How should I link polish sausage?

[atcnick]

Im making a batch of smoked polish sausage today and I'm trying to figure out the best method to link them for hanging on dowel rods. Should I link them ever 12 inches or every 24 inches and make a loop? Should I have the twisted part hanging over the rod or the meaty part? Im afraid the twisted part may break and sausage fall to the ground while smoking. Has anyone had issues with that? I've tried looking for tutorial on youtube but cant seem to find anything.

 

[meat hunter]

Well being that my wife is mostly Polish, she has me make a good share of sausages. I have linked mine close I would say to 24". I have not measured them, but looking back on it, I say they are close to it. I think the larger "loop" that you would get with a longer sausage would be better vs. the shorter links. I think they would have a tendency to "pinch" at the bottom and the sausages would be up against one another, if that makes sense. As far as hanging them goes, I would opt for hanging them where you tie them. I use bakers string when I do mine. I know some go with just tying the casing, but I find it easier to just use the string. I hang em from that and it works pretty good. I have only had one come undone on me and fall down, but it only fell on to the very bottom rack so it wasn't a total loss.

 

[atcnick]

Thanks meat hunter. So you make the link using the string and you tie the string to the dowel? Good idea. I guess that way there's no part of the sausage that is not getting smoke. Thanks. Reason Im worried about falling is because Im using a super hi-tech homemade cardboard box smoker and there's nothing to catch the sausage if it falls except concrete.

 

[meat hunter]

Yup, when I have the sausage length I want, I tie both ends closed with butchers string, then tie those ends together and that end hangs on the smoke stick. Like I said, it works for me, but you can hang them from the middle as well, where the tied ends would be at the bottom. Both ways will work just fine. Hanging them from the middle, say you have a 24" long sausage, twist it in the middle and hang it from that twist, you would not have to worry about it falling off.

Where did you get your super hi-tech cardboard smoker? I wanna see of pic of that bad boy

 

[atcnick]

Here it is. Im using a modified hot plate, cast iron skillet and an upside down metal colander as a smoke difuser. I dont have the two dowl rods in in this picture yet, but you get the idea. I'll post more pics after this afternoon's smoke.

Sorry for the large picture, I already had these uploaded.

 

[meat hunter]

LOL, oh man thats too cool. I'm betting its going to work pretty good too. Very simple, but ingenious as well. Take some shots of it when the sausages are smoking it it, would like to see that.

Keep us posted

 

[atcnick]

Works great! I tested it out and it gets the temps I need and good smoke production. Had to bypass the thermostat knob on the hotplate to get high temps. Will do on the pics.

Thanks for the compliments but its not my idea. I found the cardboard box smoker idea in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Smoking-Smokeh...d_bxgy_b_img_c

 

[atcnick]

Well I made the sausage today and when I was trying to start up the smoking...nothing! Looks like I fried the hot plate when I made the modification. It ran throughout all the tests and now its dead :(. So I'll have to go pick up a new one tommorow. and smoke in the box and finish in the oven if I can get it down to 170

 

[meat hunter]

Sorry to hear about the meltdown. If ya have to, smoke what you can tomorrow and finish in the oven like you said. Do you have a regular smoker at all? If not, and not in the market to buy new, check craigslist. It seems like someone is always selling on there.

 

[atcnick]

I have a WSM but I dont think thats going to work too well for sausage. I dont think I can get the temps low enough. There was one I saw at Sam's Club that looked like a little mini fridge and had a little "window" where you can see what's cookin. Its an eletric smoker, 100-275*F. Thinking about that or possibly building one. Just not sure yet, not sure how often I'll be making sausage.

 

[meat hunter]

I believe that one is the Masterbuilt Electric Smoker, a great unit used by many here.

If your looking to make one, maybe consider one of the old refrigerators from the 40'-50's. Most have the enamel interior. The make great smokers and you can find them all day long on craigslist by submitting and ad under the wanted section or the farm section. Just an idea for ya. If you like the MES one you saw at sams, ask some of the folks over in the electric smoker section what they think about it for smoking sausage.