Smoked Sausage - Temps?

[illini40]

Hello

For making smoked sausage (using cure #1), what smoker temps are OK to run? I’ve seen a lot of references to very low temps. I have a Traeger, and 170-185*ish is probably about the coolest it could run.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I go with 170f. You don't want to go above 180f as it can make the fat render out.

 

[pushok2018]

My personal experiences: Polish sausage, kielbasa, any cured with cure #1 cooked sausage - never exceeded 153-154F....
Per Stanley Mariansky - staying within 154-160° F (68-72° C) will produce the highest quality product ....

 

[chef jimmyj]

Do what you can. 170 until the IT hits 150 will give you a great sausage and faster then the low graduating temp guys...JJ

 

[illini40]

Thanks for the responses. Maybe a dumb question...how are people running temps that low? Special rigs?

Besides the Traeger, I do have a Masterbuilt propone smoker. However, historically I struggled to keep temps steady and from running too warm.

 

[mike243]

Electric smokers go way low most of the time

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I use an Electric Smoker with the AMNPS.. Otherwise you can also use an oven, most 'warm' settings for them are 170. <Had to do bacon that way last week as MES has yet to send or get back to me about a replacement part..>

 

[illini40]

Is there a temp that is too high? For example - if running at 200*, what would be the issues with that? Cooking too fast and drying out?

 

[indaswamp]

Yes, I have a purpose built rig. My smokehouse is 2.5' X 2.5' X 6' tall. It is 36cu.ft. of chamber space and I can smoke 120# of link sausages at one time. I use low pressure propane as a fuel source. I have a needle valve installed on the line and I can dial the heat down with precision, to within +- 3* of desired set point temp. I have an 18,000BTU burner and I can plug the outer row of jets and half my available BTU's. This is what I do when I smoke sausages. I can run a higher flame (to keep from flame out when it is windy), and put out less BTU's. With one row of jets, I can run 90*~225* no problem. With both rows I can run 175*~300* no problem.

 

[indaswamp]

Is there a temp that is too high? For example - if running at 200*, what would be the issues with that? Cooking too fast and drying out?

You can 'hot smoke' sausages....
above 225*, you will not need cure in the sausages as they will cook fast enough to get through the danger zone of 40-140 within 4 hours.

Drawbacks to hot smoking are that the links will not develop a deep smoky flavor profile, they will be lighter in color. They will tend to be greasy because you will get fat out running this hot. If you use less than 30% fat in your recipe, the links may run dry because of the fat loss during cooking. The texture will be like that of a fried sausage patty.
Hot smoking sausages is really grilling them IMO. Same way people grill up brats.

Low temp smoking gives you a deep smoky flavor and a rich color on the links. Very moist links and no fat out if the chamber temp is kept lower than 175~180ish*. Because of the low heat cooking and the cure #1, you can put as much smoke on them as you like as long as you keep the casing temp. below ~130*. Once the casings get 140*+ the smoke will not penetrate deep into the links.

 

[chef jimmyj]

With cured sausage you want a long contact with the smoke, for that deep flavor. At 180 plus, the meat cooks fast, and over a long time at higher temps, you can get a shrunken tough or crumbly stick of meat floating in a bag of liquid fat. This is called Fat Out. You want to stay 170 or less so the fat stays emulsified with the meat and the sausage stays plump and juicy...JJ

 

[indaswamp]

Cooking the links hot, the meat paste heats up quickly and tightens up, squeezing the uncooked middle of the link and pushes moisture out of the links....just like a hamburger does when being grilled over hot coals.

Low cooking lets the meat paste set gently and once 130* INT is achieved the meat paste is set. It will tighten, but not like raw meat paste will when being squeezed by cooked meat towards the outside of the casings.

 

[indaswamp]

jj...I'll never forget the first batch of sausage I smoked. Total disaster. I did not know what I know now and smoked the links at 250*. I was using a old Smokey Joe vertical with a side firebox, using oak splits. I did not cook to INT temp, I cooked them for 4 hours. They were damn near burnt, dry, crumbly, and I could not save them...had to throw them out. That was 25 years ago, and after that disaster I started learning from my uncles. I have come a long way.....

 

[indaswamp]

Ideally, I like to smoke @120* for about an hour, and I put a lot of Thin blue smoke on them. Them I bump up the temp to 130* and hold it here for a minimum of 3 hours, putting smoke to them the entire time. When I smoke andouille, I'll smoke @ 130* for 8~10 hours....

As long as the casing temp. stays below 140*, you are getting smoke penetration into the meat.

Then I will step the heat up about 10* an hour, trying to keep the smokehouse temp. about 25-30* higher then the INT of the links. This cooks the sausages gently.

You do not need to go to 160* or 165* INT to finish cooking the links. 152* INT is hot enough as long as you hold it there for about 5 minutes. but what I usually do is cut the heat and let the sausages sit in the smokehouse for about 20 minutes while I prep for pulling them from the smokehouse. I set up my hanging station outside, run the hose over to it. I'll pull them leaving the temp. probe in the link and shower the links with cold water until the INT falls below 100*. Then I bloom them for an hour or so.

 

[indaswamp]

No internet back then....I had to learn hands on training butchering the pig, cleaning the meat, and making sausages, boudin, debris, cracklins, and everything else that is produced when butchering a hog. We even made blood boudin back then.....

 

[daveomak]

indaswamp has the fix for your propane smoker....
Low pressure regulator and needle valve to control the temp... then plug 1/2 the holes in the burner to prevent flame-out....

..

 

[bill ace 350]

Thanks for the responses. Maybe a dumb question...how are people running temps that low? Special rigs?

Besides the Traeger, I do have a Masterbuilt propone smoker. However, historically I struggled to keep temps steady and from running too warm.

I bought two 1500w hotplates at the hardware store.
Placed them in bottom of the smoker.
Easier to control and maintain lower temps.

 

[illini40]

indaswamp has the fix for your propane smoker....
Low pressure regulator and needle valve to control the temp... then plug 1/2 the holes in the burner to prevent flame-out....

View attachment 387227 View attachment 387228..View attachment 387230

This is really interesting. I think I saw something about this is the propane smoker subforum. Playing with has always makes me a little nervous - this is completely safe?

Also - can you provide more details on what a low pressure regulator and needle valve are? Where do they get attached (tank or smoker)?

I bought two 1500w hotplates at the hardware store.
Placed them in bottom of the smoker.
Easier to control and maintain lower temps.

Really interesting. Are the hot plates electric or gas? And they just sit in the bottom of a cabinet smoker?

 

[Braz]

I use a hotplate in the bottom of my propane cabinet smoker to dry jerky. I run it through a PID controller set to hold 120F. Full on it will run around 150-160F.

 

[indaswamp]

This is really interesting. I think I saw something about this is the propane smoker subforum. Playing with has always makes me a little nervous - this is completely safe?

Safe as far as what?
By closing off the outer row of jets, I can run the inner row of jets at a higher flame to prevent blow out, and still run a low temp. in the smokehouse....