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with a possible subheader right underneath As for the temperature of the smoker itself, you want to bring it up to 175 F to 185 F before you start smoking. One good rule of thumb is to have the smoker about 20 degrees warmer than the finishing temperature of the meat (in this case, about 150 F to 155 F). From there, you’ll be smoking for a good 2–2 1/2 hours. You don’t want to leave your sausages unattended because if they get too warm, they might burst, and that’s the worst. Remember, you want to be in control of the heat, not the cook time. I try to end withmy sausages a nice reddish-brown color that lets me know they have that ideal smoky flavor.
When it comes to hanging your sausage in the smoker, you’ll get the best results if you leave at least a half inch between each link. Some people like to cram their smoker full of sausage, but you won’t get a good smoke if you do that.
The moment the sausage hits the 150 F mark, I take themout of the smoker and submerge them in cold water for five minutes. This will stop the cooking. From there, you can do a couple different things. You can get them ready to freeze, or you can store them in the fridge if you plan on grilling themor cooking with them in the next few days. And that is Smoked Sausage 101! As you practice, you can try different types of sausage and work your way up. Before you know it, you’ll have a freezer full of sausage! It’s hard to beat a good smoked sausage— that classic, jack-of-all-trades kind of sausage. –Danny McTurnan
Dan’s Hard Salami Get Ready for the Best Cheese and Cracker Spread of the Season!
Ingredients •
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
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2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
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2 1/2 pounds venison
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon mustard seed
3/4 cup red wine
3% kosher salt relative to the weight of meat (about 5 tablespoons)
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Prague powder #2 (optional*)
Directions First, mix seasonings in small bowl, then add your meats and the wine. Venison should be rough cut into 1/2-inch cubes. After your meats have been seasoned, let them rest in the fridge overnight. The next day, it’s time to grind! Grind your meats once with a coarse blade and then a second time with a fine blade. This will ensure a good mix and a good texture later on. Then, begin filling your cases. This is where you’re going to have a lot of options regarding what kind of width you want. Use a brat casing for a narrow salami or go a bit bigger with a summer sausage casing. Or, if you want to make salami that’s perfect to put on a sandwich, you can go with a beef casing. Once you have your sausage casings stuffed, the salami needs to hang overnight at room temperature (about 68 F). This will start the fermentation process.
After resting overnight, take the salami and hang it in a fridge for 10 weeks. You may have to make room in your fridge—or, if you have second fridge, great! Just make sure the salami does not touch any of the surfaces in the fridge. This may take a little work and some string to get just right. After about three weeks, you should begin to see a white mold growing on the salami. This tells you the meat is curing correctly. If you see any black mold, the salami has spoiled and needs to be thrown out.
After 10 weeks, the salami is ready to eat. But first, slice off a small piece, remove the rind, and give it a taste.
*If you have any doubt about this process, you can add Prague powder #2 to the mix. Just go by the directions on the container on howmuch to use per pound of meat. This curing product helps eliminate bacteria that may get into the meat.
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