Rookie Questions on Smoker Sausage

[mikesr]

Joe1 I Purchased the Auber and I am currently getting to know it. But it is definitely a major step up from the analog thermostat control that came with the unit. Still learning how it interacts with the Cookshack, but the Auber unit is definitely going to make a big difference. I would definitely recommend it to anybody with an older analog smoker. Will keep you posted.

[mikesr]

sidpost I decided to install the Auber 1500 PID controller and keep the existing cabinet. So far so good. Much more accurate than the old analog control and a lot less expensive than replacing the cabinet. Thanks.

[Joe1]

mikesr first thing I did was calibrate the 3 probes in boiling and ice cold water, the app has a system config screen to adjust temp offset so all probes read the same. Next is locate if there are hot/cold spots in the smoker. Does your smoker have a fan?

[mikesr]

Joe1 I tested the probes with crushed ice slush and all three were right on. No offset required. I haven’t tested for hot spots but good idea. No fan - unfortunately, because the cabinet is built in to a structure, there’s not enough clearance for the motor.

[tombilliodeaux]

I just changed smokers and came up with leathery skin sausage.
I used water pan during the process at 180F.
I believe it is the heavy smoke i used at 180F for 5 hrs.
Should have been light smoke .
I am believing too much smoke caused it.
I usually smoke at 160F 4 hrs. then 200F for 1 hr.
Did not do this and smoked for 5hrs 180 and 200 at 1 hr full smoke.

[samspade]

I think you might be dehydrating your product. Go to the learning center here and watch the how to videos on fresh and cured sausages. I think your thermal processing schedule is a little high to start. I think you will find your Answers there.

[alanburkholder]

I agree with Samspade, too hot.

[samspade]

tombilliodeaux also did you have a leave in thermometer in the meat? It just seemed to long to hot.

[Jonathon]

tombilliodeaux Also consider the relative humidity in your smoker and airflow. If it was dry out and you had a lot of airflow within the smoker then 5 hours at 180 is going to be a problem for the skin of the sausage. What did you stuff them into? natural and collagen are fairly close but there are differences and there are differences within collagen as well. I’d guess you got some case hardening from either overcooking, or over-drying the outside of the sausage too quickly. New smokers can take a little bit of time to get used to!

Adding a pan for humidity is good, but it is not going to a ton on its own. Here is some more information on doing that https://meatgistics.waltons.com/topic/1099/cured-sausage-205-advanced-thermal-processing I love this hack but we need to do an actual video on it now that we are (hopefully) better at doing videos!

[mikesr]

For what it’s worth, I use the Auber PID controller in my old Cookshack analog smoker and it gives me great temperature/time control. I’ve been battling tough hog casings all along, but less so since I’ve used the following: Temp 115 for 45min; 140 for 60min; 155 for 60min; 170 until internal temp reaches 140 degrees. Then into the sous vide cooker at 165 for one hour, then into a water bath to cool down. It’s a bit of a process, but the casing turns out much less tough (but still more tough than my wife and I would prefer - we like a snap, but not “tough”). Still trying to improve on it, so any suggestions much appreciated. The sausage I make is smoked Keilbasa. I do use a pan of water for humidity.

[Jonathon]

mikesr Makes sense that finishing it in water would help prevent the casings from drying as much and since you are getting better results with that I would say adding more Relative Humidity for the time it is in the smoker would help even more. I still think finishing in Sous Vide is the way to go, but by preventing them from drying out as much in the smoke phase you should be happier with your product.

[mikesr]

Thanks Jonathon. I’ll try more humidity on a batch of wild duck/goose kielbasa that I’m going to put together in the next few weeks. Do you add humidity from the very beginning, or do you wait some time to add it?

[Dave in AZ]

mikesr from the beginning I would say. The goal is to keep it from drying out. Adding humidity also makes things cook much faster, so there is less time to dry out. Then when you hit the “stall” around 140f, where meat temp doesn’t rise because it is losing as much energy due to evaporation as it absorbs… well, a high relative humidity fights that also. Thats why many will wrap a brisket with foil or paper at that point to get them rapidly past that stall.
Anyhoo, your stated cook schedule looks about perfect so you probably know all that. You may not know that the USFDA FSIS really pushes high relative humidity for all cooking in it’s Cooking Guidelines for Meat and Poultry Products, requiring a RH above 90% or you have to meet alternative methods. And 90% is a lot, more than a pan of water gets you, usually a sealed oven or steam injection. Not required for meat in sausage casings, but while reading their case studies, I did see several pros mention they got better case texture, less tough, by cooking sausages up at very high RH anyways. Just a datapoint I read that supports what Jonathon said above.

[mikesr]

Dave, That’s great info. I’ll make an even greater effort to maximize RH in the smoker. Thanks!

[Denny O]

mikesr said in Rookie Questions on Smoker Sausage:

Cookshack

Ain’t nothing wrong with an OLD Cookshack smoker!
Heck I’d take it off yer hands!

[mikesr]

I’ll let you know if I ever decide to offload, but now that I’ve mated it with the PID controller, it’s doing everything I want.