Sous vide venison summer sausage??

[NelsonMV]

salmonmaster I removed the sausage from the smoker when the meat was about 140 and put it in the sous vide which I set at 155, so I thought I’d be safe. My temp probe works well, and I assume the sous vide temp control was accurate. But clearly, there was a misstep somewhere.

[salmonmaster]

NelsonMV what was the temp. In smokehouse when you pulled the meat? How long did it take from the time you put it in smokehouse, till the time you pulled it.

[twilliams]

NelsonMV I personally don’t like the fast aggressive smoke schedule. The only other thing I can think of is what you used to grind and mix. If it was like a kitchen aid small table top type grinder it’s a slow process and warms the meat and tends to smear during the grinding process. I know you said you did it outside and put in freezer but it still may be the culprit. Also if your smoker temps are not accurate and is hotter than what temps are reporting. I would have used 2 cups water for 8lb meat block. What was your Sous vide water temp? Not sure if not having it up to temp and your sausage cooling down then back up again would do that or not. But if your water got too hot I would say yes. I know most don’t go over 170* I wouldnt go over 160* if I did the SV method

[NelsonMV]

salmonmaster It was in the Masterbuilt smoker from about 10 am until 3 pm when it went into the sous vide. The only lag was the time it took the sous vide water temperature to get up to 155.

[bocephus]

NelsonMV I know people are asking a lot of questions on your process, but don’t get frustrated, it is not an attack they are just trying to help you figure out what might have gone wrong. As I stated earlier this group only wants to help and learn. And by the way welcome to the community.

[salmonmaster]

NelsonMV I was just wondering because it takes about 6 hours for my smokehouse to get my sausages to 130°, using the walton schedule, then it kinda stalls out. So at smokehouse temp. Of 155°, my sausage is 130° after 6 hrs. Then I turn up smokehouse to 160° to 165° for another hour to hit 132° to 135° internal temperature For sausage. I don’t know how long it would take the sausages to get to 140°. Just thought maybe you had some higher heat in your smokehouse towards the end of your smoking cycle, say 170° or more that might have caused fat out.

[salmonmaster]

NelsonMV and it like bocephus says, we’ve all made mistakes, I’ve made a lot this is the place to learn how to correct them. Lot of knowledgeable people here to help.

[NelsonMV]

Salmonmaster, Bocephus, thank you for taking the time to delve into this. I appreciate your insights. I’m not easily frustrated and did not for a moment think that any of the questions directed at me were criticisms — far from it. I’ll keep at it and will incorporate what I’ve learned. My guess is that something in my smoking process was at fault.

[salmonmaster]

NelsonMV that’s the spirit! Just keep on trying a few things to remember

1. Keep your meat cold! Meat binds best between 40° and 45 °. Use your thermometer to tell how cold it is. It can feel cold to your hands, but it can be 50° to 60° in reality.
2. Make sure you get your bind. There’s sticky, then there’s STICKY. Make sure it sticks to your hand up side down, and stretches apart. Just like in waltons video. Binders work great! Binders keep your product moist, helps keep fat from " fatting out" and really binds the meat together good. Waltons sure gel works great as a binder.
3. Try not to go over 160° during cooking process. Higher than that and the fat has a hard time holding on.
   I had all the same issues as you did not to long ago, and just a few small changes, made a big difference. Good luck!

[bocephus]

NelsonMV We all learn from mistakes whether our own or someone else’s post. I know I have gained so much knowledge from this sight over the years.