Smoked Sausage - Temps?

[indaswamp]

To be completely safe-you would need a flame out shut off mechanism using a thermocouple or an infared flame detector. Others have done this to their units.

 

[daveomak]

This is one... As an example... adjustable regulator with needle valve...

REGULATOR

 

[daveomak]

The nice thing about the low pressure regulator and valve is.... You can plug 80% of the holes and have a big enough flame to smoke at 40-80 deg. F... with a big flame from say 12 holes, there's very little chance of a flame out... "so it says in the very fine print"...

 

[indaswamp]

I need to play around and plug more holes....see how low I can go. Might just be the ticket for smoking bacon....

 

[daveomak]

Make sure the holes are side by side, that are open... don't skip any because the flame won't jump across a plugged hole and you will be putting straight unburned propane into the smoker.... Make sure all the holes that are open, have flame....

 

[illini40]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. Great information to digest.

I can see where this whole sausage making opens a new can of worms.

In reading through everything, questions that I keep pondering:

1) For smoking cured meats at low temps, would it be a waste of time to try this on my Traeger set on the smoke setting (supposedly between 150-180*) or 180* setting?

2) For electric smokers (for example an MES), do these consistently run at these sub 170* cook temps? What is the typical low range on these? I have no experience with electric smokers, and looks like for a couple hundred bucks, they can be had.

3) For putting an electric hot plate in the bottom of the propane cabinet smokers, is it necessary to use a PID controller? Do you use a smoke tube for smoke? For a standard Masterbuilt propane smoker (I think 30” is what I have, do you just need one hot plate?

 

[chef jimmyj]

1) It's risky smoking at 180 as the fat may melt out. You won't get the same smoke flavor as smoking at lower temps.

2) Digital Masterbuilt have a range of 100 to 275°F. They are fairly consistent.

3) No controller is need except You babysitting the unit and tweaking the temp as needed. Not that big a deal. As long as the temp stays below 140 for the first 3 hours and 140 to 170 the remaining time it takes to get the sausage to an IT of 145-150°F, you are golden. The PID lets you watch with fewer trips outside. Using a tube is easier than hoping the hot plate is on long enough to get a pan of chips smoking consistently...JJ

 

[daveomak]

As for the MES 30 smoker, I have installed a dimmer switch on the heating element... The output is controlled so I can run it ~30 deg. below above ambient... In this cold weather, I can control it in the 40 deg F range... No PID... just adjust the dimmer to increase or reduce the heat... Stays fairly constant... I do need to baby sit it periodically..

 

[Braz]

3) For putting an electric hot plate in the bottom of the propane cabinet smokers, is it necessary to use a PID controller? Do you use a smoke tube for smoke? For a standard Masterbuilt propane smoker (I think 30” is what I have, do you just need one hot plate?

A PID controller is not necessary, but it does make holding the desired temp MUCH easier. Just as a data point, my 1300 watt hotplate in my uninsulated propane cabinet smoker will max out at around 160F with an ambient outside temp of about 60F. There are many ways to skin this particular cat.

 

[bill ace 350]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. Great information to digest.

I can see where this whole sausage making opens a new can of worms.

In reading through everything, questions that I keep pondering:

1) For smoking cured meats at low temps, would it be a waste of time to try this on my Traeger set on the smoke setting (supposedly between 150-180*) or 180* setting?

2) For electric smokers (for example an MES), do these consistently run at these sub 170* cook temps? What is the typical low range on these? I have no experience with electric smokers, and looks like for a couple hundred bucks, they can be had.

3) For putting an electric hot plate in the bottom of the propane cabinet smokers, is it necessary to use a PID controller? Do you use a smoke tube for smoke? For a standard Masterbuilt propane smoker (I think 30” is what I have, do you just need one hot plate?

PID not required.

 

[illini40]

Thanks again for all of the great info!

1) It's risky smoking at 180 as the fat may melt out. You won't get the same smoke flavor as smoking at lower temps.

2) Digital Masterbuilt have a range of 100 to 275°F. They are fairly consistent.

3) No controller is need except You babysitting the unit and tweaking the temp as needed. Not that big a deal. As long as the temp stays below 140 for the first 3 hours and 140 to 170 the remaining time it takes to get the sausage to an IT of 145-150°F, you are golden. The PID lets you watch with fewer trips outside. Using a tube is easier than hoping the hot plate is on long enough to get a pan of chips smoking consistently...JJ

Is the smoking below 140* so that smoke penetrates the casing?

Also, just to confirm - for food safety, the IT needs to hit 140* within 4 hours, correct?

A PID controller is not necessary, but it does make holding the desired temp MUCH easier. Just as a data point, my 1300 watt hotplate in my uninsulated propane cabinet smoker will max out at around 160F with an ambient outside temp of about 60F. There are many ways to skin this particular cat.

Thank you - very helpful. Is there a recommended wattage to look for?

How do you run the electric cord from the hot plate?

Do you literally just put the hot plate in the bottom and turn it on? I guess I’m just surprised to think of a hot plate being the heat source but it makes sense.

 

[indaswamp]

Is the smoking below 140* so that smoke penetrates the casing?

Also, just to confirm - for food safety, the IT needs to hit 140* within 4 hours, correct?

