mikemikemike That’s the first I’ve heard of anyone talking about packaging up sausage before cooling it in an ice bath or shower.
I’ve not had any issue with losing too much smoke flavor or aroma in an ice bath or even a longer sous vide. Obviously, some washes off. I can smell it in the sous vide water, although I don’t smell anything in an ice bath. In either case (or both cases combined), I’ve been quite happy with the smoke level in my final product.