Choosing a sausage smoker depends on the amount of sausage to be smoked, frequency of use, and environmental conditions. A large internal volume is needed for commercial use, while a smaller capacity is sufficient for personal use. Outdoor smoking is affected by weather conditions, and airtight construction is important for consistent results. Different types of smokers are available, including wood-burning, electric, propane, and side-saddle smokers.
There are many things you need to look for when choosing a sausage smoker. Choosing the best sausage smoker for your needs requires an assessment of how much sausage you need to smoke, how often you will be smoking, and the environmental conditions that may occur during the smoking process. A solid smoker with excellent build quality may be best for professional use, but a sausage smoker you only use occasionally often doesn’t require high quality materials and ultra tight construction. You should also determine how you plan to smoke your sausage, as wood-burning smokers differ greatly from electric, propane, or side-saddle smokers.
Determine the volume of sausage you plan to smoke at any one time. If you own a restaurant or other food service business, you will want a smoker with a large internal volume to accommodate a large batch of sausage in a single smoking session. If you simply want a sausage smoker to cook a small amount of meat for small gatherings or for your own consumption, you should choose a smoker with a small internal capacity. The smaller the capacity, the faster and more evenly you will be able to smoke sausage. Larger volumes make cooking temperature more difficult to control, which can lead to inconsistent results.
If you plan to use the sausage smoker outdoors, the process will be more susceptible to prevailing weather conditions. This can be a problem in summer in hot areas as a constant temperature must be maintained for long periods of time to successfully smoke sausage. Typically, you want to maintain 200 to 225 degrees Fahrenheit (93 to 105 degrees Celsius) for several hours. If it’s too hot or too cold outside, it will be difficult to achieve and maintain this cooking temperature inside the smoke chamber.
A basic vertical sausage smoker uses a direct flame to generate smoke that rises to surround the meat in the smoke chamber. It’s a simple and efficient design, but more elaborate smokers are also available. Generally, the more solid and airtight the smoker, the more success you get when actually cooking the meat. However, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on a top-of-the-line cast iron model with double welded seams if you aren’t cooking large quantities of sausage at once. The smaller the smoker, the less vital the airtight construction is.
A side saddle sausage smoker features a fire box placed on the side of the smoking chamber. This setting provides indirect smoke to the sausage and makes it easier to maintain the cooking temperature. Typically, vertical or side chambers use wood to provide the heat, but a smoker with an electric coil or a propane burner can be used. While both options provide continuous, easily controlled heat, you will need to use wood chips to provide the smoke for the meat.
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