Hot Links, Texas Style

Only changes I made were recalculating the amounts for 6.5 lbs.

And I used TQ instead of Cure #1 (because I have plenty of TQ)

note: Note: TQ and Cure #1 are not the same; Measurements are different 1.5 Teaspoons per pound of TQ for ground meat.

I ground meat through the largest dia. Plate first, mixed the slurry into the meat and back in the freezer to firm up again.

After firming for the second time I ground again using the smallest dia. plate then back in the fridge till tomorrow’s stuffing. Rinsed hog casings and soaking.

I did a fry test to see how the flavor was going to be. Wow ! This is going to be great. My wife loved it and she is not a big Hot Link fan.

After resting overnight in the fridge we are ready for stuffing.

Since I am doing Hot Links I decided to put a few drops of Red food color in the hog casing water just to give them a little red tint. Loaded up the stuffer, slid on the hog casings, and were making hot links. From the time I filled the stuffer twice (I don’t fill it too full) since I knew I couldn’t get 6.5 lbs. into a 5lb. stuffer, doing the stuffing and cleaning up everything it took 25 min. Since I am doing Hot Links I decided to put a few drops of Red food color in the hog casing water just to give them a little red tint. Loaded up the stuffer, slid on the hog casings, and were making hot links. From the time I filled the stuffer twice (I don’t fill it too full) since I knew I couldn’t get 6.5 lbs. into a 5lb. stuffer, doing the stuffing and cleaning up everything it took 25 min.

I let the links rest for about an hour and a half on the counter under a fan to bring down the temp and dry the casings a bit.

I used Lump Charcoal and Pecan chunks for this smoke

Put links on the smoker (no smoke) smoker temp was 90 ° let them go for an hour.

Bumped temp to about to 105° added a couple of pecan chunks for another hour

Added more lump and pecan, bumped temp to 120° for another hour

Bumped temp to 140 ° for another hour added a little more lump

Bumped temp up to 160 ° for an hour then to 190 to finish.

Internal temps were 168 ° and 171 °

Pulled links off smoker to cool down.

8.25 lb. Butt

Directions at smokingmeatforums.com

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