Tell me your secret, please

[PapaRed]

Have been using a Weber Kettle (22" Performer) and really like it for high temp grilling, and for low and slow cooks. (225-250 degrees). My issue is maintaining below 160 degrees grate temperature for smoking sausages. I've only been semi-successful, and figure there must be a bunch of sausage cookers here that can tell me their secret for cooking sausages on a kettle.
My procedure has been:
1. dry casings @ 90 Deg with heavy smoke for 1 hour, 30 minutes. (I do that with an A-Maze-N tube on the bottom of the kettle)
2. Smoke @ 125 for 2 hours
3. Smoke @ 150 until 145 internal temperature, then place in ice bath for 10 minutes.
Step 3 is mostly impossible for me.
Appreciate any instructions on smoking home made sausage (with cure) on a Weber kettle.

 

[gmc2003]

Single row or possibly a two row snake. Keep your sausages on the opposite side of the heat. That would be my guess. chopsaw may have a better idea. He's a master with the kettle.

Chris

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Like gmc said I’d try a one layer snake first just to see how the temp goes. And add from there

 

[SmokinEdge]

Agree with a thin snake briquette set up and sausage indirect.

What exactly is your failure? You describe your process but not the end result of the sausage.

You can low smoke for color then bake to finish or my favorite is poach or SV, this makes a much better bite through snappy casing too.

 

[ceeaton]

Not sure the issue. I do about the same thing on my kettle, but once I reach 100*F IT in the sausage, I'm guessing there isn't a whole lot of smoke ending up in the sausage. At that point why not bring the sausage up to finishing temp and shower it?

A single snake does work well, but it usually hangs around 190*F unless it is a really cold winter day with some wind.

Other option, which I just did, is buy an electric smoker, lol.

 

[Culinary Otter]

You can low smoke for color then bake to finish or my favorite is poach or SV, this makes a much better bite through snappy casing too.

+1 for the sous vide method. That's how I got around my high-temp issues with the pellet smoker.

 

[mike243]

I have no secrets on a kettle, I use a Masterbuilt electric smoker for them, I save the Weber for high temp cooks, No reliable way to control low temps at least not repeatable.

 

[chopsaw]

may have a better idea.

I agree with Chris . He knows as much as anyone here when it comes to a Weber kettle .

Don't think of it as the same as using a smokehouse .

Know what the lowest temp is that your kettle wants to run at , and add coals per hour / time needed to maintain that temp . Don't wait to see a temp drop to add . Spikes will settle in . You can cool / adjust buy lifting the lid , or slide the lid to one side .

Build the fire offset / banked to one side .

Put the sausage on opposite the fire . Lid vent over the sausage full open .

Put your wood chunks on top of the grate over the fire . You may have to put them in the coals to get them going , then put the grate on and move the chunks up . This is when a hinged grate comes in handy . You can change position as needed while smoking
.

Watch the internal temp of the sausage and pull them when they're at the temp you like . I've never had fat out at higher cooking temps , if I pull it when it reaches temp . I use 152 .

I just did some in my MES start to finish cooking temp of 160 . Took about 2 hours . Fantastic .

I've done them start to finish in my pellet grill at 200 / 225 .
Pulled when the IT was 148 . Carry over was 160 . Again , awesome results , and you don't get that tough bite from a long hang time .

 

[PapaRed]

Wow! Great information! Thank you. I was asked about my process (no photos this time) so, here it was. After smoke with the A-Maze_N tube, Kettle set up with snake two wide row with one brickette on top evenly spaced with small wood chip. I was able to maintain 125 for 2 hours using the lower vents 1/8 open and the top around 1/8 open. Increased to 150 (temp taken opposite of the burning snake) however the sausage stalled at 125 degrees. Old anxious me couldn't wait, plunged 'em into a water bath set at 180, and in a few minutes the links were at 152 degrees. Into the ice bath.
Sausages plump, with good color, good taste, and thanks to suggestions of the experts here, the casings were tender!
Four years ago I had a totally unsatisfactory experience with my WSM, MES, and PID controller, so got rid of them. Didn't miss them and have been able to do everything I wanted on the kettle - except sausage. Am happy with kettle, considered a pellet grill, but I understand the lowest temp setting for most are 180 degrees!? So, I will continue to figure out how to smoke sausages! Thanks for great info gleaned from here.

