Steamers to Finish Sausage

[jimmyinsd]

Has anybody tried to make a homemade steamer box to finish smoked sausage? I usually run mine in smoke until about 135 or so, but have been finishing in a hot water bath (an electric roaster) but was wondering about converting an old fridge or something to a steam chamber and then piping steam into it to gently raise those temps to a 152 finish. Any thoughts or ideas... or failures, so I dont waste my time?

 

[Sowsage]

Has anybody tried to make a homemade steamer box to finish smoked sausage? I usually run mine in smoke until about 135 or so, but have been finishing in a hot water bath (an electric roaster) but was wondering about converting an old fridge or something to a steam chamber and then piping steam into it to gently raise those temps to a 152 finish. Any thoughts or ideas... or failures, so I dont waste my time?

I think you would be better off just investing in a sous vide unit. Set it and forget it. I used to use a roaster as well and it was tough to keep the temp consistent and even throughout the roaster. No need to gently raise the temp this way. Just set it at your desired finish temp. Ive been basicly just smoking them until I get the color I want then finishing in the sous vide.

 

[JC in GB]

I just use a hotel pan and a cover and put the sausages on a rack. Works every time...

 

[jimmyinsd]

I think you would be better off just investing in a sous vide unit. Set it and forget it. I used to use a roaster as well and it was tough to keep the temp consistent and even throughout the roaster. No need to gently raise the temp this way. Just set it at your desired finish temp. Ive been basicly just smoking them until I get the color I want then finishing in the sous vide.

i am hoping to do bigger batches than what I assume a typical sousvide unit could likely handle. just curious do you vac seal the sausages and then sousvide them and into the freezer or whats the process? I am not really up on those things, but I wonder if they would do well trying to finish 12-15# of sausage at one time in a 40 qt cooler or how much is to much to handle?

EDiT: as long as we went this route, what is the process for using the sous vide to finish sausage? do you still cold water bath to stop the cooking process? do you still bloom in open air after they finish?

 

[xray]

I started to finish my sausage with sous vide with good results.

I like to do 10lb batches with my SV in a meatlug container. It takes a bit to heat up the water (I use hot from the faucet to start, but I would imagine an insulated cooler would work better. There’s no discernible temperature drop when adding the sausage to the water.

The great thing about SV is that the sausage will never cook above your set water temperature, so an ice bath isn’t necessary to stop the cooking process. Although I use one to plump up the casings.

Here’s one I did finishing with SV, ice bath and bloom.

Roasted Garlic Pork and Venison Sausage.

I was originally supposed to make venison snack sticks with the FIL but stupid me ordered the wrong sized collagen casings. So with a pack of 19mm casings and no way to stuff them, we called an audible and turned them into a smoked sausage instead. I basically followed the same template as the...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[jimmyinsd]

I started to finish my sausage with sous vide with good results.

I like to do 10lb batches with my SV in a meatlug container. It takes a bit to heat up the water (I use hot from the faucet to start, but I would imagine an insulated cooler would work better. There’s no discernible temperature drop when adding the sausage to the water.

The great thing about SV is that the sausage will never cook above your set water temperature, so an ice bath isn’t necessary to stop the cooking process. Although I use one to plump up the casings.

Here’s one I did finishing with SV, ice bath and bloom.

Roasted Garlic Pork and Venison Sausage.

I was originally supposed to make venison snack sticks with the FIL but stupid me ordered the wrong sized collagen casings. So with a pack of 19mm casings and no way to stuff them, we called an audible and turned them into a smoked sausage instead. I basically followed the same template as the...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

I remember seeing that thread last spring. Do you see any issues with your Sous Vide unit with any grease or other build up since the food isnt bagged? I know when I was thinking of using the sous vide before somebody said you needed to bag the sausage to prevent the unit from getting screwed up.

 

[chopsaw]

Jimmy you might find something useful in this thread .

