- Aug 27, 2008
- 5,170
- 409
Do you like Chicken? Do you like Sausage? Then, you owe it to yourself to check this out…
This is a cured sausage suitable for cold smoking, which may be fully cooked by finishing in the smoker, or left as a cold smoked sausage for grilling or adding to other dishes and cooking.
Sweet Garlic & Pepper Chicken Sausage:
4.75 lbs lean trimmed chicken dark meat (thighs were used for this), chopped just until it starts becoming an emulsion (paste). I used a high capacity (12 cup/450 watt) food processor with ~1.5 lb batches until all meat was chopped.
1.25 lbs beef fat, chopped from frozen state into small crumbs. Cut into cubes before chopping.
*Note: this is approx. 21% fat content
2 Tbls Sweet Basil, dried/chopped
1 Tbls Oregano
2 Tbls Black Pepper, fine ground
1 Tbls Garlic powder
2 Tbls Paprika, mild
1 Tbls Green Bell Pepper, dried/powdered
6 Tbls Tender Quick cure
Process:
1. Fold beef fat crumbs into chopped meat, place in stand mixer with batter paddle. I mixed this in two separately weighed and measured batches of 3# with a 4.5 quart mixer. Add all dry ingredients and mix meat only enough to blend the cure and seasonings into meat. Using the batter paddle will also allow you to stop/raise the mixer periodically and remove any stringy connective tissue from the meat mix, as the paddle will catch a lot of it.
2. Immediately wrap in poly, forming into chubs removing as much air as possible while forming, and return to refrigeration. I prefer the smaller packaging to aid in more rapid chilling of the meat mixture. For this demonstration, I used 2 full 3# chubs. If possible, form the chubs as you want them shaped and leave undisturbed for the entire curing process.
3. Refrigerate @ 34-36*F for 24 hours to begin curing. If links are desired, form/wrap them in butcher/wax/parchment paper after the initial 24 hour cure time, and wrap tightly in fresh poly. Continue curing for an additional 48 hours for a total curing of 72 hours (3 days).
4. Remove wrapping(s) and place in smoker while well chilled (nearly frozen is best) to aid in handling, and smoke @ ~110* for a minimum of 3 hours for links and 6 hours for chubs. The smoke time may be increased, depending on the amount of smoke flavor and level of dryness you desire.
5. After desired smoking is completed, increase cooking temperature to ~160* until an internal temperature of 140*F is reached for cold smoked, or increase cooking temperature to 185-235* until an internal temperature of 160* is reached if you wish to fully cook the sausage at this time. Note that lower hot smoking temperatures will increase the level of dryness and render out more fat, while higher hot smoking temperatures will give an increased moisture content and slightly less rendering out of fat in the finished product.
6. If cold smoked only (uncooked), remove from smoker, and air cool at room temp or below for 15-30 minutes and pat rendered external fat from the surface before it cools and hardens. Wrap and chill or freeze.
7. If hot smoked to finish, you may serve hot, or follow step 6.
8. If slicing a chub for cold cuts, quick chill in freezer for 15-30 minutes (depending on thickness), then place in refrigerator until well chilled internally before slicing (overnight is best).
Lots of q-view to follow. The sausage has been curing for 3 days and is ready to smoke.
I have am currently having technical difficulties with an upright freezer. The intake vent for the chilled air has iced over. Once I get this cleared up and the freezer goods reloaded, I can get started with the day's smoking....I promise!
Thanks!
Eric
This is a cured sausage suitable for cold smoking, which may be fully cooked by finishing in the smoker, or left as a cold smoked sausage for grilling or adding to other dishes and cooking.
Sweet Garlic & Pepper Chicken Sausage:
4.75 lbs lean trimmed chicken dark meat (thighs were used for this), chopped just until it starts becoming an emulsion (paste). I used a high capacity (12 cup/450 watt) food processor with ~1.5 lb batches until all meat was chopped.
1.25 lbs beef fat, chopped from frozen state into small crumbs. Cut into cubes before chopping.
*Note: this is approx. 21% fat content
2 Tbls Sweet Basil, dried/chopped
1 Tbls Oregano
2 Tbls Black Pepper, fine ground
1 Tbls Garlic powder
2 Tbls Paprika, mild
1 Tbls Green Bell Pepper, dried/powdered
6 Tbls Tender Quick cure
Process:
1. Fold beef fat crumbs into chopped meat, place in stand mixer with batter paddle. I mixed this in two separately weighed and measured batches of 3# with a 4.5 quart mixer. Add all dry ingredients and mix meat only enough to blend the cure and seasonings into meat. Using the batter paddle will also allow you to stop/raise the mixer periodically and remove any stringy connective tissue from the meat mix, as the paddle will catch a lot of it.
2. Immediately wrap in poly, forming into chubs removing as much air as possible while forming, and return to refrigeration. I prefer the smaller packaging to aid in more rapid chilling of the meat mixture. For this demonstration, I used 2 full 3# chubs. If possible, form the chubs as you want them shaped and leave undisturbed for the entire curing process.
3. Refrigerate @ 34-36*F for 24 hours to begin curing. If links are desired, form/wrap them in butcher/wax/parchment paper after the initial 24 hour cure time, and wrap tightly in fresh poly. Continue curing for an additional 48 hours for a total curing of 72 hours (3 days).
4. Remove wrapping(s) and place in smoker while well chilled (nearly frozen is best) to aid in handling, and smoke @ ~110* for a minimum of 3 hours for links and 6 hours for chubs. The smoke time may be increased, depending on the amount of smoke flavor and level of dryness you desire.
5. After desired smoking is completed, increase cooking temperature to ~160* until an internal temperature of 140*F is reached for cold smoked, or increase cooking temperature to 185-235* until an internal temperature of 160* is reached if you wish to fully cook the sausage at this time. Note that lower hot smoking temperatures will increase the level of dryness and render out more fat, while higher hot smoking temperatures will give an increased moisture content and slightly less rendering out of fat in the finished product.
6. If cold smoked only (uncooked), remove from smoker, and air cool at room temp or below for 15-30 minutes and pat rendered external fat from the surface before it cools and hardens. Wrap and chill or freeze.
7. If hot smoked to finish, you may serve hot, or follow step 6.
8. If slicing a chub for cold cuts, quick chill in freezer for 15-30 minutes (depending on thickness), then place in refrigerator until well chilled internally before slicing (overnight is best).
Lots of q-view to follow. The sausage has been curing for 3 days and is ready to smoke.
I have am currently having technical difficulties with an upright freezer. The intake vent for the chilled air has iced over. Once I get this cleared up and the freezer goods reloaded, I can get started with the day's smoking....I promise!
Thanks!
Eric
