Wet or dry. A little confused.

[buzzy]

First off not sure if this is the right place to put this. Move if not. Please explain why when doing sausage or bologna I need to hang in smoker to dry for a hr. or 2 but doing whole meats it’s ok to spray or mop with sauces , butter or whatever you like while smoking. Thanks for all replies!

 

[thirdeye]

Drying sausage helps with a nice even brown color, so you can air dry (a fan will help) or dry in a low temp smoker with the vents and even the door cracked open. If the smoker temp is over 100° the sausage might sweat and not dry. Air drying might take an hour or so, but drying in a smoker takes less time for me.

Muscle meats brown due to the Malliard reaction. And some sprays or mops help.

 

[zwiller]

daveomak taught me: wet meat (water) + smoke = creosote and has always stuck with me. Totally changed my game too. Spraying/misting/mopping/etc is a fools errand and no way this helps "keep meat moist". At best, it controls bark from getting too crunchy or adds a little layer of flavor. However, like all things, opinions vary.

 

[buzzy]

Thirdeye & zwiller thanks. I was drying some SS awhile ago an that thought cross my mind so I figure ask the more knowledgeable ones. I almost always dry whole meats in frig over night & sausages in smoker.

 

[indaswamp]

Creosote deposits faster at lower temperatures and slower air flow. This typically occurs from a small natural fire with incomplete burn to facilitate getting the temps. low; hence more creosote is formed. And since we smoke sausages by stepping up the temps. over the course of hours, creosote has the potential to deposit on wet surfaces.
When cooking say, a brisket, the chamber temps are running hotter in the 225~300* range. The hotter fire has a more complete burn and less creosote formation, thus mopping the meat has less creosote pick up.

This is what I have been taught anyways... if you are using an electric with an AMPTS this does not apply....totally different system.