How long to cold smoke fresh sausage?

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

shtrdave

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
May 11, 2010
666
16
SW Pennsylvania
I was going to get one of the Amazinsmokers small one probably, but looking at that pellet one makes me think that would be great for cold smoking fresh sausage, I usually use kits with cure, have done some with cure and my own seasonings but have never cold smoked any just hot smoke.

So how long do you usually cold smoke for? I would be using a 48" older Cabelas SS propane smoker as my cabinet for hanging sausages.

thanks

dave

Any one know how big the pellet smoker is It doesn't show size but looks larger than the dust versions.
 
When it comes to "fresh sausage" ( uncured) you need to follow the 4 hour rule. 

If using a premixed cure I would follow the directions supplied by the manufacturer. 

If you are going to follow one of the recipes posted on the forum using Cure 1, Instacure 1, or tenderquick you have a bit more flexibility.  I normally keep the smoker at about 130 -150 degrees for 4 or 5 hours then crank it up to 240-250 to bring the sausage up to temp.  I have in the past cold smoked for 7 hours and then put direct into a 240 smoker to bring to final temp.   I do not know of any solid rule for cold smoking a cured sausage, I guess it comes down to what you are trying to achieve but I would think 3 or 4 hours in the cold smoke and then a couple of hours in the smoker will be plenty.

Let us know what you decide to do

Al
 
I usually smoke for anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 6 hours, but recently smoked bacon for 12 hours, and absolutely loved it.  I think the type of wood you use has as much to do with the end results as the length of smoke.

I've never smoked fresh sausage, only cured sausage.

If you're cold smoking cured sausage, do you need to bring it up to temp, or just cold smoke?

I am assuming they will be finished on a grill or pan fried to temp anyway.

Am I thinking this out correctly?

The pellet burner is actually 5 3/8" x 8", and you have the option to use pellets or sawdust.  If you're leaning towards hot smoking with it, then the pellet burner is a better choice.

Todd
 
Last edited:
Al has you on the right track.  With fresh sausage you can hot smoke it, you can grill it, or you can use other traditional methods.

Do NOT try to cold smoke fresh sausage, or you will run the risk of botulism, or other nasties.

Better yet, make your own and put cure in the sausages you want to cold smoke.

Good luck and good smoking.
 
Al has you on the right track.  With fresh sausage you can hot smoke it, you can grill it, or you can use other traditional methods.

Do NOT try to cold smoke fresh sausage, or you will run the risk of botulism, or other nasties.

Better yet, make your own and put cure in the sausages you want to cold smoke.

Good luck and good smoking.
Venture is 100% right. for long cureing  air or cold smoke you will be safe if you will put in cure #2

Cure #2, also called "Prague Powder #2", is a mixture of salt, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. Cure #2 is used on items that are dry cured over an extended period of time, like salumi or cured meats. The sodium nitrate in the cure breaks down over time to sodium nitrite and that is then broken down to nitric oxide, which acts as an oxidizing agent keeping the meat safe from our most evil of enemies, botulism. It's therefore CRITICAL to making safe cured meats.
 
 
  • Like
Reactions: franknap
 
If you are going to follow one of the recipes posted on the forum using Cure 1, Instacure 1, or tenderquick you have a bit more flexibility.  I normally keep the smoker at about 130 -150 degrees for 4 or 5 hours then crank it up to 240-250 to bring the sausage up to temp.  

Al
Is 130-150 considered cold smoking when it comes to cured sausage? 
 
cold smoking in the true definition would be under 40 degrees. No heat. If your sausage has cure in it in the correct amount you can smoke it at any temp. Follow a tried and true technique of which there are many on here.
 
Last edited:
So if I cure I will be able to cold smoke??


If this is homemade fresh sausage, you will need to add cure #1 at the rate of 1 tsp. per 5#'s of meat.... then you can cold smoke at 50-70 ish deg. F with no fear of botulism... Cure #1 adds flavor and changes the meat from brown/grey to pink.. and stops the growth of botulism and some other pathogens...

Smoking reduces the available oxygen in the air... botulism grows in a reduced oxygen environment...
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodsplitter
I know this is an old subject but I'm curious about something. I keep reading about all the dangers of smoking fresh sausage. But I wonder how much gets lost in translation. I've noticed that everyone does things different and cooks their meat different. I have read where some people boil sausage. Which where I come from is unheard of. We usually cook it on the grill if it's link or fried if it is ground. I also wonder how many are getting lost in the term " cold smoke"? When we refer to smoked sausage here, it really only means flavored. It doesn't mean preserved. So when we pull a pack out of the freezer to put on the grill it still gets treated like a fresh raw sausage and cooked all the way done. A few of the threads I've read, I think this is what is being talked about but gets twisted as it goes. So is there any opinions on smoking for flavor only and not for preserving?
 
