smoking sausage

[backtroller]

Need a little advise. I am making 100# of Kielbasa and German sausage this week end. I will be putting 3-4 hours of smoke @ 130, but don't want to take it to 155 IT (cooked) yes it will have cure in it, take the sausage off around 100 IT, cool it down and then put in vac bags, put in freezer to be cooked later---this should be ok shouldn't it? When I take them to 155 IT they get dry when we cook them on the grill . I will be doing a 70/30 deer/pork ratio. Love the site. Thanks  in advance

 

[woodcutter]

That will work fine. Partially freezing them before packaging them helps keep the shape.

 

[backtroller]

Thanks Woodcutter---would it still be alright to cold water bath them and let the cool and bloom that way before vac pack and freezer

 

[woodcutter]

Yes, they will have cure so they can sit out a while. Hams are done for the same reason because they dry out even faster. Cooking slow on the grill helps keep the moisture in as well.

 

[backtroller]

Again, Thanks. I will post some pictures of the process and of my new build smokehouse

 

[rexlan]

Cold water bath is not necessary or beneficial since they are not hot.

Also, the casings will probably get tough since you are not finishing them and I would have some water in teh smoker to help.  Mine get tough anyway when I do it like that.

X2 on woodcuter's suggestion to freeze on trays before packaging so they don't get squeeeeeeeezed

 

[backtroller]

Thanks, if I pull them off early after good smoke and hot water bath them to finish, will they retain better moisture , not shrivel up as bad and the smoke should stay in them, correct

 

[rexlan]

Well now you have said something different. If you hot water bath them to finish you will lose ~ 50% of the smoke and they are no longer "fresh" sausage for the grill.  They will need to be put in the ice bath to stop the cooking process also.  Then bloom and freeze.

If you want to just get some smoke in them I would smoke them 2-3 hours and pull them out.  Put on trays and almost freeze then package for the freezer.

When you want to eat them, thaw and they will need to be cooked.  You can boil, grill or fry in a few drops of oil.  On the grill they will be dry almost for sure with a 70/30 deer to pork.  You will have about a 8% fat content and good sausage will need 20-30% fat.   I boil mine in 3/4 of a can of beer.  I would use the whole can but I can't help myself when I open it .....   These come out pretty nice, plump and moist - like these last night.  I smoked these fro 3 hours and froze them.  Thaw and boil in beer then into the main dish ... Haluski.  I think this is what you are wanting to accomplish ??  These are brats 60/40 deer and wild hog.

Huls & Brats_1.JPG

• rexlan
• Mar 21, 2014

Huls & Brats.JPG

• rexlan
• Mar 21, 2014

Correct me if I am wrong, which I often am, and according to the bride - usually!

100# of meat at 70/30 = 70# deer at 3% fat and 30# of pork at maybe 18% fat.

70*3 = 2.1 and 30*18 = 5.4 for a total of 7.5# of fat in 100# of meat.  That is 7.5% ... pretty dry.

I would up the pork if it were mine.  40% is about my minimum with the deer for the mouth feel and taste and I have fat added to the deer to make it 85/15 or 80/20 to start with.  Nothing worse than dry sausage plus it will stretch the deer a little too.

So I would have 60# of deer at 15%  and 40# of pork at 18%.

60*15 = 9 and 40*18 = 7.2 for a total of 16.2% fat in 100#'s.  That is 16% ... low by much better IMO.

Also add 1/2 cup or a bit more of powered milk to the mix to hold the moisture a little better.  Put it on dry at the final mixing stage.  Sometimes I also add a few dashes of liquid smoke per pound of meat as a backup.

Your opening argument was the best method except for the cold water bath ... not necessary.  But I think you will have some dry sausage on the grill due to low fat content.

100# at a whack is way over my pay grade too ... whew, what a job that will be.

 

[backtroller]

rexlan, I kind of thought that I might need more pork as our old mix was a 50/50 deer/pork and that was very good ---- plenty juicy and favorable--I am going to stick with the original plans with low heat, good smoke and pull them off at 100-120 IT. Thanks for the advice on the powdered milk, I will sure add it on the final mix and put links on a sheet to the freezer to firm up a bit before vac bag. I will post some pics when the smoker is full---Thanks again and have a great weekend

 

[woodcutter]

Rexlan hit the nail in the head about the powdered milk. You can add up to 1- 2 cups per 10 lbs and it won't change the taste but the texture will have much more moisture.

 

[mabrandt]

 
Well now you have said something different. If you hot water bath them to finish you will lose ~ 50% of the smoke

I have never heard that before. I thought the hot water bath was a pretty standard thing. If the hot water bat removes the smoke, why doesn't the cold water bath do that if you leave them in the smoker until cooked?

 

[rexlan]

A lot of the smoke is on the outside - hot water bath will remove it.

If you finish in the smoker the smoke has penetrated (typically) much more.