Thread: Grilling/smoking sausages and tough casing

Michelle <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sep 27, 9:01 am, "Nunya Bidnits" <nunyabidn...@eternal-
> september.invalid> wrote:
>> Michelle <mcmoor...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Sep 26, 11:47 am, "Nunya Bidnits" <nunyabidn...@eternal-
>>> september.invalid> wrote:
>>>> I'm talking about "skin on" sausages in casing, not loose.
>>
>>>> I've read that the correct method of preparing cased sausage is to
>>>> slow smoke and poach. But I constantly see and hear about sausage
>>>> on the grill. In my experience the casing goes unacceptably tough,
>>>> virtually inedible, when any kind of serious heat is applied on a
>>>> grill, or in a saute pan for that matter. Even a venerable local
>>>> sausage dealer in the Polish community here called Strawberry Hill,
>>>> whose offerings include sausage made for barbecue, can't seem to
>>>> produce it with a casing that one can chew up. Natural and
>>>> not-so-natural casings don't seem to make a diff.
>>
>>>> What's up? Does anyone know how to grill sausage which has both a
>>>> satisfying snap when bitten into, and which can be chewed without
>>>> pulling sinewy casing back out of your mouth?
>>
>>>> I've gotten so fed up with it that when we do barbecue competitions
>>>> I just make skinless chubs, par cooked in food wrap and foil to set
>>>> them to shape, which I then treat on the grill or in the smoker as
>>>> I would cased sausage. But I miss the snap of biting into a good
>>>> cased sausage.
>>
>>>> MartyB
>>>> [cross posted to afb]
>>
>>> I have cooked the same sausage you're referring to (though I think
>>> Strawberry Hill
>>> is Croatian, not Polish), along with sausages from various other
>>> local Kansas City
>>> makers. I haven't noticed that problem at all. Does everyone on your
>>> team have the
>>> same problem?
>>
>>> If you notice it a lot more than others - could it be a teeth
>>> problem, rather than a
>>> sausage problem? (Not trying to be rude here - it's a serious
>>> question.)
>>
>>> Michelle
>>
>> It's not a teeth problem. All three of them are fine. ;-)
>>
>> Where I notice it is when I run cased sausages in the smoker or on
>> the grill, which I usually run fairly hot. Maybe it's just too hot.
>>
>> Depending on who I'm talking to, I hear Polish, Croatian, and Slavic
>> references about Strawberry Hill, but I think you're right.
>>
>> Have you gotten sausage from Krizmans? I really like their mix, but
>> their sausage always cooks to a tough skin in a hot smoker. Maybe I
>> should try some stovetop as Big Jim was talking about to see if it's
>> the method or the sausage at fault. Krizman's apple and raw polish
>> sausages are otherwise excellent IMO.
>>
>> Have you tried Local Pig? I had several of their sausages and the
>> best thing I can say is "different".
>>
>> MartyB- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Might be too hot - I tend to cook sausages over a pretty low heat, so
> all the yummy fat stays mostly inside.
>
> Krizman's sausage is fantastic. Ditto Fritz's and Werner's. We have
> some from Kurzweil's, but haven't tried it yet.

I wish Krizman's nicely flavored bbq sausage had a more tender skin but
maybe I'll try it again, low temp. I also like their Polish. It can be had
raw if you ask ahead of time so you can smoke it yourself.

> Haven't made it to Local Pig. It's on my list, though.

I live about six blocks from Fritz's. ;-) Their andouille is wonderful.

I've not been to Local Pig but have had their sausage. The flavor profiles
of the gourmet sausages were a bit, umm, "unusual" for my tastes. I cooked
some pork butt bought from them at the Lenexa Q contest, scored 15th place
out of 180 entries. It was definitely top quality pork butt.

Haven't been to Werner's.

MartyB