numbers are not adding up here

[deerjackie]

I started using powdered milk in my home recipe for summer sausage and using 2 different meat thermometers and one installed in uds. i am running 140 first hour 150 second hour then on up to 170 but my internal is getting to 156 before drum ever gets to 170 doing 2,2.5 lb rolls to try out new recipe.is it my drum thermometer is in wrong location[3/4 of the way up] or is all this normal?its taking about 5 hours to get these 2 rolls of summer sausage to 156 internal temp.thanks for the help and the two rolls i made the night before were the same way as far as getting to 156 fast. the 2 cups powdered milk per 10 lbs made the rolls not dry and they did not shrink up,thats the good part. dj

 

[hog warden]

Did you say that was instant milk?


I assume this is summer sausage in the range of 2 inches or so in diameter? You are correct. Mere mortals can't get internal temps like that in much less than 10 to 12 hours. I talked to a commercial locker plant that makes thousands of pounds of SS a year and they smoke for about 5 hours and it takes them about 12 hours to finish.

 

[formerlyfatguy]

I've used powdered milk in my smoked sausage recipes and it usually takes me around 15-17 hours in the smoker to get to an internal of 156.

 

[deerjackie]

i was only doing 5 lbs. is my uds thermometer lying and i am rushing the 5 lbs ss up to 156? i stuck in 2 different instant read thermomerers and they read 156-160 down thru top center of rolls hanging.

 

[melleram]

hmm thats fast, my guess would be your smoker was running hot...?
Did the fat render out of the sausage?
Are the casings loose?
If you are running hot and it cooked that fast then the fat should have metled out some.

 

[deerjackie]

casings are firm. we did this the night befiore on one roill and had the same thing. i have a pic on my phone of what a cut roll looks like.friends tried it and liked it. casing was sticking to meat a little but it was very sliceable.

 

[hog warden]

I don't have a lot of experience with these options, but the only way I've heard of that you can speed this process along to achieve the times you are talking about is with a steam cabinet, which as near as I can tell, works something like a pressure cooker. Heat is forced into the sausage by steam and pressure vs. heat inside the smoker seeping across and into the sausage.

They say a whole chicken can be cooked in a steam oven in 20 minutes vs. a couple hours in a conventional convection oven.

I doubt your drum is sealed up that tight, nor does it have the water source for the steam.

 

[got14u]

In a uds I would think a water pan would help speed things up...Not a lot tho. SS just takes awhile to smoke.

 

[deerjackie]

thanks. i am getting a new oven thermometer or a new exterior display one. wish i had a 3 probe so i could have 2 uds temps and an internal temp.

 

[deerjackie]

checked thermometer and its off at least 10 degrees. maybe more mounted on one side of uds.going to get a hanging thermometer and add a heat dist. plate above elec heating element.