Puff from what I can see it looks like the casings didn’t dry…you need to give them time to dry otherwise they wont’ take on color, or if you are smoking at to high of a temp the color wont’ be right…..Or if they are touching the color will be off…..When its cold outside you need to let the casings dry longer than the hour recommended….the cold air causes condensation inside the smokehouse.
The recommended smoking temps are 120* till dry. Then a gradual increase to 145* and then smoke them for 2-4 hours (I use two pans packed well). And then a gradual increase to 165* till they reach the desired internal temp. It typically takes me between 8-12 hrs for a batch of sausage.
As for the temp….does you smokehouse have a smoke diffuser? If so do you have it squished down like I have mine….if you don’t’ have one or its still up you get hot spots from radiant heat….Also the smokehouse doesn’t heat evenly….you have a huge hot spot right over the heating element….what I do is make sure I have short links to hang over that spot….you can also spin the sausage on the dowels…about half way thru the process that will get them to cook more even…..my advice is if that smoker came with racks…make up a batch of beef jerky and lay it out on the racks…the ones that get done quick are where your hot spots are…its just like a pit. Know where they are and how to deal with them. Also check to make sure you element is heating evenly…I was having issue with my smokehouse and the element was bad…only half of it was getting hot and it was getting real hot….
Puff said:
Flavor was there, texture was there. But I think either my therm is way off or I'm smoking at to high of a temp. Some of the sausage came out perfect and others seem to render and cook. Not enough soy?? To hot??
I don't have a clue. I think I'll stick to smaller batches till I get the hang of the smoker. Anyone else have these problems before when first starting out?
This sounds dumb but make sure your smoker therm isn’t touching any sausage (I’ve had that happen a time or two)…
You really need to watch the temp…a short spike will cause the fat to render…
Keep at it as long as the flavor and texture were right on..the smoking will fall into place.
Hope this helps…
Oh yea....about a tablespoon of Paprika per 10lbs will help the color some as well...