In addition to the a-maz-n tubes, you could also look into the Big Kahuna cold smoker attachment. https://smokedaddyinc.com/product-category/cold-smokers/ This will allow you to use normal wood chips/chunks opposed to buying pellets (which can add up $$ over time). I own an older Traeger, but like yourself wanted to be able to hang sausage, snack sticks, hams, etc… I tried using different chambers and piping in the smoke from my pellet grill with a 4" dryer hose (which I dubbed “The Hillbilly Cold Smoker”), then I started adding single electric burners (the $10 Walmart models) to introduce low temp heat. I ended up finding an aluminum enclosed pan rack on Craigslist and building something I could work with.

While I ended up adding a separate pellet hopper assembly to this, I would say that I use the cold smoker + the electric burner combination 99% of the time. With the 2 burners, I can get this up to about 165 degrees. If you were to buy the Weston Vertical that Jonathon mentioned and added a cold smoke generator (then maybe an electric burner for the 100 - 120-degree range), then you should be able to do anything that you need. IMO

I use 80/20 all of the time without any issue.

Jonathon
That looks amazing. I picked up a sous vide a few months ago and I try to incorporate it anywhere I can. I cooked a 4 bone ribeye roast at Christmas @ 131 degrees for 24 hours, then finished it with the broiler (my family doesn’t like it any rarer than the 131) and the results were amazing. The bones didn’t fit in the bag with the roast, so I had to remove them and cook them separately. I kept those for the chef.

We really like cooking tri-tip in the sous vide too. I usually cook them at 131 for 20 - 24 hours, but I finish them on the grill for a few minutes per side and the texture seems more like a filet than tri-tip.

I agree with you; if you don’t have a sous vide I would suggest picking one up.

Austin
When making Ring Bologna or Keilbasa, at what point do you remove the casings to end up with the product as pictured for each of these “How to” recipes?

I am sorry to hear about your parents, though I love how you are keeping the tradition going. I have been making “Hickory Farms-ish” baskets for friends and family for the past several years that include summer sausage, kielbasa, smoked cheese, smoked almonds (3 flavors), homemade mustard, fudge, and a random candy (whatever I feel like making - last year it was a cayenne caramel on a bacon-pretzel crust). After reading some of these posts, maybe I should limit my scope a little. lol I too, but them in a cookbook for the kids so maybe they will pick this up too (or some of the easier recipes). Nothing brings joy more than homemade goodies! Thank you for such a great post.

Jonathon Aren’t those casings non-ediable?

I have been documenting everything I do any more when making new things (mustards, pickles, pickled Brussels Sprouts, etc…) so I can eventually end up with a reproducible product that everyone can enjoy time and time again. I probably ruined 20 lbs of almonds before I ended up with a recipe that I loved and could reproduce without fail.

Jonathon Thank you Jonathon. I just picked up some of your Signature Smoked Kielbasa and Cajun seasoning so I might try a 5# trial batch to see how those casings they work for me.

That does look amazing. I am curious to see how it turns out after wrapping in butcher paper. I typically go right from the smoker to vacuum sealed bags as it seals in the smoke and keeps the outside surface of the cheese from getting hard. How long did you keep them in the smoke?

Jonathon Thanks again for this and all of your answers to my questions. I will certainly give this a try. What size casings did you use when you made this?

Thanks for the tip; I’ll have to look into those. I have been putting my food saver through the paces lately.