Curing sausage for cold smoking

Doc_Eggerton

Would one of you wise cold smokers talk about curing sausage for cold smoking, so I don't poison my self this weekend?  Would also be good to hear how you treat it post smoke (when are you ready to cook, or do you need to refigerate it for several days to mellow?)

 

Would you treat a cooked sausage, like a kielbasa, different than a fresh / raw sausage?

Griffin

I wouldn't say I qualify as wise, but for a cold smoke sausage, I wouldn't play around if you are just starting out and I would use a recipe that includes Cure #1, Prague powder or Insta Cure. Without one of these, the meat is in the danger zone far too long and could cause botulism.

A cured sausage has already been cooked, all you need to do is warm it up, you don't need to get it to a certain temperature. You already did that when you smoked it.

Aside from getting into books, if you are interested in sausage, I would recommend going over to the Smoke Ring Forum and check out their sausage section. Tons of useful info. And Kevin P is an expert and knows what he is talking about.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I wouldn't say I qualify as wise, but for a cold smoke sausage, I wouldn't play around if you are just starting out and I would use a recipe that includes Cure #1, Prague powder or Insta Cure. Without one of these, the meat is in the danger zone far too long and could cause botulism.

A cured sausage has already been cooked, all you need to do is warm it up, you don't need to get it to a certain temperature. You already did that when you smoked it.

Aside from getting into books, if you are interested in sausage, I would recommend going over to the Smoke Ring Forum and check out their sausage section. Tons of useful info. And Kevin P is an expert and knows what he is talking about.

Hey Grif- good insight. Question about Botulism: I was under the impression that botulism  only flourished under vacuum as in canning foods or even sous vide cooking. Is this not the case? Don't want to run into danger down the road 

Doc_Eggerton

Just ordered some Instacure #1 and #2 and a book on the subject.  This weekend will be smoked cheese only.

stike

If you make the cured sausage, it isnt already cooked. Not to be a goof or anything

But yeah, technically you want pink salts because if the extended time in the danger zone

The botulism issue is for air dried cured sausage.
Similar but different. If you want to hang them to dry, they'll need the #2 cure, and ideally some fermentation to bump the acidity

What are you making? Because you dobt need to cold smoke any really. If you are makinh kielbasa, you'll use the cure, hot smoke until about 150, then pkunge in icewater to prevent shrivelling

Although in my experience, ice water is what CAUSES shrivelling

Ahem

Doc_Eggerton

What are you making?

I don't have anything in particular, except we'd like to make lox.  I have a cold smoker and just want to try it, although we've made sausage using the Kitchen Aid in the past, and might do it again now.  For some reason the cold smoking concepts elude me, so I got a book on the subject. 

We've hot smoked a lot of stuff, from salmon to pork shoulder, and love it.

stike

Pardon phone typing while driving and drunk

Doc_Eggerton

Pardon phone typing while driving and drunk

;-)

Griffin

I wouldn't say I qualify as wise, but for a cold smoke sausage, I wouldn't play around if you are just starting out and I would use a recipe that includes Cure #1, Prague powder or Insta Cure. Without one of these, the meat is in the danger zone far too long and could cause botulism.

A cured sausage has already been cooked, all you need to do is warm it up, you don't need to get it to a certain temperature. You already did that when you smoked it.

Aside from getting into books, if you are interested in sausage, I would recommend going over to the Smoke Ring Forum and check out their sausage section. Tons of useful info. And Kevin P is an expert and knows what he is talking about.

Hey Grif- good insight. Question about Botulism: I was under the impression that botulism  only flourished under vacuum as in canning foods or even sous vide cooking. Is this not the case? Don't want to run into danger down the road 

To grow, C. botulinum require a slightly acidic, oxygen free environment that is warm and moist. That is exactly what happens when smoking meats. The most dangerous temperature range is from 78-95F and when smoking sausage at low temps (like under 160) for long periods of time, the sausage will be in that zone. That's why you need to add the cure to prevent that.

I misspoke earlier when I said a cured sausge has already been cooked. (See, I can admit my mistakes.) I meant a sausage that had cure added to it and had been smoked is already cooked so you just need to warm it up. Although, now that I look, I did say "you did that when you smoked it"

Anyway, there are many people way more wiser than me. I would suggest grabbing a book, read up on it, scour the internet and see what you can learn. Sausage is fun to make, you shouldn't be scared of it, just be safe.