Venison summer Sausage Problem

bones1948 · Aug 12, 2015

When my venison summer sausage is finished there is a fat gel on the outside of the sausage when I take the casing off. When smoking I do not raise the temperature above 170 to prevent a fat out. The final temperature is set at 170 until the internal temperature reaches 152. I then remove the sausage from the smoker and give it an ice bath for 30 minutes. I then hang the sausage for 2 hours after which I put it in the refrigerator overnight. When I take it out of the refrigerator the next morning and take the casing off there is a grease gel on the outside of the sausage. I mix 11 lbs of venison to 4 lbs of pork fat. the casing is also wrinkled not smooth like in the stores. What am I doing or not doing to cause the casing to wrinkle and gel on the sausage. The sausage tastes great.

Thanks Bones

driedstick · Aug 12, 2015

If you show us your recipe that would help, but

I think you have too much fat, I use a nice pork butt with I do my elk or deer sausage, about the same amount as you do and never get the fat out, as far as the casing shrinking, how much water are you using in your recipe??, you my be using too much water, which you are losing during the smoke and shrinking when if comes out, I also use NFDM in my recipe to help retain the moisture.

Hopefully more sausage heads will give you some input also.

let us know.

DS

elginplowboy · Aug 12, 2015

Fat out. What kind of smoker u using? I would very smoker temp. My mes30 had huge over runs as much as 50 degrees wich dont hurt big meats like brisket and such br causes fat out on my sausage. Mine was so bad when set to 170 it would climb as high to 225 before cycling off. I got a pid controller to fix it and now it works like a champ. My work around was to not set temp as high use expected over run and i also cracked thr door open to let some of that extra heat out. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

dirtsailor2003 · Aug 12, 2015

Dried stick has nailed it, too much fat. Your 4lbs to 11pounds gives you a 36% fat content. Personally I try and be closer to 5%-10%. Fixing that ratio will help. I know some like a higher fat content, 15-20%. I have used 80/20 beef before and it usually turns out fine.

DanMcG · Aug 13, 2015

I agree with everything mentioned.If you share your recipe and what equipment you're using will help. Also how are you getting your smoker temp? Placement of your temp probe is important as most smokers vary in temp from top to bottom.

bones1948 · Aug 13, 2015

I am using a Masterbuilt 30 inch electric smoker. I have noticed that when the temperature is sit at 170 in order to get the temperature back up to 170 the smoker will register heating up to 180. I have been using one of the summer sausage kits from Hi Mountain. I will try your suggestions of less fat and less water. I will start using pork butts at a 20% pork butt to 80% venison. One other question after grinding through the coarse plate the instructions said to mix the spices in with the meat and then grind it again through the 3/16 plate. Would laying the sausage on the racks instead of hanging it cause any problem? Than you for the help. I now have somewhere to start.

Bones

reinhard · Aug 13, 2015

I agree with the too much fat. If you are using the High Mountain kit I'm assuming that you are not using dry powdered milk. I would suggest that you use that. That would retain moisture and give you a better texture. Your smoking temps are ok. I even go 190 in my smoker and pull the summer out at 155 to 160. I have never had any fat out problems. Your grinding/mixing methods are fine and leaving the sticks on the rack or hanging them is fine for cooling. You won't have that wrinkled casings look after using the powdered milk and leaning your mix up a bit. You seem to have done everything else just fine. You got that gel or fat because you 1. the mix was on the fatty side. I don't use plain pork fat. I use pork butt and venison, this makes your mix better. Pork fat is used a lot by shops that process venison sausage for you [profit margin]. So replace your pork fat with pork butt. If you don't have venison use 80/20 ground beef or grind chuck roast without adding anything to it. I should add that the correct amount of powdered milk is 1 cup per 5 pounds of meat. Use the right amount of water of beer also in your mix per pound and as what type of sausage you are making. Reinhard.

IMG_1413.jpg

reinhard
Aug 13, 2015

bones1948 · Sep 4, 2015

I am getting ready to make my summer sausage again. I reread the comments and am going to use pork butt instead of pork fat. I am going to mix 12 lbs of venison with 3 lbs of pork butt. I also read a reply by Reinhard about adding dry powered milk to the recipe at a rate of 1 cup per 5 lbs of sausage. Is 1 cup to 5 lbs the correct ratio it seems like a lot. I am just double checking. Also is Carnation Non Fat Powdered Milk the same as Dry Milk Powder. Thanks for the help.

