Smoking fresh sausage on a WSM - is it possible?


 
M

Martin S

TVWBB Member
My previous attempts to smoke fresh sausage in my electric smoker didn't seem to go so well. I could regulate the temperature to 160 fairly easily, but it didn't produce the smoke I expected. Now that I have WSM, I was considering trying it for smoking fresh sausage after I stuff it.

Has anyone used their WSM for this?

I may cheat and use liquid smoke, then just finish cook the sausage through slowly without smoking if I can't get this to work.
 
I have done a batch of kielbasa and kosher beef sausages on my 18 1/2 and it worked great. I made a small minion pile and threw only 4 or 5 lit coals on top and brouht the temp up to 150 nice and slow. Kept it at 150 till the meat got to 145 or so internal and then opened the vents to bring the temp up to 170 or so to finish the meat up to 155 to finish. Took about 2 hours or so and the sausages turned out perfect. Did a similar low temp cook to make bacon and it also worked out really well with very little rendering occurring.

Sausages
This was 5lbs or so of meat on the top rack, so if you have an 18 1/2 you can prob do a max of 10lb at once. I had looked into hanging but there just isn't enough clearance without some extra parts or mods.
 
Cool - I may try that then. How did you start just 4-5 coals? Propane torch?

I'm planning about 15-20# of sausage, but I've got a 22.5" WSM.
 
Screw the liquid smoke: it's gross.

I've smoke fresh sausage hundreds of times on my WSM 18.

You can hang if the links are short. If not, no big deal. I start a few coals the same way I start more - with a paper towel doused in a little oil.
 
The only caveat I'd give about smoking fresh sausage in your WSM is that the temperatures throughout the chamber can differ by as much as 20 degrees F so if you're smoking a lot of sausage, depending on your setup the lower or upper grate sausages may be done half an hour sooner than the rest.
 
I'll definitely give it a go in the WSM. I may to come up with a way to hang the sausages, but I'll forgo the liquid smoke. The venison and pork is thawing out, so it's time to get a-grindin.
 
Martin, If I had to choose between liquid smoke and no smoke: it would be no smoke. Seriously, even if you only impart a subtle amount on the wb with real wood it's gonna be better then that black stain in that bottle!
 
So here's the plan: Absolutely NO liquid smoke. Thanks for talking me out of it. The WSM will work, mini-minion method appears to be the idea. Did I read that right that it would only take 20 or so briquettes to keep the temps going for that long?

It's interesting to see everyone smoking their meat at a generally higher temperature than what I read recommended on the internet, which probably explains why my previous attempts at very low temps did not turn out as well. Smoking/cooking at 160 degrees takes a huge amount of time, and the sausages just shrivel up. The problem typically associated with higher cooking temperatures - the fat rendering out - appears not to have been a problem for anyone.
 
Fat melting, etc., comes from overcooking, i.e., smoking/cooking the sausages to too high an internal temp.

THere is no need to smoke at a constant low temp, however it is worth smoking at low temps for a while, then bumping the temp up for a slow rise. I usually end up with the cooker ~200 when the sausage is done, but I start below 100? for a good thirty minutes before I look to creep temps up.

I start with a half ring of unlit - just 4-6 lit to get it going, vents restricted from the get-go.
 
I've got about 12 pounds smoking on the top and bottom racks, temp probes in each level. The meat temperature is tracking very closely between the top and the bottom.

Like suggested, I started with about 1/2 ring of charcoal, and lit 5 coals with a blowtorch. For wood, I'm using 3 chunks of hickory. The smoker temperature has been around 130 and is slowly creeping up over the past hour, colsing in on 150. Two of the bottom vents are closed, and one is open about 1/3. So far, it's been much easier to maintain this low temperature than I expected. I'll let the temperature slowly creep up to 160-170, but the meat temperature is already around 130 degrees.

As per instructions, I'm pulling them when they hit 152 internally and post pics.

If this sausage turns out OK, my electric smoker is going on the market. I love this WSM...
 
Pic from when I pulled them off:

317660_232574466792372_100001194624846_563357_1278598743_n.jpg


A couple of things: The outside of the cooking grate gets much more heat than the center. I had the thermometer probe in the second ring of sausages. Hopefully, the ones in the center of the grate got warm enough, although I seriously doubt that they could have been that much below 152 than the outside.

I might have smoked them a little too heavy for my taste, so I'll back off a little next time. The texture was great - I think the fat mix was right for this batch too. The hard part when making pork and venison sausage is to find enough pork fat to keep the fat ratio right.
 
Martin,

Good looking sausage. Did you track your temps? Just curious. I've made the mistake of cooking sausage at too high a temp and the fat renders out and leaves the meat with a mealy texture. The low temps are important. Due to the construction of the WSM, the outer area does cook at a higher temp (if you're using a water pan). I've had good luck hanging sausage from the top grate (bottom grate removed). The sausage can generally be positioned completely over the water pan for protection against direct heat.

Paul
 
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