I know this is an old subject but I'm curious about something. I keep reading about all the dangers of smoking fresh sausage. But I wonder how much gets lost in translation. I've noticed that everyone does things different and cooks their meat different. I have read where some people boil sausage. Which where I come from is unheard of. We usually cook it on the grill if it's link or fried if it is ground. I also wonder how many are getting lost in the term " cold smoke"? When we refer to smoked sausage here, it really only means flavored. It doesn't mean preserved. So when we pull a pack out of the freezer to put on the grill it still gets treated like a fresh raw sausage and cooked all the way done. A few of the threads I've read, I think this is what is being talked about but gets twisted as it goes. So is there any opinions on smoking for flavor only and not for preserving?

I'm still fairly new to smoking sausage, but from what I've learned, if no cure is being used, you need to follow the 4 hour rule. Meaning the meat has to go from 40 degrees to 140 within 4 hours to ensure there are no issues with things like botulism.

Some of the others here can chime in if I'm wrong. So if you plan to cold smoke for flavor, I would say don't smoke any longer than 4 hours.

I myself don't have the guts to be the first one to try something other than the tried and true methods. I'll leave it up to the experts.
 
How long to cold smoke depends on how much smoke flavor you want. The way I do mine is starting at about noon I start a fire in my smoke box and let that burn out. Usually 3-4 hours. Then I let it "rest" until right before I go to bed, then I start the fire again and let it do the same thing. The next morning I will do this again. The resting period let's it "breath" and absorb more of the smoke flavor. Three smokes will make a very smokey sausage that will be pink all the way through! I love it!

I do this only in the dead of winter here in Minnesota and the temperature in the smoker never gets above 40 degrees. I do this with fresh sausage with no cure.
 
I know this is an old subject but I'm curious about something. I keep reading about all the dangers of smoking fresh sausage. But I wonder how much gets lost in translation. I've noticed that everyone does things different and cooks their meat different. I have read where some people boil sausage. Which where I come from is unheard of. We usually cook it on the grill if it's link or fried if it is ground. I also wonder how many are getting lost in the term " cold smoke"? When we refer to smoked sausage here, it really only means flavored. It doesn't mean preserved. So when we pull a pack out of the freezer to put on the grill it still gets treated like a fresh raw sausage and cooked all the way done. A few of the threads I've read, I think this is what is being talked about but gets twisted as it goes. So is there any opinions on smoking for flavor only and not for preserving?
First off welcome to SMF and were glad to have you aboard. Can you swing over to roll call and introduce yourself so we can give you a proper welcome.

Boiling fresh sausages was very common years back when regulations were not in effect or as good as todays standards. As the older generations grew up they boiled the sausage to kill any bactieria that would make you sick. I remember as a kid my mom would boil the fresh kielbasa for a good 30 minutes....it became a normal practice.

Cold smoke is only to add smoke flavor to the sausage. If you want to add more smoke flavor you will need to smoke for a longer period of time which will require a preservative to allow you to smoke at lower temps for longer periods of time.

You can cold smoke fresh sausage but it needs to reach 160 degrees internal temp in 4 hrs, Hot smoke at 180 degrees and it will get done in the safe zone of 4 hrs.

Boykjo
 
Al has you on the right track.  With fresh sausage you can hot smoke it, you can grill it, or you can use other traditional methods.

Do NOT try to cold smoke fresh sausage, or you will run the risk of botulism, or other nasties.

Better yet, make your own and put cure in the sausages you want to cold smoke.

Good luck and good smoking.
I have cured sausage and wanted to cold smoke it for as long as possible,any suggestions?
 
Just read your post as I am new to the forum.

When I hear "cold smoke", to me, that means the temperature never exceeds 70F (ideal temp is around 40F); basically all you want to do is flavor the sausage with the smoke; not cook it. Once smoked the sausage is still raw and must be cooked before eating.

I put my sausage in a 2lb. cloth sack (made for this purpose) and smoke it (using an A-MAZE-N pellet smoker with Hickory pellets) over three or four days or until I get the color I'm looking for (reddish brown) on the outside of the sack. You can do link sausage this way if you use the proper casing.

 I monitor the weather/temperature/humidity to assure I'm not going to have a hot (above 70F) day/excessively cold/unusually wet day during smoking. I can only smoke during the winter months, usually middle/late December until early February in my area.

The short answer to your questions is "smoke it until you get the desired flavor". There no specific time period, in my opinion, as there are weather factors that can have an effect on the smoking process.
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky