Summer sausage in the oven

[brewerdave]

Hey all,

I am modifying my char-broil smoker but still want to experiment with summer sausage, so I came up with this recipe that I could cook in the oven. It turned out very good and was quite simple.

Recipe:

Sweet 'n Smoky Summer Sausage test

Small batch

 2 pounds of 75/25 ground beef

 1/2 c. water

 1 tablespoon brown sugar

 3 teaspoons Morton Tender Quick

 1 teaspoon non fat dry milk

 1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns

 1 teaspoon mustard seed

 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

 1.5 tablespoon liquid smoke

• 
  Mix together and place in non-metal bowl in fridge for 12-24 hours
• 
  Next day, stuff meat into casings and place in fridge for additional 12-24 hours
• 
  "Tang" of summer sausage will increase the longer it is refrigerated.

Oven Cooking Instructions

•Let sausage sit on counter for 2 hours

•Line the bottom of oven with foil to catch the drippings.

 •Lay sausage on racks.

•Cook at the lowest heat possible for the first hour. Leave oven open slightly to remove excess moisture if necessary.

•180 – 200 F until product reaches an internal temperature of 152 °F.

 •Put it in a ice bath to get it back down to about 100F as soon as possible. This prevents the sausage from getting all wrinkled and your casings should be nice and plump. then let it air dry about another 2-3 hours to finish out the bloom and you should be ready to go.

Refrigerate or freeze sausages after smoking or cooking. 

It turned out really well. I may up the smoke and pepper for the next batch but I think this is a go to recipe while I make the modifications to my smoker

150312_003.jpg

• brewerdave
• Mar 12, 2015

 

[reinhard]

Great job!!! I use the oven at times when it's below zero up here.  Also things happen all the time, especially grand kids short notice's.  So lack of time makes the oven a good substitute.  Reinhard

 

[brewerdave]

This batch is gone. I'll be making some more soon. This is a quick and easy recipe that turned out great. I just finished installing an electric element to my smoker and I have temp control from 110 - 170 now and will be working with that soon.

I'm thinking of a 3 pound batch next time, adding 1 pound of ground pork to the recipe.

Any thoughts on this?

D

 

[reinhard]

If you are going to add 1 pound of ground pork next time I would go with a leaner ground beef than 75/25 ground beef.  Also I would go with at least 1/3 cup of dry'd milk powder for 3 pounds and a half cup of water.  Reinhard

 

[brewerdave]

Heres my ballpark recipe:

Summer sausage test 2

 2 pounds of 80/20 ground beef

 1 pound ground pork

 3/4 c. water

 4.5 teaspoons Morton Tender Quick

 1/3 cup non fat dry buttermilk

 1.5 teaspoon cracked peppercorns

 1.5 teaspoon mustard seed

 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 3/4 teaspoon onion powder

 2.5 tablespoon liquid smoke

Would you go with 90/10 ground beef? I'll eventually start using cure #1 in my recipes, but for now I have 1.5 bags of TQ that I don't want to waste

 

[gary s]

That looked good, can't wait to see the next batch

gary

 

[reinhard]

80/20 may be ok, but I would at least go with 85/20 or the 90/10 with ground pork.. If I could find a nice 3 pound chuck roast that was nice and marbled [no big hunks of fat] I would go with just that or just 80/20 ground beef and skip the pork.  Reinhard

 

[ak1]

How do you do 85/20?

 

[ak1]

Don't worry. Your TQ won't go bad.

 

[wazzuqer]

Looks good, how long did it take in oven?

 

[gary s]

I was kinda wondering about that 85 / 20 too   LOL

Gary

 

[brewerdave]

My notes:

1[sup]st[/sup] hour oven temp apx 150 degrees

2[sup]nd[/sup] hour apx 165

next 1/2 hour 175

next 1/2 hour 180

final 1/2 hour 195

7-930 am on counter. Start in oven at 930 am. Finish apx 1pm. Internal temp 153. ice water bath 115, until 100 degrees hit. On counter 2 hours. Then in fridge

 

[weisswurst]

Great job!! I also use the oven when I need to. I have a similar recipe , however I am going to copy yours. I am sure you already know .... one can make many of what are usually called luncheon  meats in recycled  food cans or in regular bread loaf pans in the oven.   If you want that old smoky aroma  you can the put a small amount of wood chips in a container and put the meat ( after it is finished ) in your BBQ grill on the cold side or no heat at all . Leave it in about and hour or so and you will get that pleasantly smoky aroma.  And remember , taste is closely related to aroma.

 Everything about your process and ingredients shows me you really know what you are doing and like doing it . Happy SM  Weiss wurst

 

[brewerdave]

Thank you for the compliment Weisswurst.

I modified the recipe a bit, adding some high temp cheddar cheese and 1.5 teaspoons of red pepper flakes. The sausage is in the oven as I write this and smells wonderful.

So far:

I mixed everything yesterday, stuffed the casings and let them rest in the fridge until this afternoon; maybe 24 hours. I let them sit on the counter for 2 hours, then put them in the oven (door cracked open) at 170 for an hour. 1 hour door closed at 185, 1 hour door closed at 195

I have a temp probe in one and it is registering 129 as I write this. At 152 degrees, into the ice bath.

Damn I am too impatient for this. ha ha ha

 

[blucy2]

I am wondering how many hours did you cook in oven? I'm going to make some beef summer sausage and many recipes say cook until 152. I don't want to have to keep sticking the thermometer in. So I want to see how many hours I should cook at maybe 180? Appreciate some guidance. Thanks.