Andouille Sausage Revisited

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Originally uploaded by Danno1.

I've got a new batch of Andouille in the works! I cubed and seasoned it yesterday, this morning I ground it and linked it. It looks fantastic, this pic was taken just after I linked it, I'll have more up tomorrow! I currently have it drying in the basement. I used the exact measurements as My Andouille Recipe , 5 lbs. of Pork (nice, fatty Boston Butt). I will have pics from each stage posted in the next few days. Tomorrow is my day to smoke, my favorite part! I'm using Hickory chunks, which tonight I will toss with about 8 oz. of Crystal Hot Sauce to soak overnight, maybe pop them in a low oven for an hour (I got this idea when I read that Tabasco sells wood chunks that are made from their spent pepper aging barrels). Tomorrow I will soak the chunks in water for about an hour before I smoke. My goal tomorrow is to keep the temperature at 80 degrees F or lower using a traditional upright barrel smoker, which is a lot colder than I usually smoke, see My Smoking Method. It's going to be tough, but I have a plan! Here it is:

#1 - Get my Andouille super cold before I smoke it, maybe a trip in the freezer, not frozen, but darned cold!
#2 - Only use enough charcoal to keep the wood smoldering, a small little pile. The charcoal I use will be pushed to one side of the smoker, the Andouille will be on the opposite side on the top rack.
#3 - The middle rack, between the sausage and the heat, with have a large bowl filled with ice, refreshed as needed.

Wish me luck! I will certainly get more pictures up tomorrow, as well as an update on how my plan worked, if anyone is interested. Hopefully I won't have to delete this post. :)