Cold Smoked Sausage Help

bigjoet · Jan 11, 2017

Hello there, long time lurker here and new member. I was hoping that some of you gurus could help me solve a problem that has been bugging me for some time.

I have attempted to make smoked sausage a few times now and while the flavor of the sausage is typically good, I cant really seem to get the smoke just right. I often get complains that the sausage is overly smokey (I dont smoke near as long as some on here say they do, typically 3-6 hours) and I do not ever really get the color that I typically associate with smoked sausage. My sausage mostly still looks fresh to the eye, but you can smell the smoke on it heavily as soon as the bag is opened.

My smoke house is 36x36x7ft and I use a small fire pit located outside to pipe in the smoke with aluminum dryer vent. I do notice that while smoking from time to time that there is a fair amount of condensation on the walls of the smokehouse. I always assumed this to be an issue with the humidity, but dont want to assume anything at this point. I am using a basic recipe mixture of salt/pepper/garlic and cure. I tried to include everything here that I could think of but if I missed anything just let me know. Thanks in advance fellas!

Joe

tropics · Jan 11, 2017

BigJoeT said:
Hello there, long time lurker here and new member. I was hoping that some of you gurus could help me solve a problem that has been bugging me for some time.

I have attempted to make smoked sausage a few times now and while the flavor of the sausage is typically good, I cant really seem to get the smoke just right. I often get complains that the sausage is overly smokey (I dont smoke near as long as some on here say they do, typically 3-6 hours) and I do not ever really get the color that I typically associate with smoked sausage. My sausage mostly still looks fresh to the eye, but you can smell the smoke on it heavily as soon as the bag is opened.

My smoke house is 36x36x7ft and I use a small fire pit located outside to pipe in the smoke with aluminum dryer vent. I do notice that while smoking from time to time that there is a fair amount of condensation on the walls of the smokehouse. I always assumed this to be an issue with the humidity, but dont want to assume anything at this point. I am using a basic recipe mixture of salt/pepper/garlic and cure. I tried to include everything here that I could think of but if I missed anything just let me know. Thanks in advance fellas!

Joe

Joe pics of your smoker

Your location

Temps used for the process in the CC

Type of probes used would be more help in getting you some good info

Richie

bigjoet · Jan 11, 2017

IMG_6328.PNG

bigjoet
Jan 11, 2017

Located just outside of Austin, Tx. Have been trying to keep temps as low as possible as I thought that was the idea on the cold smoke. I'll need to check my log when I get home on what my temp was on the last run

bigjoet · Jan 11, 2017

Please be gentle [emoji]128578[/emoji]. Trying my best to replicate a family recipe without the benefit of having the people around to help with the details. I've Only tried a couple small batches to test with thus far.

crankybuzzard · Jan 11, 2017

BigJoeT said:
Please be gentle [emoji]128578[/emoji]. Trying my best to replicate a family recipe without the benefit of having the people around to help with the details. I've Only tried a couple small batches to test with thus far.

It's all good. None of us knew what to do when we first started, a few will say they knew it all, but they only knew some of it...

How is your smoke house exhausted? Pipe, vents, etc.

When you say cold smoking, what temps are you running in the smokehouse?

Keep answering our questions and we'll have you fixed up pronto!

chef jimmyj · Jan 11, 2017

What does your smoke look like? Even three hours of heavy white smoke will give an acrid strong, over smoked taste. For color and flavor, start at 130, no smoke, for an hour. Start making Thin Blue smoke and bump the temp 10 degrees every hour until you get to 170 degrees. Continue smoking until the IT reaches 152-155. Rinse with cold water and hang to dry and bloom.

There is Cold Smoke as in Country Ham that is November ambient for a week or two straight. And Cold Smoke, as anything from ambient >40 degrees to 170 degrees for 6 to 12 hours...JJ

bigjoet · Jan 11, 2017

Haha I hear you and thanks

I have a roof jack on top now. Originally I was just letting the smoke exhaust out of the groves in the tin siding up and out. I was not monitoring the temp on the smoke house all that closely as I didn't not think it was important for cold smoking. My notes say it was 85-90 on the therm in the door of smokehouse.

bigjoet · Jan 11, 2017

Funny you should ask about the fire. Originally I thought I did not have enough exhaust so I added the roof jack. Doesn't seem to have helped. Perhaps fire management is part of my issue. I usually use a pear burner to get a log or two started and once that burns down to coals add a small mini log at a time. I have never tried heating it up as you suggest with no smoke. I do usually let the links sit out to dry before putting them in smoke house

Chef JimmyJ said:
What does your smoke look like? Even three hours of heavy white smoke will give an acrid strong, over smoked taste. For color and flavor, start at 130, no smoke, for an hour. Start making Thin Blue smoke and bump the temp 10 degrees every hour until you get to 170 degrees. Continue smoking until the IT reaches 152-155. Rinse with cold water and hang to dry and bloom.

There is Cold Smoke as in Country Ham that is November ambient for a week or two straight. And Cold Smoke, as anything from ambient >40 degrees to 170 degrees for 6 to 12 hours...JJ

chef jimmyj · Jan 11, 2017

Exhaust is important. The best taste comes from smoke passing over the meat. Too stagnant and lingering allows strong tasting undesirable smoke components to stick to the sausage...JJ

crankybuzzard · Jan 11, 2017

Chef JimmyJ said:
Exhaust is important. The best taste comes from smoke passing over the meat. Too stagnant and lingering allows strong tasting undesirable smoke components to stick to the sausage...JJ

Another thing that comes to mind is draft... You may need to add a little heat source to the smokehouse to get the temp to where it wants to rise and create a natural draft from the smoke box through the smokehouse and out the exhaust. ONce drafting, you could turn off or eliminate the inhouse heat source.

If the smoke enters into the smoke house and really doesn't raise the temp, you could have stagnant smoke in there and also condensation.

bigjoet · Jan 12, 2017

Thanks guys, you both appear to be pointing to the same thing. lack of heat, at least early on. I'll give that a shot and report back. I appreciate the help.

bigjoet · Jan 12, 2017

one more question for you guys if you do not mind, for the AMNPS users. Would that produce enough smoke to fill up my smokehouse pictured above. I am mainly wanting to use it to smoke deer/pork link sausage. I like the idea of not having to fool with a fire and everyone seems to say they work great, so would not mind trying one if you think it would work for the smoking aspect.

chef jimmyj · Jan 12, 2017

Chek with Todd at A-MAZE-N but I doubt the AMNPS will handle a cabinet that big. It was designed for a MES, 13D X 20W X 40H. I would think a Pair of expandable Tubes would generate enough...JJ

JckDanls 07 · Jan 12, 2017

The tube smoker from A MAZ N will work with pellets in the smokehouse... as long as there is a draft to keep them lit...

bigjoet · Jan 12, 2017

Thanks guys, I'll go to their website and try to get ahold of him for recommendations.

Cold Smoked Sausage Help

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