The more smoke penetration you want, yes, you need to keep the chamber temp. below 140* for smoke to continue deep penetration within the meat.

IF you use cure, you do not need to cook the meat quickly within 4 hours to get out of the danger zone. The cure will release nitric oxide which will inhibit the bad bugs from growing and producing toxins.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Is the smoking below 140* so that smoke penetrates the casing?

Also, just to confirm - for food safety, the IT needs to hit 140* within 4 hours, correct?

Smoke penetrates deeper in what is essentially raw meat, sausage IT below 140.

Because you are using Cure in the Sausage, you can take as long as you need to get the IT to 150 and your desired color. I have had Kielbasa smoking 12 hours at 160. The 40 to 140 in 4 hours applies to Fresh, no cure, sausages and some meats...JJ

 

[Braz]

Thank you - very helpful. Is there a recommended wattage to look for?
I'm not sure about recommended wattage. I just use the one I already have.

How do you run the electric cord from the hot plate?
My cabinet has some vents near the bottom. I just run the cord through one of the vents.

Do you literally just put the hot plate in the bottom and turn it on?

Yes. If there is a concern about drippings you could put a cast iron pan on the burner or a catch pan above it.

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!

Have you measured the temps on your Traeger to see what is happening at the setting of 170-180F?
I ask because it may run colder and/or you may have a cold side vs a hot size. If you have a cold side and you know what areas run in the colder temps you can smoke that much sausage a little more comfortably.

I smoke sausage made from wild/feral hogs so I MUST get the IT of the sausage to 165F. To do that I have to go up to a smoker temp of 180F. The key and best practice for smoking sausage is to walk the smoker temp up in increments over time so that you don't just blast the sausage with a hotter temp. This way you gradually increase the temp to keep the fat int he sausage from melting.
In this case I have to go up to 180F but I walk it up there and only because the wild meat must hit 165F to ensure any/all micro parasites are killed, so it can be done and done effectively but you can't just start at 180F.

Best of luck!

 

[illini40]

The more smoke penetration you want, yes, you need to keep the chamber temp. below 140* for smoke to continue deep penetration within the meat.

IF you use cure, you do not need to cook the meat quickly within 4 hours to get out of the danger zone. The cure will release nitric oxide which will inhibit the bad bugs from growing and producing toxins.

Thank you for clarifying.

Smoke penetrates deeper in what is essentially raw meat, sausage IT below 140.

Because you are using Cure in the Sausage, you can take as long as you need to get the IT to 150 and your desired color. I have had Kielbasa smoking 12 hours at 160. The 40 to 140 in 4 hours applies to Fresh, no cure, sausages and some meats...JJ

Thank you for clarifying.

Hi there and welcome!

Have you measured the temps on your Traeger to see what is happening at the setting of 170-180F?
I ask because it may run colder and/or you may have a cold side vs a hot size. If you have a cold side and you know what areas run in the colder temps you can smoke that much sausage a little more comfortably.

I smoke sausage made from wild/feral hogs so I MUST get the IT of the sausage to 165F. To do that I have to go up to a smoker temp of 180F. The key and best practice for smoking sausage is to walk the smoker temp up in increments over time so that you don't just blast the sausage with a hotter temp. This way you gradually increase the temp to keep the fat int he sausage from melting.
In this case I have to go up to 180F but I walk it up there and only because the wild meat must hit 165F to ensure any/all micro parasites are killed, so it can be done and done effectively but you can't just start at 180F.

Best of luck!

Thank you. I do not have a good feel of what the actual grate level temps are at the smoke or 180* settings. I need to spend some time checking that out to see what is actually going on.

I know at 225 and 250* settings on my Traeger, it is common for grate temps to be 15-25* cooler than the setting.

 

[tallbm]

Thank you for clarifying.



Thank you for clarifying.



Thank you. I do not have a good feel of what the actual grate level temps are at the smoke or 180* settings. I need to spend some time checking that out to see what is actually going on.

I know at 225 and 250* settings on my Traeger, it is common for grate temps to be 15-25* cooler than the setting.

It is a very good idea to get a good dual probe (or more probes) wireless thermometer and start figuring out what your smoker does so you can know what to expect in different areas and with different loads (10 smaller boneless skinless chicken breast pieces vs a 15 pound brisket, etc.). I usually recommend the ThermoPro TP20 as a good wireless dual probe thermometer but there are plenty of good options out there.

Most of us do this no matter the kind of smoker we have to learn how our setup is going to behave. Best of luck! :)

 

[illini40]

Does it matter if the hot plate has plastic construction? For example - I found this cheap 1100w unit at the local Farm and Fleet.

https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/912523-continental-electric-1100-watt-single-burner.html

 

[indaswamp]

Should be fine as long as the plastic hot plate is on the floor of the smoker with good ventilation. Heat rises so the coolest spot in the smoker is on the floor....
I would use a cast iron pan large enough to cover the plastic parts from hot dripping grease though...just put the pan on the hot plate, it will act as a heat sink to moderate the temp in the smokehouse.

 

[daveomak]

Electric hot plates have high temp cut out switches so they don't melt etc... On my smoker, I removed all the plastic parts and installed it bare.... It could then get to higher temps, no melting plastic parts... reinstalling it on any piece of sheet steel/aluminum would be good...
..