Bologna

Owens Red Barn Bologna seasoning . This has a great flavor , just what I was lookin for . I made 12 pounds , finished 3 different ways . Used a mix of pork butt and 80/20 store bought ground chuck . 7 lbs. pork 5 lbs. beef . Bought high barrier 80 mm casing ( black )so I could use my sous...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[indaswamp]

Steamers create a >99% humidity environment. And if boiling the water to make the steam, the steam will overcook and weaken the casings making them prone to pop. This is especially true with boudin and raw casings.

 

[Sowsage]

i am hoping to do bigger batches than what I assume a typical sousvide unit could likely handle. just curious do you vac seal the sausages and then sousvide them and into the freezer or whats the process? I am not really up on those things, but I wonder if they would do well trying to finish 12-15# of sausage at one time in a 40 qt cooler or how much is to much to handle?

EDiT: as long as we went this route, what is the process for using the sous vide to finish sausage? do you still cold water bath to stop the cooking process? do you still bloom in open air after they finish?

Ive done 15 lb of kielbasa in an insulated cooler with no problems what so ever. As xray . Stated use hot water to fill the cooler with to start with. I dont bag mine I just drop them right in the water. I'm not saying thats the right way to do it but I have not had any issues doing it that way. Then yes I do let them bloom after I take them out of the bath. It will look like they lost all the color at first but after the bloom the color comes right back.

 

[chopsaw]

I have some water proof casings , that I don't bag , but they don't take smoke so no good for smoking but they work great for lunch meat type stuff . Like this ,

Cotto Salami

Not a whole lot to tell , just been messing with doing sausage with the Anova . This was a Len Poli recipe . I ground 2 1/2 pound chuck and 2 1/2 pounds of pork butt . Followed his recipe for the most part . Cooked start to finish in the Sous Vide . 80 mm high barrier casings . 140 degrees for...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

I have done polish in natural casings , smoked then SV not bagged . It does leach a bit of the smoke and a small amount of grease . I SV at 140 for the amount of time on the chart for the size of the casings . So you don't get as much grease as you might think . I also do hot dogs in cellulose casings not wrapped . No issues for me . When I'm done I use a smaller pot , clean water and some vinegar . Let the SV run to clean it up .

I do use a Coleman cooler to do larger batches . No trouble there either .
I do think it's important to get the sausage cooled down asap after its cooked .

 

[jimmyinsd]

Steamers create a >99% humidity environment. And if boiling the water to make the steam, the steam will overcook and weaken the casings making them prone to pop. This is especially true with boudin and raw casings.

how can using steam to finish them over cook the casings but a hot water bath doesnt? I am not trying to argue, just unsure of what you said. also isnt steam cabinets what a lot of commercial sausage makers use to finish their sausages? I thought that I read that somewhere. I use almost exclusively natural casings so I dont want to ruin a batch of sausage.

 

[xray]

I remember seeing that thread last spring. Do you see any issues with your Sous Vide unit with any grease or other build up since the food isnt bagged? I know when I was thinking of using the sous vide before somebody said you needed to bag the sausage to prevent the unit from getting screwed up.

I haven’t seen any issues with my unit after placing the sausage directly in the water, doesn’t mean it can’t happen but I’ve had no problems.

I also thoroughly rinse the SV out with hot water and clean immediately after use.

In the linked cajun sausage post in that thread, I mentioned using freezer bags at first, but that was one giant pain. Like Sowsage , I’ve had no issues with the sausage or the casings. I enjoy using the SV method because it ensures all the sausage is finished at a precise and safe temperature.

 

[jimmyinsd]

looks like I will need to study up on sizing a sous vide for finishing my sausages!

does anybody just vac seal them after smoking, sous vide, and skip the blooming step? do they still lose color or not finish as plump?

 

[chopsaw]

Jim , the charts on here , I'll see if I can find it . They finish plump , but I have been taught to cool down as fast as possible . Then vac / freeze . Dave helped me understand this stuff when I started doing it .
Heres a link to the whole thing . Look at the list of tables . I do go from smoker to SV , I just haven't vac'd , but you can . I use 140 for my temp . Then find the time for the size of casing and add 1 hour to be safe .

A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking