Summer Sausage

[Norm]

First time I've ever tried making some. It's a mixture of ground deer hindquarter and pork butt.

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-mbRrgzR/0/L/i-mbRrgzR-L.jpg

I'm using my Weber gas grill to smoke it with. It's got a smoke box that I put cherry chunks and then peach chunks in.

[---k---]

More info please. I did a bunch of fresh sausage recently. I wanted to do Summer Sausage, but the two books I had made it sound way too hard.

[Stoke&Smoke]

Looks great!:thumb:

[2LMan]

Looks good. Looking forward to hearing how you did it. I have been wanting to try some too.

[Norm]

It's really pretty simple or at least my version is. :becky:

Course grind of both, mix together with pink salt and spices, cure for a couple of days and then stuff in casings. Bring up to temp slowly with plenty of smoke until internal reaches 165°F and then cool quickly. I just put mine in a snow bank but they say to use ice water.

Lots of these call for beef fat added in but I'm trying to keep the calories down.

[bbqbull]

Looking great Norm!

[bluetang]

That's some good looking sausage. Beautiful color. Love the way ya cooled it down too!

[---k---]

It's really pretty simple or at least my version is. :becky:

Course grind of both, mix together with pink salt and spices, cure for a couple of days and then stuff in casings. Bring up to temp slowly with plenty of smoke until internal reaches 165°F and then cool quickly. I just put mine in a snow bank but they say to use ice water.

Lots of these call for beef fat added in but I'm trying to keep the calories down.

Thanks for the additional info. It is the "cure for a few days" thing that is tripping me up. The Great Sausage Recipes book makes a big deal about curing at the right temp and right humidity. After reading it, I felt it was too much work at home. But, it sounds like there may be the theoretically correct way and also the good enough way???

[Norm]

I think so K but to be honest since this is my first attempt I'm not sure.

If you never hear from me again I'd follow the books recipe instead. :wink:

[boatnut]

Thanks for the additional info. It is the "cure for a few days" thing that is tripping me up. The Great Sausage Recipes book makes a big deal about curing at the right temp and right humidity. After reading it, I felt it was too much work at home. But, it sounds like there may be the theoretically correct way and also the good enough way???

have yet to do summer sausage but whenever i've done snack sticks or andouille, I usually just mix, stuff and hang in garage overnight (in winter but not freezing temps) then smoke the next day. key is to keep smoker temps very low.....like 120 then slowly increase over say 6 hour period to a max of say, 170. Pull when internal is 150-160. always worked for me that way. Electric smokers make it much easier to achieve this, IMO. If you get it too hot, the fat will start to render. You don't want that.

[KingRanch450]

Looks good....I'd like to learn to make some with jalapenos and cheese

[Hoss]

Looks good....I'd like to learn to make some with jalapenos and cheese


KR450,Send me a PM.There are kits available,they supply everything but the ground
meat.They even have hi temp cheese you can add.:wink:

[Hoss]

First time I've ever tried making some. It's a mixture of ground deer hindquarter and pork butt.

http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-mbRrgzR/0/L/i-mbRrgzR-L.jpg

I'm using my Weber gas grill to smoke it with. It's got a smoke box that I put cherry chunks and then peach chunks in.

Good lookin LOGS! Just go easy on the heat.The first 15 pound batch I did,I smoked too hot and the fat melted away.Dry,crumbly sausage.:tsk: Yours looks great so far.You'll know if it got too hot,the casings will shrivel.I dont EVER let my smoking temp get over 180 now.

[Washy]

just tried my first batch of Venison summer sausage this year as well. smoked at 200* and pulled at 155*. Turned out great.

that looks great to me. hope you enjoy!!

[El Pistolero]

More info please. I did a bunch of fresh sausage recently. I wanted to do Summer Sausage, but the two books I had made it sound way too hard.

As everyone else said, Summer Sausage is about as easy as it gets...I don't even use casings.

Just form the sausage into logs, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in the fridge to cure for a couple of days. Then fire the smoker up to 210-225, put the logs in the smoker still in the wrap, smoke to about 120 internal, remove from the smoker and let rest for a half hour or so, remove from plastic wrap and back in the smoker till internal temp reaches around 165.

http://cookingforums.com/images/IMG_5640.JPGhttp://cookingforums.com/images/IMG_5643.JPGhttp://cookingforums.com/images/IMG_5650.JPG

[Norm]

Well I did get some of them too hot as I got a little shriveling when they cooled down. Most likely the ones next to the smoker box.

[captndan]

We made summer sausage on the farm in late fall around butcher time. 50# of pork and 50# of beef. The casings were muslin cloth stitched around three times. The meat mix was pressed into the casings until the first line of stitching broke. It was hung in the cellar for at least 3 months. It was said that this sausage could make a sandwich at 4:00 in the morning ride on a hot tractor and still be good at noon.

[rawtalent]

Thanks for the additional info. It is the "cure for a few days" thing that is tripping me up. The Great Sausage Recipes book makes a big deal about curing at the right temp and right humidity. After reading it, I felt it was too much work at home. But, it sounds like there may be the theoretically correct way and also the good enough way???
The long drying times at regulated humidity is for a process known a dry curing where the meat is never cooked. Look up the recipe in that book for Smoked Venison Summer Sausage and you will see the meat is cubed and cured for 2 days then ground, stuffed and smoke/cooked to internal temp of 145. Letting the meat cure after grinding will cause the meat to "bind" because of the salt and make stuffing more difficult.