# Blooming - length and temperature?



## shyzabrau (Mar 29, 2017)

I'm sure this has been covered repeatedly and I just haven't spent enough time reading through the forum...

At what temperature should you bloom the sausages? For how long?

I just took them out of the water bath after reaching 153, and they are currently hanging in my kitchen (about 65).


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## crazymoon (Mar 29, 2017)

S, After reaching your desired IT you then need to rapidly drop the IT to 110-120 by using an ice water bath or a snowbank. This will prevent the sausage from continuing to cook and possibly dry out/fat out or shrivel. Then you bloom at room temp for a few hours or more before hitting the fridge.


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## shyzabrau (Mar 29, 2017)

After smoking for the length of time that I wanted, I put the links into hot water that I held between 155 and 160 until the internal temperature was 153. As such, there is no need to put it in an ice bath (the IT will not climb more than a degree or two).


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## pumpkinseed (Mar 29, 2017)

How do you tell when it is fully bloomed?  I haven't figured out what blooming is yet.  I'm wanting to try smoking sausage but haven't gotten there yet.


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## pc farmer (Mar 29, 2017)

pumpkinseed said:


> How do you tell when it is fully bloomed?  I haven't figured out what blooming is yet.  I'm wanting to try smoking sausage but haven't gotten there yet.



Bloom is rest a resting period before going into the fridge.

If let mine go over night just because I do it in the basement.  

There is no right or wrong way to "bloom "


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 30, 2017)

Regardless of all smoker time or finished in hot water, the cold shower or ice bath is to cool it off below 120. Above this temp  the meat is still cooking which can result in dry sausage and a crumby texture. Blooming dries the surface from the bath, deepens and sets the color and allows    2-3+ more hours for flavors to develop. Is all this absolutely necessary if it 2am and you need some sleep before work? No. Toss it all in the refer and get some sleep. But, if you  want  the highest quality and picture perfect sausage,, following these generations old procedures is a good idea....JJ


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## blaise (Mar 30, 2017)

In the Rytek Kutas book, he describes "blooming" as a commercial way of increasing profits by increasing the sale weight and improving the color. Smoking can reduce the weight by 20 to 30 % ----that's money down the drain----the dry smoked look doesn't have "consumer appeal".

  That is all well and good for the commercial guys-----I rarely saw it done on the farms-----they were out for flavor and some preservation value, not profit. The best smoked sausages I ever had came from down on the farm-----they may not have been pretty----but OH SO GOOD!!!

   More or less, I think it" a personal preference.

Some claim it helps prevent bacterial growth and yet you would have to drop the temp below 40 degrees to accomplish that, so I don't see the logic in that. Just my humble opinion.

Blaise


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## DanMcG (Apr 1, 2017)

I do it to  dry it and get the temp down before I stick it in the frig, and the added redness of the sausage sure adds a nice visual extra


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## wrestler75 (Dec 31, 2017)

Anyone else let their sausage bloom over night?  Good results?  Here is 206 lbs blooming.


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## wrestler75 (Dec 31, 2017)




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## Braz (Dec 31, 2017)

My dog thinks I should hang sausages like that.


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