before stuffing.

If you wait 24 hours before stuffing, some of the binding of the meat is broken during the stuffing process.
I do not use cure accelerators in my family recipes so waiting a day for the cure to equalize makes a better product.

Yes, stuff one day, smoke the next.
Also, when using dry milk powder as a binder, allowing the sausages to sit in the frig. for a day gives the milk powder time to form gels between the voids in the sausages to retain moisture.

As the Mrs says, "We'll have to agree to disagree".