what's your preference

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brooksy

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Mar 17, 2014
1,195
49
Hawthorne, fl
I'm just wondering what everyone does. Do you like to mix your meat and let rest before stuffing and smoking or stuff then rest and smoke? What are the benefits to your preferred method do you think?
 
I'm just wondering what everyone does. Do you like to mix your meat and let rest before stuffing and smoking or stuff then rest and smoke? What are the benefits to your preferred method do you think?
Brooksy I like to mix then stuff into the casing, fridge over night, then to the smoker.

Reason for doing it this way the meat does not get all that tacky so it is easier to stuff. I only have the Jerky Canon Most of my sausage is 5lb. batch.
 
Brooksy I like to mix then stuff into the casing, fridge over night, then to the smoker.
Reason for doing it this way the meat does not get all that tacky so it is easier to stuff. I only have the Jerky Canon Most of my sausage is 5lb. batch.
I've done it both ways. I figure it's probably the same thing either way. I can understand the jerky cannon posing a problem if the meat is to tacky. Thanks for the reply Tropics!
 
Day 1 Grind, mix/season, set in fridge overnight. Day 2 stuff, dry to form pellicle then right into the smoker, cold smoke for 2rs then add heat with smoke. Finish cold water bath. overnight in fridge to bloom.

IMHO I don't like to rest raw stuffed sausage in the refrigerator overnight. then smoke the next day. I believe the fridge dries the casing out and make for a chewier casing

I got 12 lbs of meat in the fridge now doing its thing.. Going to make some cocktail smokies. Was going to stuff/smoke today but got invited to a football gathering. Will start on it tomorrow

Will post a thread on it .....
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Joe
 
Day 1 Grind, mix/season, set in fridge overnight. Day 2 stuff, dry to form pellicle then right into the smoker, cold smoke for 2rs then add heat with smoke. Finish cold water bath. overnight in fridge to bloom.

IMHO I don't like to rest raw stuffed sausage in the refrigerator overnight. then smoke the next day. I believe the fridge dries the casing out and make for a chewier casing

I got 12 lbs of meat in the fridge now doing its thing.. Going to make some cocktail smokies. Was going to stuff/smoke today but got invited to a football gathering. Will start on it tomorrow
Will post a thread on it .....Thumbs Up

Joe
Joe being as you are one of the sausage guru's around here your input is very welcome. I'm going to be doing 10lbs of snack sticks. Thinking I'll probably go the route you've mentioned. Thanks for the info.
 
I usually grind, mix, stuff one evening. Let sit in the fridge over night and smoke the next day mainly because of time restraints because I usually work six days a week.
The last snack sticks I made I ground, mixed, stuffed and smoked all in the same evening and let them smoke overnight. I found no difference at all in taste but not sure if its the proper time for the cure to do its magic but I have been eating them every day for the past two weeks and everything seems fine.
 
Seems like some of the terminology being used here is confusing me.

I only make two kinds of sausage, smoked and fresh.  Every sausage I make falls into one of those two categories.

If I am making a smoked sausage, using modern day curing agents, I grind, season, stuff and refrigerate overnight.  The next morning, I take them out of the fridge and let them begin to dry out and come closer to a room temperature.  Once dry, they go in the smoker, etc. etc.

I know that some guys like a longer soak time for their cure but I don't.  Tried it a couple of times and always came back to the overnight routine.

If it is a fresh sausage, I grind, season, stuff and freeze.  Depending on circumstances, in an effort to keep my meat mixture as cold as possible, I sometimes refrigerate in between these steps to insure the integrity of the fat particles.

Been doing it that way for many years, never had a problem.
 
Day 1 - Grind, season, fridge overnight
Day 2 - Remix, stuff, hang couple hrs, smoke - have done both cold smoke for a bit then added heat, increasing temps slowly, finish with hot water bath & bloom.
This past Thursday hung in smoker for 1-1.5 hrs low heat (100-120*), then added smoke while gradually increasing the heat over 6+ hrs. Finished with hot water bath and bloom. This method of heat first, was recommended by a local 3rd generation award winning Slovenian sausage maker. He does not water bath his finished product, I like the added benefit the water brings to casing snap and appearance, no wrinkles. Both ways worked for me with desired end results...

Good luck!!
 
Grind, mix, stuff, frig at least 8 hours, dry in smoker at 120 with no smoke for an hour or so, then smoke and begin ramping heat.

Fresh sausage, grind, mix, stuff, package, and freeze.
 
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