Smoking Italian Sausage

[graywolf36]

I think I read almost every thread on smoking sausage on this forum.  I guess I am being very careful using cure #1.  I have made a lot of Italian and other type sausage but never smoked any.  I will be making some italian(35mm casings)sausage next week and would like to hot smoke it.  I may use my Brinkman smoker/grill or a new masterbuilt 40"(still deciding if I want to invest in it).Here is my "plan", your advice is would be greatly appreciated.

                                   1. Cube and season meat,let sit in refrigerator overnight.

                                   2. Add cure #1 at the rate of 1/4 tea per pound of meat.

                                   3. Processes and stuff casings.

                                   4. Hang dry about hour+

                                   5. smoke 140 for 1 hour

                                   6.             150 for 1 hour

                                   7.              170 for 2-3 hours until internal temp is 155-160

 

[scarbelly]

You sound right on to me, but I am not next to my book right now

 

[boykjo]

Looks like your off to a good start. Will be looking foward to some qveiw

 

[DanMcG]

Maybe it's just the way I'm reading it but I'd add the cure with the seasonings so it will cure overnight.

Also I'd start at a lower temp, 120°-130° for the first hour with vents wide open to dry the casings then bump the temp up and add the smoke.

Good Luck, and let us know how they come out!

 

[alblancher]

What DanMCG said  You want the cure on the meat overnight.  And you can spend a bit longer in the lower temp zones if you want. Depends on how much smoke you are going for.  Most of the recipes I have call for 1/2 teas  Cure 1 per kg of meat so you are pretty close on the conversion,

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Lots of ways folks do things here which your finding out.

How many pounds are you mixing?

Cure is added at 1 level tsp per every 5 lbs of meat.

If dry is mixed well into the meat there is really no reason to cure overnight (just my way) but thats up to you.

Mix, stuff and can hang at room temp for an hour or two, This will dry the casings some before the smoker.

Set smoker temp at 130-140 for an hour to further dry casing, no smoke

Start smoke at 140 then continue your temps with however much smoke you like

IMHO the meat IT of 155-160 is to high and can result in a fat-out which will make your sausage dry. Shoot for an IT of 148-152

My 2 cent worth.

But do however you feel and SMOKE ON

 

[SmokinAl]

Nepas knows his sausage!

 

[graywolf36]

Thanks folks, I am going to print this info out and put it to good use.

 

[chef willie]

Sausage making to me is the Holy Grail....something I really wanna accomplish after being on here a while longer and gaining some more smoking experience. Definitely relay yuor experience with some pics of the process. Looking forward to seeing the results.

 

[viper1]

1/2 teaspoon per lb for cure? What type of cure are you using. Ive been using morton quick cure at 1 tsp per lb mix with water add to meat and mix. Leave for 24 hrs to cure and start low and smoke long time. Does this sound ok or do you think its too much cure? Is #1 differant than mortons if so how.

 

[DanMcG]

Viper they are to different products. always go with what the manufacturers instructions say to use. #1 is 6.25% nitrite by volume and TQ I think (don't quote me here)  is 0.5% nitrite and 0.5% nitrate.

 

[chefrob]

1/2 teaspoon per lb for cure? What type of cure are you using. Ive been using morton quick cure at 1 tsp per lb mix with water add to meat and mix. Leave for 24 hrs to cure and start low and smoke long time. Does this sound ok or do you think its too much cure? Is #1 differant than mortons if so how.

am i missing something (i do that sometimes), but where is 1/2 per Lb. listed?