Best-Practices Time/ Temperature For Smoking

[processhead]

Seems like a lot of folks just getting into meat processing and sausage making have trouble wrapping their heads around food safety and correct smoking time and temperature. Commercial processors live and breath the food science because they are required to, but DIYers like us mainly just want their finished meat products to taste as good as possible and not make anyone sick.

I wanted to share this link and maybe get folks to comment on it’s relevance to home processors. In particular, check out Appendix A on page 33.

Most commercial processors have equipment that gives them far better control over their thermal processes than us home-processing guys have. For that reason, I try and factor in a bit of safety cushion into my meat smoking and cooking.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/bf3f01a1-a0b7-4902-a2df-a87c73d1b633/Salmonella-Compliance-Guideline-SVSP-RTE-Appendix-A.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

[Jonathon]

processhead Obviously the food safety aspect of this is important but it the attention that is paid to making sure your product is safe will also give a better tasting product as well! Good article, we love appendix A but I always want to caution people that cooking up to 160 which is the point of instant lethality is the best way to be sure your product is safe.

[Jonathon]

This is another usda fsis link that is good to keep on hand about jerky https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/5fd4a01d-a381-4134-8b91-99617e56a90a/Compliance-Guideline-Jerky-2014.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

[processhead]

Expanding on the time and temperature discussion, commercial processors have much tighter controls over the storage temperature and handling of their raw ingredients. Individuals butchering their own wild game or livestock seldom can chill a carcass as quickly and are not able to control all the variables that inhibit bacteria growth on their raw meat.
If you don’t know or can’t measure how clean your raw ingredients and processing equipment actually is, then the hot side of your processing is kind of your last line of defense for making a safe product.