FAQs
Sausage can either be cold smoked or hot smoked and these two processes are fundamentally different: Cold smoking takes place at temperatures below 30°C or 85°F whereas hot smoking takes place between 60-80°C (140-180°F). Hot smoking cooks the sausage whereas cold smoking does not.
How hot to cook smoked sausage? ›
SAUSAGE HEATING INSTRUCTIONS
Method #1: Smoke it Create a wood fire in a BBQ pit. Maintain a cooking temperature of 200-250°F, and turn sausage several times to ensure even smoking. Heat the Fully Smoked sausage 30-45 minutes until 165°F. Smoke the Fresh (Raw) sausage for 1½ -2 hours until 165°F.
Is smoked sausage cooked or raw? ›
Simply put, fresh sausage is raw and uncooked, making it great as an ingredient, but you'll need to cook it yourself. Smoked sausage is fully cooked, so you can eat it as is. In other words, you don't need to cook smoked sausage for it to be safe for consumption, though you can if you prefer your sausage warmed up.
How to warm up smoked sausage? ›
Smoked Sausage
Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove sausage from bag and place in single layer on rimmed cookie sheet. Place in the oven uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until sausage reaches internal temperature of 145°F.
Does hot smoked mean cooked? ›
Although foods that have been hot smoked are often reheated or further cooked, they are typically safe to eat without further cooking. The temperature range for hot smoking is usually between 52 and 80 °C (126 and 176 °F). Foods smoked in this temperature range are usually fully cooked, but still moist and flavorful.
What are the benefits of hot smoking? ›
Hot smoking is the more popular and well-known method because it delivers a juicy, succulent, tender meat product. This is why it is the preferred method for meats like beefsteaks, chicken, ribs, and other pork cuts. It is an all-in-one process since the wood, meat, and smoke are all in the same chamber.
Can you overcook smoked sausage? ›
Overcooking or overheating the sausage past 160 °F will make the fat in the meat melt and evaporate, leaving the sausage less juicy or dry.
How do you know when smoked sausage is done? ›
Use a meat thermometer to make sure your sausage is between 160 and 165 °F (71 and 74 °C). If you don't have a meat thermometer, check that the sausage is firm and has clear, runny juices. Cut it open and make sure the inside is brown, not pink.
Can you eat smoked sausage by itself? ›
This is important to learn because you can safely eat a smoked sausage without preparing it more. This is possible because it is added with curing salts (nitrates.)
Why is smoked sausage so good? ›
Smoked sausage is smoked for a long time at ultra low temperatures so that smokey flavor we all love can really sink in. These links are the perfect way to add a punch of flavor and kick to your meal without being overpowering to the point that it drowns out other notes of flavor.
To prevent foodborne illness, uncooked sausages that contain ground beef, pork, lamb or veal should be cooked to 160°F. Uncooked sausages that contain ground turkey and chicken should be cooked to 165°F. Ready-to-eat sausages are dry, semi-dry and/or cooked.
Why do you cold smoke sausage? ›
Cold smoking is the best way to add an intense, smoky flavor to your sausages without cooking them completely. You can store cold-smoked sausages for several days or even weeks until you're ready to cook and serve them. The sausages will still have the rich smoky flavors that make barbeque lovers drool.
What is an example of hot smoking meat? ›
Frequently, hams, pork roasts, bacon, beef briskets, whole poultry, salmon, herring, and oysters are smoked. Hot smoking and liquid smoked will be discussed in this article. Hot smoking is the process where meat is slowly cooked and smoked at the same time.
What is the difference between cold smoke and hot smoke for sausages? ›
Basically, cold smoking imparts a flavour to your food, but doesn't fully cook it; hot smoking means you are cooking and flavouring at the same time. The reason behind cold smoking is preservation by drying and also the smoke particles are antibacterial.
Is cold smoking better than hot smoking? ›
Hot smoking allows the meat to have a more subtle flavor from these chips, while cold smoking penetrates meat with greater ease, ensuring the full flavor of the selected wood chips.
Is it worth smoking sausage? ›
Everything is better in the smoker and these smoked sausages are no exception! They'll spend about 2-3 hours in the smoker and come out perfectly juicy and tender with a bit of a bite to the skin on the outside. If you've only had brats on the grill, I highly recommend trying them on the smoker next weekend!