Too Much Smoke

[swedegeek]

My wife decided we should start eating grass fed/grass finished meat, so now our freezer is full of a 1/4 beef & 1/2 a cow. This weekend we're smoking a small ham (more precisely, a piece of a larger ham) and a blade roast. As I got the roast out of the freezer I saw a package of potato sausage in there - "How about smoking that?"

Potato sausage is a mild sausage made from, well, potatoes (and pork & beef). Its a traditional Scandinavian dish usually served around the holidays to make Lars & Ole feel nostalgic & sentimental about the good old days that weren't really so good. Traditionally its boiled (like almost everything else Scandinavian). It comes out the way my Scandinavian ancestors liked everything - white & bland.

A couple of hours in a 225 degree smoker got it up to 160 IT. It looked great. My fears were realized, though - it was TOO smoky. Obviously two hours was too much. How long are mild sausages like this normally smoked? Would it have done better smoked at a lower temperature, then moved to an oven to finish cooking?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Just realized this was posted in NEW MEMBERS - which is probably not the best place, but I don't know how to move it. Sorry for the newbie gaffe.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Welcome from Colorado.
Dont know what you used for smoke wood or what kind of smoker and air flow you have? But higher temp on the cook will likely solve the problem, assuming you enjoy the smoke flavor generally from your smoking method.

 

[thirdeye]

Welcome aboard. For a sausage as delicate as potato sausage, I prefer to par boil in a beer butter bath, then finish by grilling for a few minutes. Of course you can put some flavor wood into the coals while grilling.

Sausages that contain cure and are truly smoked (low temps, longer times) are very hearty. Meats like wild game, pork or beef, and are generally 20+% in fat and can contain some stronger spices, onion and garlic.

 

[swedegeek]

Thanks for the input. To summarize:

1. Smoke at a higher temp to get the IT to a suitable temp before the smoke flavor gets more intense than I want it.

2. Consider grilling it - parboil first, then grill to get a little brown on it, perhaps with flavor wood on the bed of coals.

3. Of course, there's always the obvious - smoke it for a shorter time, then heat using another method to get the IT up to the right temp.

Thanks for the help!!!

 

[SmokyMose]

I've used Cranky Buzzard's recipe for Swedish Potato Sausage and like it a lot, but I don't think it was meant to be smoked.
Fried or grilled with Lingonberry Preserves on the side.
I think that's how most "blander" sausages are. Smoke overpowers the delicate flavors.....

 

[DRKsmoking]

Hi swedegeek, welcome from Nova Scotia

I have done the potasto sausage here 2 times now. First time had some blow outs , second time better.
Like others have said , I also par boiled , than fried and also on the grill( bbq with smoke )

Potato Sausage Round 2

Potato Sausage Round 2 Hi Guys, so back in July I tried this for the first time , said I will try again . so here it is ...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

David