Section 2 - Hot Smoking Sausage on a pellet Grill - Cured & FreshNote: Please keep in mind, the methods and techniques presented here are geared towards using Pellet Grills/Smokers.Can I safely smoke fresh uncured sausages?This is a question I get asked a lot. The answer is, Yes, but
ONLY if they're
hot-smoked properly, AND minimum safe temperature guidelines are followed to ensure that any harmful bacteria has been killed!
This Hot-Smoke method will work for both cured & uncured sausages: Polish Kielbasa, Andouille, Summer Sausage, Kosher-style Salami, etc.
Hot smoking utilizes temps between 165° - 185° and does a few things:
For Cured Sausages: it applies smoke and cooks the sausage to a finish temp.
For Uncured Sausages: Hot-smoking does three things: It applies smoke. It cooks the sausages, pushing them through the danger zone temperatures (40° - 140° F) quickly enough to keep harmful bacteria below dangerous levels.
It also allows enough time for the sausages to react with nitrogen dioxide and develop a deep smoke ring almost all the way, but not quite to the center of the sausage, giving it that classic pink color and texture. The nitric acid that's formed will have a slight curing effect on the sausage, but minimum temperature guidelines must still be followed.
Items you will need:- A second tier upper grate for your grill, or if your fire pot is off to one side, enough room on the lower rack to keep the sausage away from the direct heat. Sausage hangers are even better.
- A temperature probe to monitor the sausage temperature.
- A Sausage pricker.
- A cooler, tub or clean sink with plenty of cold water.
Don't have a sausage pricker? No problem, just use one of these: a corn-on-the-cob holder. A small clean brad (nail) will also work.
*If you are hot-smoking cured sausages that were already cold smoked, then skip to step 3.Step 1 - Prep the sausages: Pat any moisture off the sausages using clean paper towels. Prick the sausages about every inch or so using a sausage pricker. I do not recommend skipping this step as it prevents any pressure from building and cooking the sausage too quickly. Place the sausages on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and return them to the fridge to keep them as cold as possible while you prep the grill.
Step 2 - Prep the Pellet Grill: Get it ready, but DO NOT preheat your grill; leave it off! Be sure to install your upper grate.
If you have a product like an A-MAZE-N pellet smoker and want to use it to generate extra smoke, now's the time to get it ready, in place, and lit.
Use whatever flavor pellets you like. I find a mix of either Apple & Hickory, or Cherry & Hickory works really well. The cherry gives a really nice mahogany color while the apple gives a little stronger smoke smell. Sugar Maple is also surprisingly nice especially for beef smoked sausage.
If you have a sausage hanger, space them evenly on the rods. Otherwise lay the sausages on the second level grate (or at the far end of your grill if your fire pot is off to one side). Be sure they are not touching each other so smoke can surround each sausage.
Step 3 - The Hot-Smoke: Insert a temperature probe into one of the sausages length wise, making sure the end of the probe is positioned in the middle of the sausage so you're getting an accurate reading. Turn the grill on to smoke mode. If your grill lets you set a specific temp, then set it to hot smoke temps 165° - 185°.
If your grill only goes down to 200° the sausages will cook a little quicker and the smoke ring won't be quite as deep, but it will still work.What's Happening: Basically you're taking advantage of the extra smoke and warm-up period of the grill. Since the grill and sausage are both cold, the sausages won't be shocked by immediate heat hitting them. As they warm up more slowly, it will have a tempering effect on the sausage to help keep it from fatting out. It also extends the time in which smoke can be absorbed.
Step 4 - Finishing & Cooling: Cured sausage is usually done hot-smoking when they reach a minimum internal temp of 150° (152° - 154° for uncured sausages).
For Uncured hot-smoked sausages (1¼ - 1½ " diameter), this usually happens somewhere around the 3 hour mark, (depending on exact pit temp) which is a good time frame for keeping them within safe parameters.
If it looks like your uncured sausages might take much longer; just bump the temp up to around 200° to get them finished.Some folks prefer to take sausage to an internal temp of around 125° or so, then poach them in a hot water bath (about 160°) to their finish temp.
Thicker Cured sausages such a 3" Summer Sausage will take longer, sometimes hours longer, which is fine because they're cured and safe!
Cooling:If using a cold water bath, have it ready to go! Carefully immerse the sausages in the cold water and let them cool (a little ice in the water helps).
In case you're wondering... No, the water bath does NOT make the sausages soggy nor does it wash away the smoke flavor & smell.For Cured Sausages: The water bath is optional, depending upon the type of sausage and desired outcome, but it does do two things: It stops the cooking so the fat doesn't melt off and it keeps the sausages plump. Some folks prefer a shriveled look so they will skip the water bath. Dry and refrigerate, or let bloom at room temperature if desired, before packaging & freezing.
Note: Blooming is when you allow cured sausage (such as Summer Sausage) to sit exposed to air at room temperatures, after cooking. The meat oxidizes and becomes darker in color.For Uncured, Hot-smoked sausages: The water bath is a MUST! Don't skip it, as it does three things: It stops the cooking so the fat doesn't melt off. It keeps the sausages plump. Most importantly, it gets them cooled back down below danger zone temps much quicker. Dry them carefully with clean paper towels and get them into the fridge quickly to finish cooling below 41° F.
Here's a picture showing the difference in color between cured and uncured (fresh) hot-smoked sausage.