Everyone loves to smoke their sausages, but not a lot of people can do it properly. Often, it ends up burnt and dry. And if you’re not careful, you could end up dehydrating the sausages on the smoker, which will only make it taste bad. Just like the smoked salmon, it should be noted that it’s best to infuse the smoke flavor to the sausage while the meat is still raw. Usually, the meat starts cooking at 120 degrees, so the process of how to smoke sausage right here
How to Smoke Sausage
Easy simple step smoking sausage you can follow up
- Light up
Light up your coals and wait until the coals ready then put it in the grill. You were going to use low heat keep the temp 250-275°F for a charcoal grill. If you use gas or pellet grill start your fire up and set the temp to 250°-275°F range.
Pro tip: The important thing to smoke sausage is the temp control. If you want to increase the temp, you can open the damper wide and maybe use the vent at the bottom of the grill. If you’re going to decrease, you can close the damper or vent. - Prepare the smoker
Put the charcoal one side of the grill. Add some wood chunk or chip to add the flavor you would like. Add the water pan to improve the moist(optional) then put the grate. The smoker ready to go.
- Cooking Sausage
Throw the sausage in the grill with an indirect method and close the lid, make sure that the damper open to let air flow through the grill. Cook it for 45 Mins then open the cover and flip the sausage close the lid and continues to cook it for about 30 Mins then check the internal temp of sausage if reach at 165°F it is done take the sausage off the grill if not continues to cook it until it reaches desirable temp.
How to Cold Smoke Sausage
- Prepare your sausage
Grind the meat with a proper plate add your seasoning if you don’t have one, so let add seasoning with garlic, paprika,ground black pepper, tenderquick(curing salt), and little of the water then mix them well then casing it and let them rest in the fridge at least 24 hours.
- Cold smoking sausage
Hang them in the smoker and let start to cold smoke sausage below 80°F for at least 4 hours or more. Toss some wood flavor you would like.
Pro tip: If you don’t cured sausage properly don’t smoke it more than 4 hours will issue with botulism. - Finally, enjoy
After cold smoke, Start temp up to 140-150°F cook the sausage about 2 hours then check the internal temp. Then you can boost up the temp to 250°F to reach desirable temp(165°F) then take off from the grill. Done
Related : How to Cold Smoke Bacon at Home , How to Cold Smoke Cheese That will Mellow out
Tips for Cold Smoking
Here are the things you need to keep in mind when cold smoking sausage:
- The period of times will matter because the longer you cold smoke the sausage, the more intense its smoky flavor will turn out to be.
- The temperature of the smoking chamber must be kept as low as possible.
Others would prefer to hang their sausages in a rod on top of a smoking cabinet. Hanging the sausage is necessary so they won’t end up touching each other during the process. Take note that in order to minimize the impact of marks, turn your sausages now and then.
When the sausage is hanging, the next thing that you need to do is to ensure that the casings are dried. To do this, open all of the vents of your smoking cabinet and provide airflow using a fan. This could take a couple of hours. Once it’s dry, you can start cold smoking the sausage.
To cold smoke the sausage, you will need to prepare the following:
- Airflow
- Cold smoke generator
- Food chamber where you can place the sausage
Why You Need Airflow?
There are two reasons why you need airflow to cold smoke your sausage:
- To ensure a continuous flow of smoke and prevent them from trapping. Trapped smoke can turn stale and will leave an unpleasant taste to your sausage.
- To prevent the cold smoke generator from smoldering.
What is a Food Chamber?
The food chamber can come in the form of an old wooden cabinet or a barrel.
Cooking the Sausage after Smoking
After smoking the sausage, the meat still has to be cooked. This is done by simply increasing the temperature or applying the hot smoking method.
Smoking Sausage in Electric Smoker
- Start up smoker
Turn on the smoker and set the temp to 140°F for 1 hour a half wait until reach it.
- Warm up the sausage
throw the sausage in electric smoker then close the door and heat for 1 hour an half
- Cooking sausage in a smoker
Set the temp to 180°F and the times for another 1 hour a half. Add wood chips whatever you like in this case throw some apple wood in wood chips tray then close the door and continues to cook another 1 hour a half
- Ready to go
Stab the instant-read thermometer in sausage if reach 165°F it has done if not you continue to cook it until it reaches. Take out off smoker and then cool it down about 30 mins – 1 hr so let dig in.
Clear Your Doubt
How Does a Cold Smoker Work?
When cold smoking sausage, the ideal temperature is between 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature range is enough for the sausage to take the smoke flavor while remaining relatively moist. Again, it should be noted that putting the meat on cold smoker after meat production won’t cook the sausage. Therefore, the meat has to be fully cured before it undergoes cold smoking.
How Long Will It Take for a Fresh Sausage to Cold Smoke?
When cold smoking fresh sausage, the meat’s internal temperature should reach at least 160 degrees, and the process will take around 4 hours of smoke. If hot smoking, the temperature should be at 180 degrees, and it should be done in 4 hours.
Is It Safe to Cold Smoke?
The temperature required when you cold smoke the sausage is low, and that’s not enough to kill any potential bacteria that may have gotten into the sausage. Therefore, the meat has to be fully cured before it’s smoked in order to guarantee safety. Another option is to cold smoke the meat for the smoke flavor before you heat it up at a safe temperature range.
How Long to Smoke Sausage?
The sausage should only be smoked for around 45-90 minutes at the start and while the meat is still cold. Make sure you don’t over-smoke the meat. Also, flipping the sausage is no longer necessary.
How Long to Smoke Sausage at 225
It about 3 hours to smoke sausage flip them every 45 mins. Make sure that keep below 4 hours and internal temp reach 165°F for the best result.
How Long to Smoke Raw Sausage
About 2 hours at 250-275°F or until internal temp reaches 165°F. Flip them at 45 mins passed and then continues to cook it 30 mins and check the internal sausage temp if reach desireable them then take it off the grill.
How long do you cold smoke sausage?
About 4 hours or more. In This case, the sausage should cure properly you can smoke more than 4 hours without any problem botulism so if you cold smoke without cure you should do it less than 4 hours. Stay safe.
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Last update on 2020-02-25 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Awesome tips. Love this recipe. Thank you.