Smoking Link Sausage For The First Time

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

Thanks to my Rytek Kutas sausage making book and some advice from Chez over at Fat Johnny’s Front Porch, I’d made it to the final step in the sausage process – smoking it. From what I understand, it’s important to keep the smoker temp at 160* because if it goes higher, the fat in the sausage will melt and run out yielding a less than desirable product.

My Stumps Smoker is a box shape which is good for hanging linked sausage – I didn’t want to lay it on the racks – so I removed the shelves, bought some 5/8” diameter wooden dowel rods, and cut them to the right length to fit the smoker. I have a device called a DigiQ for my smoker which is basically a thermometer and a fan (like our homes) that controls the internal temp. My concern was whether or not it could stay at the lower temps.

According to Rytek, the pit should be at 130* until the casings have dried and it has achieved a nice color, then it is slowly raised and smoke is introduced. This description works fine for a smoker designed for smoking sausage, which mine isn’t, so I have less control over the smoke amount.

I got the smoker to 130* and added the sausage - note only two probes, one for the smoker and one for the meat - a record low for me.

The book said to hold it at 130* for an hour, but after about 15 minutes, the temp started creeping up taking an hour to get to 147*, at which point I added a chunk of hickory and began easing the smoker temp up to 160*.  I had to trrottle the inlet air back to a very small opening to maintain the 160* pit temp, but the Stumps was able to do it - a windy, 30 degree day would have been a little easier.  Next time I may fuel it by adding a few lit coals as needed - but hey this is a first and I'm sure I'll learn alot from it.

The meat temp got up to 125* pretty quick, but then with an ever decreasing difference between the pit and the meat temps, it slowed way down (thermodynamics in action) - I'm kicking myself for not using Chris' cooking log - I'll remember it next time.  I put it on at 10am EDT and took it out at 5pm at an internal temp of 149* - big difference in the color.

Guess what I had for supper - leftover pasta with that good sauce and a piece of sausage with my homemade mustard.

I don't know why the shots turned out so bad and why it has the white streaks on it, but Bev and I both really liked it.  This is a big deal as she has told me on a regular basis that she doesn't like cased sausage - I now believe she'll support making more and help me eat it.  I've made this before and just smoked it as an uncased chub, but it's better stuffed into a casing.  I'm so pleased with this entire first try and I will definitely make, stuff, and smoke more - I feel a new stuffer coming on.

Coal companies aren't dumb - I've seen a flood of ads regarding coal to produce electricity since Japan's nuke problems happened.  Playing to our fears me thinks.

Have a good day and thanks for visiting.

Larry