usecd
Got Wood.
I cook a lot of wild hog and venison link sausage on my smoker. While it taste great, it doesn't look very good as its all shriveled up and the casing is usually tough after smoking. Does anyone know why?
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Link sausage
- Thread starter usecd
- Start date
I'm still a noob, but know what you are talking about and can be from a few things like understuffing, over cooking and all the fat melts, not cooling fast enough, not enough fat in the grind. I'm still trying to be a decent sausage maker myself.
Okie Sawbones
Banned
#1 is throwing the sausage in an ice bath after it reaches temp.
Free Mr. Tony
is Blowin Smoke!
Agree. I fill a hotel pan up with ice, then top off with water. As soon as the sausage hit the target temp, toss them in the ice bath for about ten minutes or so. Dry them off, and let them sit in the fridge for a couple hours uncovered. Hardly even can tell they are cased.
usecd
Got Wood.
What temp should I be targeting?
Free Mr. Tony
is Blowin Smoke!
Depends on what type of sausage. I typically make pork based, and sometimes beef. I grind all my own meat, and feel comfortable shooting for 150.
Game sausage is something I have never done myself, and I will let more knowledgeable people comment on that.
I think your most likely problem is carryover though whatever temp you are cooking to. What temp do you cook to? Are you using standard hog casings?
154 for pretty much all hog. Is there pink cure in the sausage?
Cook till the casings just start to split. I like pouring cold beer on them to quick cool right before pulling them off the grill. Great flavor. They suck it right in.
mking7
Knows what a fatty is.
Before I chime in I have a question. Are you cooking smoked sausage for immediate consumption that was previously smoked or are you cooking fresh(raw) sausage for immediate consumption or are you smoking a batch of sausage for packaging and storage?
gtr
somebody shut me the fark up.
When I'm making sausage I'll let the casings dry before putting them in the smoker, or I'll put them in kinda still moist and keep the heat low, like under 130, until the casings dry. I'm doing this in a stick burner so I'm keeping the fire small so I don't have to use dampers to control the heat (I never do anyway) since airflow will help dry the casings.
Once the casings are dry, I'll cook until the sausages are 150-155, throw in an icebath immediately & let 'em sit there for about 10 minutes. If there are any wrinkled casings, a quick dunk - and I do mean quick - in boiling water will fix that.
Also - are you soaking the casings for about an hour before stuffing? I'll also run water through the casings before stuffing. I'll change the water once or twice.
Once the casings are dry, I'll cook until the sausages are 150-155, throw in an icebath immediately & let 'em sit there for about 10 minutes. If there are any wrinkled casings, a quick dunk - and I do mean quick - in boiling water will fix that.
Also - are you soaking the casings for about an hour before stuffing? I'll also run water through the casings before stuffing. I'll change the water once or twice.
steelarz47
Full Fledged Farker
just keep in mind fat renders(turns liquid) at about 161deg, so if you cook to high and fast the fat melts away. i use a binder, potato starch, soy protein are two that work for me, that should help keep it plump along with the ice bath.
Bludawg
somebody shut me the fark up.
They'll plump back up when you reheat but the ice bath is the deal.
