[aa961jester]

Today I made my first batch of Smoked Summer Sausage. I used a fiberous non edible casing. The flavor of the sausage is good, the meat however barely holds together it's a bit crumbly. When I stuffed it I felt it was tight and full. The meat is not too dry not too wet. Any suggestions or comments?

 

[Patrick]

Did you add any fat to it?,I am assuming this is venison sausage you should add at the least 20% pork fat to your sausage or it will be dry .

 

[CustomMade]

If you smoke the sausage at too high a temperature (over about 152 degrees F internal) you will melt all the fat out and the result will be a crumbly dry sausage.

 

[JJoe]

List all ingredients and steps you took to make it..

 

[deergetter]

Never tried it but I give you alot of credit no matter how it comes out.

 

[lady bird]

We use 20% pork. did you use a cure with it? The cure needs time to work. When ur mixing it in, mix for several minutes until it gets really sticky. this is the protein breaking down. After you stuff into the casings, it should sit overnight before smoking. Cabelas offers some really good DVD's on the basics.

 

[aa961jester]

I used 4 pounds of venison and 1 pound of pork bacon.
I added Morton Tender Cure and let it sit for two days. On the third day I stuffed the sausage and returned it to the fridge. I smoked it in a smoker but had issues regulating the temp.
1 hour at 125 degs.
1 hour at 145 degs. added wood for smoke
let it get to 170 to 175 until internal temp reahed 160 degs.

Maybe a temp issue?

 

[CustomMade]

Sounds like what I thought. You melted the fat out. Past 152 you'll start to melt fat. I've done it before as well. Try to regulate your smoker to 160-165 until you reach an internal temp of 152. It's tricky but you'll get the hang of it.

 

[Dawgs]

add some dry milk to the mix.....it will bind it

 

[aa961jester]

I guess I need to practice more. I wanted to get a new smoker but this may push me to get one sooner. I have a cheapo red electric one that looks like R2D2. It was very difficult to maintain the temps. Had to keep making adjustments every 5 mins. The temp wants to shoot up, not very good at maintaining lows.

 

[bloodtrails]

You should have at least 25% pork fat. You can never have too much pork fat....

 

[bowhunter444]

Do yourself a favor and by the book Great Sausage Recipes and Meat Curing by Rytek Kutas, it is like the sausage makers bible. With venison sausage I smoke till temps reach internal 145F then you need to shower with cold water till temps get below 120F then hang at room temp a couple hours to bloom

 

[CustomMade]

The temp wants to shoot up

When you throw the wood in, if it combusts it will give you rapid spikes in temp. I like to use larger pieces so that they don't combust as quickly. I have a charcoal smoker that I like quite a bit. Once you figure it out, you can maintain temps pretty well. Good expensive smokers are made almost airtight so that you are in full control with your damper versus having fluctuations in temp due to gaps and crack in cheap smokers.

 

[aa961jester]

Anybody have any recomendations on a Smoker, I was looking at the LEM.

 

[CustomMade]

You looking to stick to electric or go to coal? If coal, I have a char griller "smokin' outlaw". It's an offset smoker/grill. It's still a cheaper one at $170 but I have had a lot of success with it. Great for ribs, pork butts, sausage etc. Look at a weber smokey mountain if you want a bullet style smoker, but then you're talking $400.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Glad to see some good advice getting out...my buddy has the Green Egg Smoker and can regulate it real well with a fan, check out BBQ Guru

I have a cheap Meco Smoker and have yet to take a stab at using it.
good luck

 

[ICDeer]

Once you mix in pinksalt you should stuff right away
letting it wait 3 day?

 

[aa961jester]

Looking to stay with an electric, was also looking at a Master but was told it doesnt smoke at lower temps due to the way the element heats.

I waited 3 days to stuff because thats what I read in several articles, was that wrong?

 

[njxbow]

if money is not an issue, go with the bradley smoker. it is by far the easiest, most precise smoker for the home sausage maker. if you do choose the bradley, buy the original one which is the cheapest then spend a little more and buy an electric temp controller from auber instruments which does 2 things: it maintains temps to within one degree and it also smokes/ cooks in stages which allows sausage makers to ramp up the temps in pre-programmed stages which prevents a "fatout." for example i pretty use the following temp program when making smoked sausages of any type:
1. 1 hour at 130 with no smoke to dry the cases
2. 1 hour at 140 with smoke
3. 1 hour at 150 with smoke
4. 2 hour at 160 with smoke
5. 1 hour at 165 no smoke
6. hold at 170 until internal temp of the sausages reach 150.

an original bradley with an auber unit will cost about the same as a digital bradley unit (which i bought)but is much more precise for sausage making. i put my bradley inside a garden shed mounted on a dolly and i just roll it out out of my garage to use it. it holds temp in zero degree weather.

 

[dawnpatrol]

all good advice here, you cooked the fat right out of it. i bet your casings were all greasy when you finished it at 165. i pull mine at the sweet spot of 152. 145 works too. also never let smoker temp go over 165. get a book, get a system and in time you will be making good CONSISTENT sausage. practice and good luck[up]