Art of Smoking Food: What Others Won't Tell You... by Stollinger - HTML preview
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Homemade Hot-Smoked Sausages with Mustard Seeds
Ingredients:
- Pork meat: 1 kg
- Pork belly fat: 200 g
- Salt: 18 g (1.5% of the total weight of meat and fat)
- Garlic: 3–4 cloves
- Ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds: 2 tbsp
- Natural or artificial sausage casings: as needed
Note: Nitrite/curing salt is commonly used in meat products to preserve colour, flavour, and provide additional preservation properties. However, in hot-smoked sausages, where the temperature reaches about 80–90°C, nitrite salt may lose some of its properties. If you prefer a more natural product, you can use regular salt only. Additionally, pork fat provides the necessary texture and flavour for the finished product.
Preparation:
1. Preparing the meat and fat:
- Rinse the pork and pork belly fat, pat dry, and grind using a coarse grinder plate.
- Add minced garlic, ground black pepper, mustard seeds, and salt to the minced meat.
- Mix the mixture thoroughly for 10–15 minutes until it becomes uniform and sticky.
- Cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for 12–24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
2. Forming the sausages:
- Soak natural or artificial casings in warm water for 15–20 minutes to make them elastic.
- Using a special nozzle or appropriate tool, tightly fill the casings with the prepared mixture, avoiding air pockets. If air bubbles appear, prick them with a toothpick or needle. Form sausages of uniform size.
3. Drying:
- Hang the formed sausages in a well-ventilated area or place them on a rack.
- Allow the sausages to settle and dry for 1.5–3 hours or longer, depending on the humidity and air circulation. It is essential that the surface of the sausages is dry before smoking.
4. Smoking:
- Prepare the hot-smoking smoker, ensuring the temperature is 80–90°C.
- Hang the sausages in the smoker, leaving enough space between them for smoke circulation.
- Smoke the sausages until their internal temperature reaches 68°C. For thinner sausages, this may take about 2 hours; for thicker ones, up to 3 hours. It is recommended to use a food thermometer to monitor the internal temperature.
5. After smoking:
- Remove the sausages from the smoker and hang them in a well-ventilated area to cool to room temperature. This may take several hours.
- Once cooled, place the sausages in the refrigerator and let them rest for at least 12 hours to allow the flavors to mature and stabilize.
Storage:
- Hot-smoked sausages can be stored in the refrigerator (at 0–6°C) for up to 7 days.
- Vacuum-sealed sausages can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days or in the freezer (at –18°C) for up to 2 months.
Additional tip:
When preparing the sausage filling, you can add your favorite spices or herbs, such as thyme, oregano, or cumin, to create a unique flavor.