Mastering the Craft of Making Sausage (18 page)

Recently, the Bradley Smoker Company has offered an accessory that they call the Cold Smoke Adaptor (please see photo). This accessory is useable on all Bradley smokers, and it can be attached easily without tools. The adaptor is very effective at reducing the internal temperature of the smoker when products are being cold smoked. To use the adaptor, the smoke generator is removed from the smoker and attached to the Cold Smoke Adaptor; this act creates an offset smoke generator. An aluminum smoke tube cools the smoke as it flows to the smoke chamber. The Cold Smoke Adaptor sells for about $99, and it is available wherever Bradley Smokers are sold.

WATER SMOKERS

Since ancient times, the Chinese have used steam cookers. These cookers have a pan of water that is placed between the food and the heat source. Cooking food in this way results in slow and moist cooking. Indeed, this is a simple but ingenious way to reduce moisture loss while cooking foods. Properly used, this cooking method produces food of unsurpassed succulence with minimal shrinkage. A minor negative point is that the lower cooking temperature results in a cooking time about twice as long (or longer) as cooking in a kitchen oven. This Chinese method of cooking stood the test of time, and it eventually found its way to a place as distant as North America.

The southern portion of the United States, particularly, had a many devotees of this style of cooking. Some of these Americans made a habit of putting hardwood chunks on the charcoal fire. The entire system was put in a single enclosure to ensure that the food was exposed to steam from the water pan and smoke from the hardwood. By doing this, water smoking was invented!

A typical water smoker will hold a maximum of approximately 50 pounds (22 kg) of food. The smokers come in various shapes, but they are often round, have a dome-shaped lid, and their height is about twice that of their diameter. In addition to the traditional charcoal-burning units, some manufacturers offer the easier-to-use propane and electric models. The propane models have a control knob to control the heat by regulating the flow of propane. I use a Brinkmann propane water smoker, and I am very satisfied with it. It is easier to use than the charcoal fired type, and it is more durable than water smokers with electric heaters. I fitted my Brinkmann with an adapter hose so that a common propane tank can be used instead of the small, disposable propane cylinders.

No matter whether charcoal, propane, or electricity is used, the sausage will taste the same if it is seasoned and processed in the same way. Many of these water smokers can be used as barbecue grills if the water pan is not used.

Heat is produced in the bottom of the unit directly under the water pan. There are chrome- or nickel-plated cooking racks above the water pan. Wire mesh baskets can be purchased separately, and they are particularly useful for cooking small sausages.

For the charcoal burners, putting water-soaked chunks of hardwood near the charcoal produces smoke. The propane and electric models require that the water-soaked wood be put on a special tray or in another designated place. In some cases, the instructions will suggest wrapping the chunks of smoking fuel in aluminum foil to promote smoldering and to contain the ashes.

Hot water is put into the water pan, and the chamber is preheated. When the heat gauge or thermometer indicates that the correct temperature has been reached, the sausage links are put on the racks or in the baskets and hot smoked. You need to check the heat chamber thermometer and the water pan from time to time to make sure everything is progressing properly. Make sure that the water pan is always filled with
hot
water, and make sure that the water pan never goes dry. If the water pan goes dry and the residue in the bottom begins to scorch, the food will be tainted by that odor. Avoid raising the lid frequently to peek; this will cause excessive heat loss. Every peek will add about 10 or 15 minutes to the cooking time. Try cooking sausages at 180° F (82° C)— this will give the best results. If the cooking is too slow to suit you, boost the temperature up to 190° F (88° C) or 200° F (93° C).

In spite of all of the wonderful characteristics of manufactured water smokers, there are a few negative features:

• If the water smoker is electric, the same precautions as for the portable electric smokers must be taken; it should be used on a concrete surface and protected from rain.

• Because the units are not insulated, wind, precipitation, and external temperatures can affect the cooking time.

• Too much heat is produced for smoke cookers, such as water smokers, to be used as cold smokers.

• It is difficult to maintain a steady flow of smoke because the heat that is produced to maintain the correct cooking temperature may not be optimal to smolder the smoking fuel slowly. The wood will fail to produce any smoke if it is not heated enough, and it will burst into flames if it is heated too much.

