New to smoking....need help with smoking sausge

[h22lude]

My MES30 is seasoning as I type this.  This weekend I will be smoking baby back ribs (using the 2-2-1 method) at around 225.  I also want to do a few pounds of hot italian sausage that I will buy at my local market.  I have read a few threads on smoking sausage.  It seems like if you make it yourself you add a cure to it and smoke it low.  If you buy it at the store it isn't cured so you smoke it at a higher temp.  Is this right?  How would I smoke the sausage while smoking the ribs?  Add them in to the last hour at 225 or do they need more time?

 

[daveomak]

22, morning.... If you purchase or make your own fresh sausage....  225 is an adequate temp to smoke.... at that temp, the internal temp of the sausage will cook fast enough to get through the "danger zone" (40-140) in less than the 4-hour rule and you will be fine...   Check the label on the sausage and see if nitrites are added or ask the meat person if the sausage is made in-house...  Dave

 

[h22lude]

Thanks Dave. That 40 - 140 in under 4 hours, is that for any raw meat (ribs, chicken, pork shoulder) or specific to ground meats?

 

[smokinhusker]

Dave's got it covered!

 

[daveomak]

It is a "rule" that outlines safe practice for temperature of foods that should be refrigetated.... It includes things like when you take the food out of the refrigerator case at the store and get it in your fridge at home, then put it on the counter to prep it and get the temp to 140.... All those times are added together to make up the 4 hours.....  Bacteria etc. grow pretty fast when the temp is above 40 deg and are still viable even when put back in the refer... so, the time is cumulative while in that zone....   Anyway, that is the guideline we recommend on this forum.... You can't be too safe, especially when feeding kids, friends and loved ones.... I'm not an expert in food safety... We do have members that are experts and have the credentials to back that up.....   Maybe one of them will stop in here and give you some links to additional safety tips, or your can start a new thread on "safety things to know for new folks on the forum"....

We also have a "food Safety" thread here...  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/181/food-safety

Dave

 

[h22lude]

Man this site is great lol Thanks for all the help.

Thankfully I have today off (had to season the smoker before football Sunday lol) so I was able to do a lot of research.

My understanding now is that any non intact meat (like sausage or a piece of meat that was injected or stuck with a thermo) needs to be cooked by the 40 to 140 under 4 rule but if it is an intact meat the 40 to 140 under 4 rule is a little forgiving which is why you can order some steaks a little rarer.

So in my case I would start smoking the ribs using 2-2-1 method.  I think I'm going to put in the sausage with 2 hours left.  This way I can let them smoke for an hour before testing the temp to kill any bacteria on the surface.

I think I have the gist of all this down...now I just need to implement it lol

 

[woodcutter]

When you are smoking sausage you don't want the IT temp to get higher than 160 or the sausage will start to render. You need to keep an eye on your temps.