Sous vide and sausage

[Homers1951]

Hi all. I am looking at making some kind of smoked sausage when I return from holidays next week. I plan on mixing, casing, linking, smoking for 1 to 2 hours. I have had mixed results bringing the IT of the sausage to 153 while in the smoker. I have tried cooking it in the oven but because of limited space it takes forever. My links will be about 35 to 38 mm in size. Now comes the sous vide part. Ziplock bags ok? or Vac seal? How many per bag? How many lbs in a big pot? And, how long? Thanks. Barry

 

[Winterrider]

I think I would use heavy zip lock bags because you will probably reseal for storage after done. Look up your size casing on the chart, maybe give additional 30 mins.

https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html1

 

[thirdeye]

Since the sous vide will be your finish method..... You might consider colder smoke for longer, before using SV to reach the target temp. I do this with bologna. Oh, zipper bags work fine.

 

[Homers1951]

I think I would use heavy zip lock bags because you will probably reseal for storage after done. Look up your size casing on the chart, maybe give additional 30 mins.

https://douglasbaldwin.com/sous-vide.html1

That chart would not show up. Site not found.

 

[Homers1951]

That chart would not show up. Site not found.

Thanks very much. I managed to find the chart.

 

[Sowsage]

This is how I do a lot of sausage. I get 2-4 hours in the smoke. I never run the smoker any higher than 140°. But I do not put mine in bags. I drop them straight into the bath.

 

[crazymoon]

H1951, I do this method all time with great results. I vac seal just to make sure I have no leaks.

 

[chopsaw]

I have had mixed results bringing the IT of the sausage to 153 while in the smoker.

My links will be about 35 to 38 mm in size.

I've started doing a smoke / cook for that size sausage . Like Marianski uses .
Same as Sowsage mentioned in post #6 .
I smoke to desired color , then in the SV @ 145 for 1 1/2 hours for that size casing .
I don't bag these for a short soak . Just how I do it . It will wash the color some , but it comes back after a rest on the counter .
I go straight into the SV after smoking .

Out of the SV and rested .

Cut shot .Great texture .

 

[Homers1951]

I've started doing a smoke / cook for that size sausage . Like Marianski uses .
Same as Sowsage mentioned in post #6 .
I smoke to desired color , then in the SV @ 145 for 1 1/2 hours for that size casing .
I don't bag these for a short soak . Just how I do it . It will wash the color some , but it comes back after a rest on the counter .
I go straight into the SV after smoking .
View attachment 518827
Out of the SV and rested .
View attachment 518828
Cut shot .Great texture .
Thanks to all that responded as this will give me much more confidence in trying it. This site is fantastic. Barry

 

[thirdeye]

This is how I do a lot of sausage. I get 2-4 hours in the smoke. I never run the smoker any higher than 140°. But I do not put mine in bags. I drop them straight into the bath.

I smoke to desired color , then in the SV @ 145 for 1 1/2 hours for that size casing .
I don't bag these for a short soak . Just how I do it . It will wash the color some , but it comes back after a rest on the counter .
I go straight into the SV after smoking .

Do either of you get any residue/oils on the internals of the circulator, or do any specific cleaning of the circulator? I get hard water deposits around one internal clip on my circulator, so I either add vinegar to the bath or run the circulator in a 1.5 pint mason jar with vinegar water.

I bag my bologna logs and finish them in a sous vide bath and those come out fine, but I like the idea of leaving links loose in the bath.

 

[pushok2018]

But I do not put mine in bags. I drop them straight into the bath.

This is how I usually finish thinner type of sausages like Polish sausage or kielbasa. Thicker types of sausages like bologna or others starting at 60 mm thick and higher - I usually vack seal before SV because thicker sausage stay in the water longer before it reaches right temperature and I don't want to loose smoky flavor....