Bones

dirtsailor2003 · Sep 4, 2015

The typical consensus is 1 cup per 5 pounds. You can add less, and test the mixture as you add the NFDM.

boykjo · Sep 4, 2015

looks like you might have had some smear. Just wipe the fat off and roll with it.. its still good................

check your bade and your plate to see if they are sharp

reinhard · Sep 4, 2015

Bones are you using water also in your mix? Venison has some moisture to it as well. Great idea to go with pork butt instead of pork fat. I would go with two and a half cups of water with the use of powdered milk. Yes the Carnation brand you mention is the same as dry powdered milk. You will find that if you do the same thing as before, every step by step, that the dry powdered milk will make the difference. It absorbs moisture and will prevent that wrinkle effect you experienced. Yes, it's one cup per 5 pounds but it can vary depending what you make. I would go with the two cups with the 12 pounds.of meat and the 2 1/2 cups of water or beer. You should have a nice sticky mix when done for stuffing. Reinhard

doctord1955 · Sep 4, 2015

Just asking but have u checked the temp settings on ur controls against a thermo that u know is right! ! know some of your problem could be to much fat but Id check to see what temp it actually gets to when cycling!

bones1948 · Sep 11, 2015

I just finished 15 pounds of summer sausage. I made the change from pork fat to pork butt. I mixed 12 pounds of venison with 3 pounds of pork butt for 75% venison to 25% pork butt. I then added 2 cups of Carnation dry milk to the meat as recommended. The finished product was very good. The casings were not wrinkled and I did not have any fat on the outside of the sausage. What I need now is a good seasoning recipe. I used a summer sausage seasoning from Penzy's. It is not what I am looking for. I guess I really do not know what I am looking for. If you have any suggestions on a seasoning recipe give me a shout. Has anyone tried the Leggs summer sausage seasoning? Thanks for all the help I think I have it dialed in now. If I can get a seasoning I like.

Steve

doctord1955 · Sep 11, 2015

Dont be afraid to add mustard seed and black pepper or even garlic to a prepared mix! Make sure u use butchers or restaurant grind black pepper! I have used dried garlic and the stuff in the jars dont remember right description for it! High temp cheese! I smoke my own cheese and add it!

2grit · Sep 13, 2015

Bones1948 said:
I just finished 15 pounds of summer sausage. I made the change from pork fat to pork butt. I mixed 12 pounds of venison with 3 pounds of pork butt for 75% venison to 25% pork butt. I then added 2 cups of Carnation dry milk to the meat as recommended. The finished product was very good. The casings were not wrinkled and I did not have any fat on the outside of the sausage. What I need now is a good seasoning recipe. I used a summer sausage seasoning from Penzy's. It is not what I am looking for. I guess I really do not know what I am looking for. If you have any suggestions on a seasoning recipe give me a shout. Has anyone tried the Leggs summer sausage seasoning? Thanks for all the help I think I have it dialed in now. If I can get a seasoning I like.

Steve

I have a batch of summer sausage in the smoker now and it was made with Leggs mix. Been using it for years and it's excellent

driedstick · Sep 14, 2015

Bones1948 said:
I just finished 15 pounds of summer sausage. I made the change from pork fat to pork butt. I mixed 12 pounds of venison with 3 pounds of pork butt for 75% venison to 25% pork butt. I then added 2 cups of Carnation dry milk to the meat as recommended. The finished product was very good. The casings were not wrinkled and I did not have any fat on the outside of the sausage. What I need now is a good seasoning recipe. I used a summer sausage seasoning from Penzy's. It is not what I am looking for. I guess I really do not know what I am looking for. If you have any suggestions on a seasoning recipe give me a shout. Has anyone tried the Leggs summer sausage seasoning? Thanks for all the help I think I have it dialed in now. If I can get a seasoning I like.

Steve

Glad it came out, just do some looking, PS Seasonings make some good ones, so does the sausage maker, or butcher packer or lems ect. And yes Leggs does some good seasonings also.

Also make sure you write down notes each time so you can refer to them later on your good batches and not so good batches.

A full smoker is a happy smoker

DS

Venison summer Sausage Problem

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