Andouille time!!

[foamheart]

Nice looking andouille and sausage.

Just a thought, if you want more smoke/color you can try a different wood mixture. I now usually use pecan and apple or corn cob. I also now always double smoke mine. Slightly different procedure, but not too much and it works better with the no freeze winters here now. Mine come out with about the same color as Verons.

You must not be in St James these days, still loads of cane to chose from...<Chuckles>

"I think every family has their own Andouille recipe!"

LOL.... Doh! Trying to steal a good family recipe for anything is just like trying to eat a soup sandwich with your hands tied. Its always a hoot to watch the attempt though....

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks Foamy, I got family living in 'back' Vacherie. Yep-plenty of cane out that way, but I would never just stroll out into a farmers field and take it. Could pick through a cut field, but the brown sugar is just so much easier and gives good results.

On the color, I think the ambient temp had more to do with it than anything. When it is colder, The flame must be higher to keep the heat in the smoker and that higher heat flashes of and burns more sugar. I look forward to trying another batch late january when it gets really cold.

 

[indaswamp]

I am also using a propane in my smoker- not wood logs. That probably has something to do with it too.

 

[indaswamp]

This idea of using zip ties really appeals to me. I use a lot of collagen casings, and they just will not stay twisted. Tying with kitchen string is a time consuming PITA. I'm going to try the zip ties on my next batch of sausage.

Yea, using twine to tie the ends while making sausage alone is a PITA. Much faster with the zipties. I can not stress enough-get them tight as you can with pliers.

 

[indaswamp]

For more smoke, I may try and hold the temp around 120~130 for a longer period of time. The meat really sucks up smoke before the casing gets to 140*.

 

[indaswamp]

Good read...
https://www.bestofneworleans.com/bl...corn-dogs-andouille-queens-andouille-desserts

but a handful of specialist smokehouses in and around LaPlace still make a deeply traditional version that is like no other. This homegrown andouille looks different — the links are huge, thick and a dark, burnished brown—and it tastes different too, with an intense smoke flavor that’s nearly strong enough to trip fire alarms.

 

[foamheart]

I find that a 1 hour dewater cycle prior to starting the smoke makes a HUGE difference. I take the box up to about 275, leave the door on latch but cracked and the vent full open and I watch the andouille or sausage IT. Not letting it get over 120. It seems to work best for me.

Because of the temps here, I warm smoke, maintaining >120 degrees IT for 4 to 6 hours, then I return to the reefer overnight then the next night I do it again. Afterwards I either water bathe it, or I cook it in the smoker (which I normally dislike) but I always re-chill for a couple a days then before packaging. Cured meat always profits from a little mellow time before freezing.

Have you ever tried making andouille with #2?

 

[indaswamp]

Cure #2? No I have never tried it.

 

[driedstick]

Dang it Indaswamp,,, Great info and nice looking snausages - POINT

A full smoker is a happy smoker,,, is your smoker happy today

 

[indaswamp]

I packaged the links tonight. Thought I'd snap a pic. of the zipties and twine for you guys...

Ziptied the link, then tied the twine onto the end between the ziptie and the link, then added a safety ziptie on the tag end of the casing and around the twine.

 

[indaswamp]

I took some of the andouille and diced it up to put in the stuffing for dinner tonight. Baked flounder stuffed with crab and andouille stuffing...

 

[foamheart]

I took some of the andouille and diced it up to put in the stuffing for dinner tonight. Baked flounder stuffed with crab and andouille stuffing...

View attachment 341439

Man ya killing me........

 

[charcoal junkie]

Pork butts went on sale for $1.17 so I bought 2 double packs; about 45lbs. of meat. With cooler weather coming, it's time to make andouille for the gumbos! I'm sitting outside enjoying this first good cold snap of the year here in south Louisiana tending the smoker. Made a 30# batch of Andouille to use up the 2" casing I had on hand. And 15# of smoked sausage.

This pic. is one hour in when I added more wood for smoke...new smoker walls are getting nice and dark!
View attachment 341299
I'm using Hickory pellets, Pecan saw dust, and Brown sugar for the smoke...
View attachment 341300

How do u smoke with brown sugar?

 

[indaswamp]

How do u smoke with brown sugar?

Traditionally, pecan and sugar cane stalks were used to smoke andouille. As the above post describes-it's the sugar syrup that when it burns off, coats the links and makes them dark-almost black. That sweet smoke is the hallmark of what andouille should smell like.
Since most people do not have access to sugar cane stalks, dark brown sugar is an excellent substitute and readily available to most everyone. Be liberal with the sugar on top of your smoking wood. Though I do have access to sugar cane stalks, the brown sugar is just too convenient to pick up while out buying the pork for the sausages...

And thanks for the points fellas.

 

[doubles shooter]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I thought you zip tie guys might like this tool.

 

[nanuk]

FWIW, Always a higher relative humidity @ night. As the temp. falls, the moisture in the air gets concentrated because cold air is less dense than warm air. So the moisture per volume of air spikes, and some of it condenses out-that is why we have dew in the morning.

sorry to pull up a necrothread but just wanted to clarify:
cold air is MORE dense than warm, that is why it sinks and warm rises.
Warm air can hold more water vapour so can be at a higher dew point without saturation.
So as air cools, it sinks, contracts, and as the ambient temperature lowers to the dew point, we get 100% saturation (Ambient Temp meets DewPoint) and condensation (Dew) as the temp lowers even more.

Relative Humidity is just a term to define a ratio of water vapour to air.
Dew Point is an actual measurement of the water vapour in the air.

 

[indaswamp]

sorry to pull up a necrothread but just wanted to clarify:
cold air is MORE dense than warm, that is why it sinks and warm rises.
Warm air can hold more water vapour so can be at a higher dew point without saturation.
So as air cools, it sinks, contracts, and as the ambient temperature lowers to the dew point, we get 100% saturation (Ambient Temp meets DewPoint) and condensation (Dew) as the temp lowers even more.

Relative Humidity is just a term to define a ratio of water vapour to air.
Dew Point is an actual measurement of the water vapour in the air.

My mistake...you are correct. cold air is more dense than hot air. Must have been a brain fart from late night posting.

 

[Gwanger]

On the zip ties-
I grip the tab of the zip tie right above the zipper and twist/rotate the needle nose pliers to leverage against the zipper in order to snug the sip tie tab down as tight as possible to prevent slippage. I repeat this 2~3 times to cinch it down all the way.

IMPORTANT- I leave the zip tie long for when putting them on ice over night. I trim the tab right before putting them on the smoker. This helps keep the sharp cut edge from tearing the casings when rubbing against each other piled in the ice chest.

Inda-what about hog rings and hog ring pliers

 

[foamheart]

Why hog rings? You'll definitely want to smoke andouille. If you'll just twist the links , smoke 'em, after they cool and you cut the links they'll stay closed.

Twisted


Smoked


Cut


So what do you need hog rings for?

 

[Gwanger]

Why hog rings? You'll definitely want to smoke andouille. If you'll just twist the links , smoke 'em, after they cool and you cut the links they'll stay closed.

Twisted
View attachment 362176

Smoked
View attachment 362177

Cut
View attachment 362178

So what do you need hog rings for?

Nice batch of sausage,looks outstanding