Sausage help....

[OWENMUSTANG]

I did the search thing...

...Clue me in on smoking sausage...

I did find a bunch of brands that are popular in the south (texas) but of course, their not availible here in MI.....

Looking for the how,what,why,sauce,ect..

I'm assuming uncooked would be best..
How long do you smoke it for? what temp?
Does the smoking give it that purdy brick red color?
Do you use rub on them?

As for dipping sauce.. I was thinking dijon mustard with some BBQ sauce mixed in...maybe some pin/hab jelly to kick it up a little bit....

Don't ask me why I have been obsessing over smoking sausage for the last 2 weeks.....might be the additional 5 inches of snow we got last night:evil: ...I just don't know...:lol:

[Txngent]

I'm with you bro... love sausage. If you are not going to make it yourself, I say deal with your local market or butcher. By doing this, you will tend to get a more fresh product.

As far as raw or cooked, most of the link sausage at the store is going to be smoked or precooked as part of the sausage process. So as far as cook time and heat... you are basically warming it up so adjust as such.

Types of sausage, truly a personal taste... I like course grind vrs fine and on the peppery side.

I don't put anything on my sausage when I cook it.

Tons of good sauces for dipping, or putting over a link in a bun. My personal basic:

1 Cup Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
1/2 C. Water
1 Tbsp. Apple Cidar Vinegar
2 tsp. Texas BBQ Rub (original)
1 tsp. Brown Mustard
1 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Mix all together and simmer to blend flavors (about a couple of minutes). To add some heat in the flavors, you can add some TPJ or pepper sauce to taste.

[Papa Tom]

Actually Owen you'd be better off making your own sausage for smoking. The reason it is the brick red color is because it is cured with nitrates and this is necessary if you want to smoke it. The curing prevents bacterial problems during the smoke. It may seem daunting but really is not that hard. You will need a meat grinder and a stuffer ( many grinders have stuffing attachment). The cure is available in many grocery stores and even some walmarts look for Mortons Tender Quick.

[OWENMUSTANG]

Making my own sausage is on the to do list..

For now, I have a local meat market that has fresh,uncooked sausage
availible on weekends..

Looks like the coarse grind is more popular... I'll have to try both!

any other thoughts?

[OWENMUSTANG]

Actually Owen you'd be better off making your own sausage for smoking. The reason it is the brick red color is because it is cured with nitrates and this is necessary if you want to smoke it. The curing prevents bacterial problems during the smoke. It may seem daunting but really is not that hard. You will need a meat grinder and a stuffer ( many grinders have stuffing attachment). The cure is available in many grocery stores and even some walmarts look for Mortons Tender Quick.

After rereading this.. Thanks for the info! I will ask about the nitrates...

[david brace]

After reading this I also would not want to try making my own sausage AND smoking sausage BOTH for the first time...if it came out bad then you wouldn't know which experiment to blame.

Use store-bought as you are planning, That is my 2 cents worth...

DB

[OWENMUSTANG]

That was what I was thinking!


I've been known to be brave on a few occasions,also have been known to be stupid on more than a few occasions..

As a rule, combining the two generally means I spend more time and money in the ER than I care to....

In this case, I'll error on the side of caution...:D

[OWENMUSTANG]

What internal temp do you take them to? and/or time on the pit..


I picked up some polish and hot itailian sausage... supposedly they did well in
BBQ comps:D