Smoking Kielbasa and Snack Stix

[msuiceman]

This weekend will be my first foray into smoking sausages. I have made fresh kielbasa since I was a kid, and have been smoking meats for a while, but my wife likes smoked sausage and not fresh, so here we go.

I have a masterbuilt xl smoker, which I can't get down to the 140deg start temp like a lot of folks use for sausage....

Would a straight 200deg smoke work? Of course I need to bring the temp up to 152deg+ to be safe, and that will be monitored on my maverick.

What I'm thinking is:

Day 1:

Grind/mix/stuff

Leave overnight in fridge.....

Day 2:

Smoke until 155, pull, immediately immerse in icewater. let sit for 30 minutes in icewater.

Eat a few

Vac Seal whats left.

I have a needle valve coming to see if I can get my temps even lower, I can't remember how low I could get it before... I smoke a lot of things at 225, sometimes 250, but haven't smoked anything that low before. (i have an amazen tube smoker that I will use for smoke, propane just for heat. I could even toy with lowering the propane burner so less heat is put into the cabinet.....

Basically, I'm wondering if my steps sound ok and will 200deg smoke work, or am I flirting with disaster? If there is a need for low temp smoking here, I will find a way (either needle valve, lowering burner, or getting a small electric hot plate to put in the cabinet).

Thanks for your help, sausage gurus.

 

[ryno21]

The experts will be along shortly, but you will want to stay below 180 degrees to avoid "fat out", where the fat renders out of your sausage.  I would toy with lowering your burner or looking at other options to lower your temp.  Good luck!

 

[rgautheir20420]

Your grind/mix/stuff day sounds fine. Be sure to leave them uncovered in the fridge also so the casings can dry out a bit to take on the smoke.

As far as going 200 all the way until done, I wouldn't go that high at all. If 140 is the lowest you can go then start there. If this is your first time doing this type of sausage, I wouldn't choose it to experiment with getting lower temps with the smoker. Go with what you know and if that 140....than ok. Not ideal, but it'll work.

On day 2, hang the sausages in the smoker and let them dry for 30 minutes (decreased from the usual 2 hours because of the higher temp) and then start adding the smoke. You can add as much as you want, but I'd probably started raising your smoker temp 10 degree every hour starting after about 4 hours of smoke. Also, I'd take them to 160 and not 152 and pull and put in an ice bath the lower the temps. 

After that, pat dry and leave uncovered again in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then vac pack or eat.

 

[boykjo]

 

[palladini]

 

[litterbug]

I have the same smoker as you. Once you get the needle valve on, it will be a whole other world. I can keep mine at 100* I've done a bunch of snack sticks on mine and before the needle valve, the only way I was able to keep my temp low enough was to crack the door open to help the heat escape. Another suggestion is to put muffler clamps on the tube. It will keep it from rolling or moving. (I wish I could remember who originally posted this because I would love to give them the credit they deserve).

 

[boykjo]

Heres your honorary note.....

this thread is useless without pictures.jpg

• boykjo
• Apr 8, 2015

 

[msuiceman]

I have the same smoker as you. Once you get the needle valve on, it will be a whole other world. I can keep mine at 100* I've done a bunch of snack sticks on mine and before the needle valve, the only way I was able to keep my temp low enough was to crack the door open to help the heat escape. Another suggestion is to put muffler clamps on the tube. It will keep it from rolling or moving. (I wish I could remember who originally posted this because I would love to give them the credit they deserve).

thanks for the advice. I'll definitely spring for some u-clamps, to stand up the tube and keep it from wanting to turn. unfortunately I don't have any pictures as my efforts have been delayed (wife is 35weeks pregnant and we were having some complications) until after the kid is born. at that point I will be home helping for a couple weeks, and I will be doing a LOT of smoking at that time. Ended up getting a full replacement for the regulator assembly for my smoker, this one:


hopfeully this will allow me to adjust the burner enough that I can get down to 100-110 without any other mods. That would be GREAT.

wednesday I'm doing a couple racks of ribs and a small halved pork shoulder (6lbs), but those are easy things.