 

[PapaRed]

Just now reread CHOPSAW's recommendations. So, are you saying it's not an issue if the fire goes above 160 as long as I monitor the internal sausage temp?
I had always understood the fat-out issue was with the fire temp above 160.

 

[Culinary Otter]

...except sausage. Am happy with kettle, considered a pellet grill, but I understand the lowest temp setting for most are 180 degrees!?

I love the "set-it and forget-it" quality of pellet grills. Upgraded from a little portable Traeger I bought just to "try smoking to see if I like it".

Went way above my internal budget and upgraded to a Yoder thinking it was the only thing I'd ever need... Until sausages.

We were able to achieve great results on it with the smoke/poach method, but yeah. It won't go below ~180 and it's definitely not happy there.

So, opposite of you, I went and purchased an MES just for sausage making

I love pellet grills, but I wouldn't look at one as the silver bullet for sausage making. I took a sausage making class last year, and at the round table that was probably the biggest "issue" guys were having. Me and my buddy were actually one of the only ones to get decent results, but still struggled.

 

[cptnding]

Went way above my internal budget and upgraded to a Yoder thinking it was the only thing I'd ever need... Until sausages.

We were able to achieve great results on it with the smoke/poach method, but yeah. It won't go below ~180 and it's definitely not happy there.

What model Yoder do you have?
I've had a YS640 for a while and it will run at 150 no problem. I've had it for about 8 years so something may have changed with the controller.

 

[Culinary Otter]

Same the 640

 

[chopsaw]

So, are you saying it's not an issue if the fire goes above 160 as long as I monitor the internal sausage temp?

No , I'm saying I haven't had fat out at higher temps IF I pull the sausage when it is close to the finish internal temp I'm looking for .
Holding it at high temps for long periods ( or a to long ) will result in the fat melting .

That's why I say don't look at it the same as hanging in a smokehouse . It's more like cooking .
The stuff I did on my pellet grill was really good . I bought parts to install a hanging rod in it , so I can hang sausage .

Here's the batch I did in the pellet grill . I think 200 was the lowest I could get . Cook time was only a couple hours tops .
I piled them up and rotated the pile during cooking . Helped to shield some heat .

Resting . Pellet batch on the right . ( rack )

MES batch , smoked for color then poached on the left .

Cut shot of the pellet batch .

Reading your method in post 9 , sounds like you have it worked out .
So if that works , no need to change anything . I'm just giving some options on heat control or suggesting that you know what to expect if using a kettle .
Keep us posted .

 

[PapaRed]

Thanks for the clarification. Those sausages sure do look delicious! Hope after more experience I can come close to those links.

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks for the clarification. Those sausages sure do look delicious! Hope after more experience I can come close to those links.

Plenty of help here to get you there . I'm always happy to give the way I do things , but there are other ways that work . You'll pick what works for you .

Here's one thing that got me thinking about cook times and temps .
When watching some of the TV shows that involve BBQ places , they make and cook their smoked sausage the same day . Start in the morning , and server by 11:00 or so .
I'm assuming ( we all know about that ) that they are cooking with smoke . 4 hours tops ? Again , just assuming .

Next time you do a batch post up some pics .

 

[PapaRed]

I became addicted to BBQ and smoked sausage while in Texas with the US Air Force. Rudy's BBQ was my favorite - especially their sausage. They now have 3 stores in the Phoenix area. I've been able to creae a recipe that closely matchestheir sausage - much more economical than theirs!
Though I didn't take a photo of the cooks yesterday, here's one of the frozen packages.

 

[chopsaw]

Looks great !