 

[chopsaw]

Do either of you get any residue/oils on the internals of the circulator, or do any specific cleaning of the circulator? I get hard water deposits around one internal clip on my circulator, so I either add vinegar to the bath or run the circulator in a 1.5 pint mason jar with vinegar water.

Yes , sometimes . I only leave unbagged for shorter soaks . I had an idea of brown and serve breakfast sausage . I used cellulose casings unbagged . The casings were 26 mm , but I didn't have them stuffed to that size , but used the time for 26 . If that makes sense . Cooked most of the flavor out of them .
I use an old flower vase to clean mine .

I bag my bologna logs and finish them in a sous vide bath and those come out fine, but I like the idea of leaving links loose in the bath.

I use these water proof high barrier casings for SV cooked large diameter stuff . This is cotto salami , but I have used it for bologna too . No bag needed .

I recently did a poached on the stove cook / finish .
176 degree water for 30 minutes . I think I like that the best .

 

[thirdeye]

I use these water proof high barrier casings for SV cooked large diameter stuff . This is cotto salami , but I have used it for bologna too . No bag needed .

Your vase looks just like the 1-1/2 pint mason jars I use for cleaning.

The high barrier casings must not be the same as the mahogany fibrous casings? My package says fibrous casings allow moisture, air, and smoke to penetrate the casing. I cold smoke my bologna so the internal temp is often low when they come out of the smoker.... I start off my water bath at 125° and ramp it up in a couple of stages over an hour to 154°. I use the Doug Baldwin chart so my time in the SV will match the pasteurization time.


Before I got my SV I used an electric roaster for poaching. I had to make slight adjustments on the dial to maintain160° water (sometimes even turning it off for 5 or 6 minutes at a time), but it was workable.

 

[chopsaw]

If I smoke bologna I use the cloth bags.
The high barrier are water proof non smoke casings .

 

[Sowsage]

Do either of you get any residue/oils on the internals of the circulator, or do any specific cleaning of the circulator? I get hard water deposits around one internal clip on my circulator, so I either add vinegar to the bath or run the circulator in a 1.5 pint mason jar with vinegar water.

I bag my bologna logs and finish them in a sous vide bath and those come out fine, but I like the idea of leaving links loose in the bath.

I have hard water here. Its like liquid rock!. I typically run the unit in a small container after a cook with water and vinager. I sometimes see a bit of oil/fat in the cooking water when not bagged but not enough to cause any concern.

 

[xray]

I’ve finished off a few batches of sausage using my SV. I tried bagging it before but it was a bigger hassle than it was worth, so I just put the links directly in the hot water.

Here’s what the water looks like:

I clean the circulator after and have had no problems. I’ve often thought about buying a second cheaper unit just dedicated for sausage making.

 

[thirdeye]

I have hard water here. Its like liquid rock!. I typically run the unit in a small container after a cook with water and vinager. I sometimes see a bit of oil/fat in the cooking water when not bagged but not enough to cause any concern.

Sounds good.

I’ve finished off a few batches of sausage using my SV. I tried bagging it before but it was a bigger hassle than it was worth, so I just put the links directly in the hot water.

I clean the circulator after and have had no problems. I’ve often thought about buying a second cheaper unit just dedicated for sausage making.

I thought having a spare myself, and I could run two circulators in my Party Stacker. I decided against a lid mod because I have a bag of sous vide balls.

 

[chopsaw]

I bought a second one . I use them at the same time more than I thought I would .

 

[pushok2018]

I’ve often thought about buying a second cheaper unit just dedicated for sausage making.

I would say this will be a right decision to make.....I have three SV circulators: Anova 850 wt (bought three ? years ago), Inkbird (serves as a backup) and Anova Pro (for large quantities of sausages because it can circulate larger quantities of water). It happened recently that my first Anova device went bad and I am not sure if I will be able to fix it but I have two spares!

 

[Winterrider]

SV'ing the saussge without bagging them doesn't pull the seasoning flavor out ? I think that was my cause of when I did bologna, but maybe that was because it was for a longer period of time ?