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Smoking sausage?

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TBQue
TBQue Posts: 103
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have kielbasa, chorizo, and brats I want to smoke indirect around 250degs. Anyone know how long I should cook for?
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  • Mike in Abita
    Mike in Abita Posts: 3,302
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    Cook them long enough till the internal temp is 160°. If they are home made and you are absolutely sure there is no chance of contaminated meat, you could get away with 150° or less. Just watch who you serve this to. The elderly and young are more susceptible to food illnesses.
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  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
    Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker Posts: 3,743
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    kielbasa and chorizo are cured and can be cooked low until they are at whatever temp or doneness you like. i prefer to grill them, actually, but you can smoke them.

    the brats might have some cure in them but likely not. since they are ground up meat, you really should get them to 160 (to be safe). 140 would be ok, but in either case, needs to happen in four hours. botulism is the worry here more than the typical foodborne illnesses

    smoking ground meat at low temps (and in a low oxygen environment) is safest with cured meats, which usually have nitrates/nitrites in them to control any botulism. uncured stuff should get to temp as quickly as possible. maybe thirdeye will weigh in. he's the curing guru.



    how long will it take? i dunno.
    going on cold? i'd allow a coupla few hours.

    honestly though, i'd grill them and add smoke during the grilling. say 400 on a raised grid. take maybe fifteen minutes max
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  • TBQue
    TBQue Posts: 103
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    I cook a lot of sausage direct but I thought i would try smoking them today. I just pulled a 7lb butt off that I started at 9pm last night. The Egg is still humming along so I thought I would try smoking sausage instead of direct grilling. I have several hours before the Gatos play so I thought I would give it try. Thanks for the help.


    Go Gators!!
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    Around here, market kielbasa are either fresh or smoked. I don't believe fresh are cured. I'm sure the bulk fresh packs I buy are not. For me, if the sausage is a pale gray-red, its fresh, and should be cooked to 165 in a day or two. The smoked usually are a dark reddish brown, and rather stiff to the touch.

    Am not as certain about the chorizo. The commercial brands probably have a shelf life of centuries, but sometimes I find fresh that I think should be cooked in just a few days.
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  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
    Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker Posts: 3,743
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    if you mean "fresh" only because it isn't smoked or precooked, it could still be cured.

    the pink color of our market kielbasa is due to a cure. the cure is less about making it safe than it is about firming up the meat and changing the texture/color. the cure firms up the meat and gives it a totally different texture (like ham versus pork).

    if it's bright red skinned and pink when you slice it, it is almost surely cured, at least around here.
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