What did USDA inspectors find ?
He felt that these inspectors were harassing him unnecessarily , and " interfering with the way his sausage was best made , and had always been made by his family " by demanding that his linguisa be smoked at 140 degrees Fahrenheit , which was a state and USDA requirement ; Alexander , who usually smoked the linguisa at 144 degrees , would point that the decreased cooking temperature would shrink the sausage size , thereby reducing the cost at which he could sell them .