• Most water smokers have a built-in heat gauge, but these heat gauges are not accurate and not consistent. The heat gauge may indicate such ranges as “WARM,” “IDEAL,” and “HOT,” but sometimes the “IDEAL” range is not ideal. The ideal temperature to cook solid meat and poultry in the water smoker is between 225° F (107° C) and 275° F (135° C). Fish should not be water smoked at more than 225° F (107° C). The hot smoking of sausage should be done at about 180° F (82° C). However, the temperature in some water smokers may be 280° to 300° F (138° to 149° C) when the needle of the heat gauge is in the middle of the “IDEAL” range. Consequently, it is best to use a real thermometer to measure the smoker’s internal temperature. Try an instant-read dial thermometer with a stem. Wrap a small cloth around the stem, and plug it into one of the vent holes. Better yet, drill a small hole just above the heat gage, and then insert a short-stemmed dial thermometer.

• Smoking food in a water smoker produces a less intense smoke flavor than smoking it in other kinds of smokers. One reason for this is that the steam absorbs the smoke aroma that would otherwise be imparted to the food. But the main reason is that the steam condenses on the food; a dry surface is required for the smoke flavor to adhere and penetrate.

It was mentioned above that the “IDEAL” range of many water smokers is often too hot to get the best results. Unfortunately, turning down the heat to 180° F (82° C) might cause another problem: It could cause the water to stop simmering, and that might lower the humidity. To prevent this problem, you may wish to alter your smoker so that more heat will hit the water pan directly. If your water smoker uses lava rock to spread the heat, you need to move all the lava stones away from the center, and pile them around the edge. This will allow more heat to strike the water pan directly. If your smoker has a metal heat deflector, you may be able to remove it or have some large holes punched in it. If it can be done easily, try to move the water pan closer to the heat source. However, before any changes are made, it is best to get to know your water smoker well. Try to avoid making irreversible changes.

BARBECUE-TYPE SMOKE COOKERS

Cooking sausages by grilling them outside on a barbecue is the most festive way to prepare them. This is also one of the tastiest ways to cook sausages because a slightly smoky taste is added. However, grilling is more of an art than a science, so experience can be expected to improve the results.

There are many shapes and sizes of hot smokers on the market, and they will all do a good job if used properly. The manufacturer’s instructions together with your experience will enable you to learn the techniques quickly. Whatever brand or type you use, it should always be used outside, and it will probably be necessary to soak the smoking fuel in water so that it will produce smoke rather than flames.

Both of the methods listed below have many devotees.

• Precook the sausages by poaching or steaming them. They are fully cooked when you put them on the grill, so you need only concentrate on browning them to add new levels of flavor and attractiveness. The heating should be just enough to make them hot all the way through. This is accomplished by placing them near—but not over—the flame, or the medium-hot charcoal, for part of the time in order to brown them slowly and evenly. The rest of the time, they are covered and heated a little further away from the heat source. When precooked sausages are being grilled, the internal temperature is not usually measured.

• Grilling raw sausages is a little more difficult because they have to be cooked to the target temperature in addition to browning them attractively. The key is gentle heat and slow cooking. The browning is done in the same way as indicated above, but the cooking should be done very slowly. After the links are browned, keep them covered, and place them in a position on the grill where the internal temperature will climb gradually. On some types of grills, placing the sausages in a covered cast-iron frying pan helps to provide uniform and gentle heat. The links are done when the internal temperature is between 155° F (68° C) and 160° F (71° C). Depending on the thickness of the sausage, afterheat should carry the temperature to 160° F (71° C). If the sausage contains poultry, the target temperature is 165° F (74° C), so you need to remove the sausages from the grill when the internal temperature is between 160° F (71° C) and 165° F (74° C).

CHAPTER 8

Fresh Sausage

I
n the world of sausage making, some expressions have a special meaning. The expression
fresh sausage
is one case in point. Fresh sausage means sausage that does not contain nitrites or nitrates. The opposite of fresh sausage is
cured sausage
. Sausage makers tend to use the word
cured
whenever nitrates or nitrites have been used. However, food smokers (not sausage makers) will often use the word
cured
even if only dry salt or common brine has been used. It is confusing, but we can’t change the ways that people use the English language. We have to live with it.