I will add a couple things...
It is imperative that the meat in the casings, after it is removed from the overnight sit in the fridge is allowed to come to room temp and all the condensation on the exterior is dried up, before placing it in the smoker. Moisture and smoke will cause a rancid taste for some reason(this goes for anything in a casing). A small oscillating fan really helps the process
Second
Bossman said take it to 156deg. This is spot on. Only thing I will add is you can't let it go past that or it will dry out. When I do smoke sticks, hotdogs or summer sausage I start them in the smoker and finish off bringing it to temp in the oven. Usually once meat hits 140-145ish, the pores close up and it won't take any more smoke flavor. When I hit temp, I take them out and plop them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and temp rise :bbq
Thanks for the responses!
Iluv2hunt, do you put your summer sausage in the cooler overnight for a specific reason or is it just a time issue? Couldn't the stuffed casings go directly to the smoker without additional cooling? Couple more questions, transferring from smoker to oven, what temp. do you set the oven, same as Bossman's temp in the smoker, 300-350 degrees? Do you also use a kit for summer sausage or do you start from scratch? :dtect
Treefarmer
Mr Treefarmer
The directions on just about every recipe call for an overnight visit to the fridge for the cure that is in the mix to actually "cure" the meat. SO I do all the labor intensive work one day, let them cure in the fridge overnight, then take out the next morning and let go to room temp/smoke/cook/etc
As far as temp...I go as low as I can go and maintain a consistent smoke. About 225-250ish. When finishing in the oven I do 275ish. The finishing temp of 156 is very low so you can blow by it in a hurry if your smoker temp is too high
I have been using the Gander mountain brand of seasonings since they opened a store in Tampa. I have had rave compliment from people I have given stuff to, and it is just following directions on the "kits"
One thing I do different than mr bossman does. I hang the sausages in my smoker as opposed to laying them on racks. I have dowel rods int eh very top rack that I can drape links over or tie strings to them. Gives a better finished shape
Okay, We always keep records of each of our sausage making events and will be trying this pretty soon. I really appreciate y'alls helpful information.
Treefarmer
For the summer sausage, I also used the seasonings from Gander, and pretty much followed what l2h was saying. They turned out great.
