Best type of sausage for smoking?

Darkman said:

I don't know about being MAD but you're pretty smart!

Never knew Kielbasa meant Sausage. That explains the wide differences in Kielbasa. From what you are saying I think the krakowska would be much better.

I'll see if I can find a local source. This part of America is a bit too homogenized and we don't have too many ethnic pockets which is a shame. So much heritage is lost!

Click to expand...

The other solution is to make your own quality sausage. It's not hard, it does require a little bit of time, a good grinder, and a stuffer. But the rewards far exceed the worth of your efforts.

You can't beat sausage made with quality ingredients which you have chosen and inspected. You will never find a fresher supply of good sausage made to your individual likes.

What do you all think about using the same bbq smoker for your beef/pork/chicken as well as sausages? Harry Soo recommended a different smoker for fish and dogs.

Thermal Mass said:

Johnsonville?:tsk::tsk: At least step up to Klement's You will thank me.:becky:
:

Click to expand...

Klement's....................:twitch: Over a Johnsonville............:scared: Quick call the Police, somebody stole your taste buds when you weren't looking.....hurry there is little time............run run.............:becky:

Darkman said:

I am in complete agreement with that and I hope to post retirement. I am a firm believer that the right equipment can make the difference between sucess and failure that and the right recipe/spice blend. For now I'll have to stick with store bought.

Click to expand...

You can always order from a butcher that ship "Overnight"...
I used to order from Redlinski Meats. They make a good Wedzona Kielbasa sausage and they also make great natural casing German style hot dogs (wieners).

Darkman said:

Another find was an Alligator sausage that I'll try later this week. It is made by a Cajun family that has relocated to this area about a decade ago. This could be number two of four!

Click to expand...

You'll find the alligator sausage is lean and made from tougher cuts of the reptile. I think this would be more suited to hot and fast grilling. My In-laws bring me alligator sausage all the time. It's something different and a good conversation piece at BBQ gatherings. At least you can say you have eaten alligator, LOL...

.

bbqgeekess said:

What do you all think about using the same bbq smoker for your beef/pork/chicken as well as sausages? Harry Soo recommended a different smoker for fish and dogs.

Click to expand...

I use my smoker for beef, pork, chicken, as well as sausages (both hot and cold smoked) with no problems. In fact I bought my smoker (The Down East Beast) to accommodate large loads of sausage for smoking, as well as for smoking hams and bacon. There is no carry over of smell when I do beef, chicken, ribs, game, or sausage.

I learned my lesson about 20 years ago when I smoked my first load of white fish in the smoker. Even with a aggressive cleaning you can still smell the fish in both the smoker and in the smoke.

If someone wishes to smoke fish, I would suggest that they buy a cheap smoker for use only as a fish smoker.

Darkman said:

I haven't done any fish but I'd have to agree that at least a serious cleaning may be necessary after fish. Not sure that the dogs would cause any harm but then again I'm "looking for wood" so maybe I'm not the best one to ask that.

Click to expand...

Depending on the type of fish, even a serious cleaning may not remove the odor from the smoker. Never have and never, will smoke a dog, so I can't help you with that part of your question..

.

A smoked andouille or a smoked jalapeno with cheddar is always a winner around here.

Hey guys, kiełbasa and andouille sausage you buy in the store is already smoked. You can smoke it again if you like. If you make it from scratch you got to smoke it

Bludawg said:

Slovaceks or City Market Jalapeno & Cheddar, Dallas City Packing Hot Links, Opas Beef & Pork

Click to expand...

Holy cow I miss Slovaceks....wonder if I could get some mail-ordered

I like to smoke fresh linguica, as it has that chunky texture. There are a few places out here that make excellent sausages, but, they are local. From time to time, I can find a coarse kielbasa or brat which is quite good.

In general, I don't like smoking poultry sausages, I find that they rarely have enough fat.

Darkman said:

Well I was not to impressed with the local fresh sausage I purchased. It is partly my fault.

Based upon my research I smoked at 245 and it should have taken about three hours. At two hours the internal temp was 170F (was looking for 150F) and I pulled them. They were not juicy. That I figured was my fault and I'll check the temp earlier next time.

The two sausages were both fresh one labeled Cajun and the other Italian. Neither were coarse enough for my taste and when you looked at a sliced cross section they had barely discernable variations in the meat.

The Cajun labeled sauage should be embarrassed as there was no spiciness to it at all. There really wasn't a lot of flavor period. The bite was good and the casing posed no problem.

The Italian labeled one had a barely discernable Italian taste. Texture and casing were the same. Overall I would not reccommend these to anyone. Maybe a child who had never had sausage and needed a little exposure.

I was not happy with the overall appearance of either sausage. Do you brown your sausage up on a grill or flattop before presentation?

Over all both of these were very mild. These came from a company that uses the word Cajun in their company name. Not impressed.

I'm headed to Mississippi and will look for another source that way.

Click to expand...

Living in an area of sassige desolation you will only be satisfied when you man up and make your own.It's not that hard.