A Load of Andouille w/ Q-View

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flipper

Newbie
Original poster
May 20, 2008
19
10
NW NJ
So I thought I'd give a go of making a load of Andouille sausage. I have made a bunch in the past on the old smoker but not with the current beast. Plus I had to payback some of the guys at work who have been cutting and welding my modifications for me. What better way than with pork products!

My latest mod was to make a hanging rack for the links. In the past I just laid them on the grate, but I read that it's better to hang 'em so no surface area is untouched by smoke. So I came up with this nifty, $10 solution:



Drilled two holes, inserted two eyebolts and cut some 3/8" rod to length. I slip it in the right side first then back it into the left. (Hits the snorkel) Looks like it will work. Here's the load of sausage after resting in the fridge to form the pellicle:



Here they are on the rack ready for smoke:



Here they are after reaching 155deg internal:



Or so I thought. I didn't have consistent results, as you can see in the pic, there are several "unsmoked" areas. I'm not sure what happened. After the water bath, I cut one open and it was a bit undercooked. So I threw them on the grill and after singing all the hair off my arms with the flare-ups, I got them to where I wanted them. I think I'm going to have to practice this some more so I don't poison anyone!
 
Looks like you have a good plan, just need some fine tuning! Keep workin at it. Thanks for the Q-view.
 
great sausage that andouille.

from the pic looks like the places that touched other sausage did not get the smoke.and as far as not being cooked all the way.that should be a simple fix. up the temp maybe and cook a little longer.
you might try moving them around during the smoke..good luck..
 
Great looking sausages , and awesome idea to hang them in your smoker , if you done less at a time and spread them out further on the rod you should get better results on the color , the smoke will get to all surfaces of the sausages .... great job !!
 
cool another sausagemaker in the room-looks good-each batch we learn somthing new.nice job.
 
Sure, Andy. It's from Chacuterie by Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn. Ruhlman is a food god!

Smoked Andouille

5 lbs./2.25 kg boneless pork shoulder butt, diced
1-1/2 oz./40 g kosher salt (3 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons/6 g cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon/6 g pink salt
1 teaspoon/1 g dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon/2 g ground mace
1/2 teaspoon/2 g ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon/1 g ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon/3 g Colman's dry mustard
1 cup/140 g diced onion
1 tablespoon/18 g minced garlic

10 feet/3 meters hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 minutes and rinsed.

1. Combine all ingredients and toss to mix thoroughly.
2. Grind the mixture through the small die into a bowl set in ice.
3. Mix with the paddle attachment in a stand mixer (or a sturdy spoon)
until the meat mixture develops a uniform, sticky appearance, about
1 minute on medium speed.
4. Stuff into the casings, and twist into 6-in. links. Hang and let dry for
1 to 2 hours at room temperature or in the fridge to develop the

pellicle.
5. Hot-smoke the sausages at a temperature of 180° F to an internal
temperature of 150° F. Transfer to an ice bath to chill thoroughly,
then refrigerate.

The only things I did differently from this recipe was to omit the pink salt (I was out) and cook until internal temp was between 150-155. I wasn't able to nail the smoker temp at 180, more like 200-210. Other than that it's a pretty good recipe. It was my first time using it; my usual recipe is from all people, Emeril Lagasse. His is more basic but tasty nonetheless.
 
I'll second Tims reply, the smoke color problem is definately due to spacing. You need at least a 1/4 in between everything and a half inch is even better. It will also help with cook to temps as the warm smoky air can flow freely between all the sausage. I also try to keep the knotted ends touching rather than the sides. It's not something to be anal about but a little careful attention to how thier placed in the smoker goes a long way to great results.

I might also suggest you try altering the rod mod in a way that easily allows you to pull it out and spin it around during cooking. With the longness of that smoker it's sure to be warmer on one side vs the other.

Here's a couple other things i can add....
You should try and be careful of the temps the smoker is at if you're trying to "warm" smoke. Those temps of 200 or more will start to render the fat right out of the sausage. You also need lower temps so you can smoke longer to get the deep rich color and preservative benefits of the smoke instead of just the flavor.

The ommition of cure #1 can alter flavor as well as create an avenue for bacterial growth. You are probably ok since you wound up smoking at temps over 200, but if your smokes get into the 4-5 hour range or more make sure you have some cure. The cure also helps with the internal pink color as well as giving it the cured taste.

Charcutrie is an awsome book, i've used quite a few recipes from it. however i've learned that the authors don't always take into account the knowlege level of the reader and sometimes the recipes need to be adjusted for this fact. For example none of thier dried sausage call for a starter culture. This is a bad practice and relies on the reader to know a starter should be included in the recipe. Another example is your andouille, rather than cook at 180, temps should begin around 135 and slowly over the next few hours increase to 165 until internally the links are 152 or so. They indicate 180 to make sure readers don't undercook and wind up hurting themselves, but it ruins the authentic taste of the sausage. I have researched all of the recipes i've used from the book and sometimes find ommishons that result in them altering traditional techniques like cooking temps.
 
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