Chips or Chunks for smoking sausage?

[MNGuy1959]

Well, I am on to another new adventure with my smoker.  I purchased a sausage stuffer as well as a meat mixer and we will be making about 80 lbs of sausage this weekend.  it is an old family recipe that I have been looking forward to trying.  It basically consists of ground pork butt and beef.  Basically 18-20 lbs of pork butt to 2 lbs of beef per batch. 

I will be using the sausage hangers from Smokin-It, and I need to smoke the sausage at 140 for 2 hours.  So my question is:  Chunks or chips for wood.  If chips, should they be soaked?

Also, curious to what type of tree would you use on this recipe?  I am thinking peach. 

Thanks. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Sounds great, Gene, but I have to defer to the resident sausage experts! :-[

 

[NDKoze]

For a short low temp smoke I would use chips instead of chunks. I wouldn't bother soaking.

 

[Pork Belly]

i was think chips also. Is your intent just to smoke it in 140 or to get it to a specific IT? Is this considered a fully cooked product or are you processing it to finish cooking later at meal time?

Regardless of the answers to those questions you need to insure the sausage is dry before you start smoking. I have a 2x4 with small nails every few inches on both sides. I suspend it between two step ladders and hang the sausage as we get it stuffed. After the casings are dry and crusted up they can go in the smoker. Regardless of natural or collagen cases, try to fill them firm with no air pockets. Air pockets can be pricked with a clean pin and the air pushed out.

I would be curious to see your recipe. The perpetration of pork to beef is not something I have ever seen. 'Good luck with it. Please take lots of pictures thought the process. I am curious of your opinion of the sausage bars.

 

[MNGuy1959]

Hi Tony, Gregg, and Brian. 

Thanks guys, for all of the great suggestions.  This is an old family recipe, and my Mom and Dad made this for years.  One of those things that as a kid, you didn't appreciate it, but now, I am craving this sausage, and it has been years since I made it.  I certainly will share this process with everyone, as I go through it. 

Here is the recipe:
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20 pounds ground meat (try 18-20 pork and 2 of beef) We use boston pork butts
6 Tablespoons salt
3 Tablespoons pepper
1-2 Tablespoons of freezing pickle or tender quick

Blend one large head of garlic with one quart cold water and let set overnight.  We use one quart of solution per 100# of meat so divide accordingly.

Mix all ingredients well.  Then stuff casings (polish sausage size or 32 x 35)

Once meat is stuffed, smoke at 140 degrees for 2 hours or as desired.
-----------------------------
The meat is all ground, and then mixed with the seasonings. 

The smoker is purely for the smoke.  I know that the sausage then rests in the garage overnight to dry, and then it is vacuum sealed. 

Again, it is an old family recipe, and I think my grandparent made this back in ND, as they had large families and needed to feed a large quantity.  It is great grilled, or simply boiled in the morning for breakfast with some eggs and toast. 

I will take lots of pictures as we go through this process.  My Mom and Dad worked for many years at a meat processing plant, and my Mom knows how to stuff, twist and tie this sausage like a pro.  She did this for over 25 years for a living.  I am looking at learning this from people that have made this sausage, year after year, my parents and my sister. 

 

[DivotMaker]

Sounds yummy, Gene!  If you have the jerky fan, I think you can skip the overnight in the garage, and do it all in the smoker.  A little heat and airflow will do wonders!

 

[Gene68]

What's the best way of telling when the sausages are done? I would think a probe will release the juices.

 

[NDKoze]

Your recipe is very close to my family recipe too Gene. Very simple ingredients, but high on flavor.

 

[Pork Belly]

I was comparing them last night ND, I think yours has more beef and quick cure, but nearly identical.

 

[MNGuy1959]

Hi Guys:

Gregg:  It must be an old ND recipe .  Tony, I never ever thought about using the Jerky Dryer.  I am going to have to talk to my Mom and Dad about that.  It certainly makes sense and I could package the sausage the same day.  What a great idea!!

Anyway, I will take pics and let you all know how the process goes this Saturday.  We will be making a total of 80 lbs of sausage.  I am going to put on some old German accordion music, grab a nice cold beer, and actually make it into an official Octoberfest gathering. 

This time of year is awesome for smoking.  Of course anytime of year is awesome, but the winter months get a bit chilly . 

 

[Pork Belly]

I would use the Jerky fan but I would not package the same day. I have never made a partially smoked/cooked sausage. I always do fully cooked/smoked. I use an Ice water bath to stop the cooking process and set the casing so there is no shrinkage and wrinkling.

I believe I would do the same with these. At a minimum I would hang them or spread them out on to dry and cool fully.  I would want to avoid any layer of condensation that may occur when packing partially warm meat.

After the ice water bath we pat dry the rings of sausage and pile them in meat lugs (tubs) for two or three days in a cold garage before packing. While this is labor and time intensive it keeps very well.

 

[MNGuy1959]

Hi Brian:

Again, this is why I appreciate this forum.  As a guy that has never made sausage before, I am trying to learn as much as possible before the weekend venture.  You are absolutely correct in not packaging the sausage the same day as smoking. 

In fact, I just confirmed with my parents that they have never packaged sausage on the same day, and it is more about cooling the sausage down.  I very well may hang the sausage in my garage overnight as you suggested.  I remember as a kid that my parents always did this.  I thought it was just to torture us with the great smell, but their was actually a better reason . 

Thanks for all of the input! 

 

[NDKoze]

We often times package in the same day. But we usually make our sausage in November or December and smoke in the morning and cool during the day. By the end of the day they are usually pretty darn cold.

If I were to smoke sausage in temps like we have now, yes you would want to cool them down for a day or two to get them nice and cooled off before packaging.

We wrap ours in Glad Press and Seal wrap and then Butcher's paper. If we were dong smaller amounts we may use a food saver. But we typically do 150-200 pounds at a time. So, the press and seal and butchers paper is a lot cheaper.

 

[DivotMaker]

We often times package in the same day. But we usually make our sausage in November or December and smoke in the morning and cool during the day. By the end of the day they are usually pretty darn cold.

November/December in Fargo?? Don't you mean "pretty much frozen" at the end of the day?  lol.  Bet they will be this December, from the way the weather forecast sounds! ???

 

[NDKoze]

Yeah we have had some sausage partially frozen that we packed up. Usually eliminates the need for the ice bath as long as we spread them out good in the lugs that we use.