Smoking sausage

Generally most casings are hog casings, around 32mm if I'm not mistaken. It's a pretty standard size. You can get them from local butchers, or you can order online. A good economical way to start is to order the "home pack" which will be available online at various places like sausagemaker, butcher and packer, and Amazon. There are also sheep casings which are thinner and generally used for breakfast links and there are beef middles that I believe are for larger sausages - I haven't used those yet.

As to smoking - just anyway to get heat to the links. I like to use my vertical chamber in my offset so I can hang them, but any smoker where you can run a lower heat will work fine. I think WSM has a hanging conversion kit available - probably not a super necessary item but maybe a cool thing to have nevertheless.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Weber-7473-Expandable-Smoking-22-Inch/dp/B00FDOOP72"]Amazon.com : Weber 7473 Expandable Smoking Rack, 22-Inch : Grill Racks : Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41sZDoL-1AL.@@AMEPARAM@@41sZDoL-1AL[/ame]

I use this in my WSM. Works great.

Sausage casings etc.

I have been playing sausage maker for about a year. I use natural hog casings for everything I cook. I built a wooden smoker that worked fairly well. I recently acquired a WSM 22.5 and am loving the cleanlines and ease of operation. . I recently added a third rack for sausage and jerky. I don't hang the link I lay them on shelves.

Be safe with pork. Be patient with any sausage, have fun.

Pretty much what gtr said.:thumb: The only thing I'll add is that I like to smoke sausage at between 200 and 225 degrees until it looks like it's wanting to burst (but don't let it).Cooking time I think is usually around an hour to an hour and a half or so for raw/uncooked sausage but you'll have to eyeball it since there are no exacts with sausage due to different fat contents. The worst thing you can do is to overcook it.
If your contents are a little too lean the links will dry out and get hard, while a fattier mix will make them split open, purge the excess grease and then they'll dry out as well, so until you know what your mix will do just keep an eye on the links as they cook.:-D

^^^This just reminded me - if you're going to smoke at lower temps, you must use Instacure (aka Prague Powder or pink salt - usually #1) or Tenderquick - this is not optional as far as I know. "Fresh" or uncured sausage will get hot smoked.

As stated above the most common casings are hog casings, but for special purpose recipes you can get sheep casings, collagen casings and even beef rounds.

I suggest you find your recipe and research the method before you purchase the items and start.

Be sure to follow the procedure to avoid food-borne illnesses. Cold smoking requires a curing agent to prevent food poisoning because the meat is kept in the "Danger Zone" while smoking.

You can smoke in your UDS and your WSM. You can make dowel rods to hold hanks of sausage to be smoked.

Find your recipe, study the described technique, and feel free to ask question once you have reached that point.

A good source for supplies, casings, spices, and equipment is http://www.sausagemaker.com/

Also a good starter book is [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Home-Production-Quality-Meats-Sausages/dp/0982426739/ref=la_B001JRXURI_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416350891&sr=1-1"]Home Production of Quality Meats and Sausages: Stanley Marianski, Adam Marianski: 9780982426739: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B6GpQIrQL.@@AMEPARAM@@51%2B6GpQIrQL[/ame]

The book covers making sausage, bacon, hams, and even corned beef..

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