Summer Sausage Recipe

[cruiser rod]

Hi everyone, I just joined this forum about a week ago and I have been really enjoying some of the post. I've been trying to come up with a good summer sausage recipe for a while now and I think I have something I can share with this forum. Hopefully you will it enjoy too. I intend to tweak it a little more for a more distinctive flavor and added moisture. I'm using a Big Chief Smokehouse which has it's limitations but still does a nice job. So here it is:

3 lbs. Ground Hamburger

3-1/4 tsp. Prague Powder No. 1 (1/4 tsp. for every pound of meat)

1 1/2 tsp. Whole Mustard Seed (crush in a mortis)

1 1/2 tsp. Coarse Ground Pepper (fresh grounded w/pepper grinder)

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp. Crushed Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp. Crushed Coriander Seed

1 tsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

Mix well and refrigerate 24 hours, mix again and let cure for 3 more days. On the last day roll into 3 - 2” diameter logs, set on rack and let sit over night uncovered in the refrigerator. (4 days over all)

Smoke (Big Chief Smokehouse) for 10 hours depending on the time of the year. A little shorter in the summer. Sausage will form it’s own casing. Use 4 pots of chips.

Chips:

Hickory with a little Mesquite

Apple with a little Mesquite

Cherry with a little Mesquite

Apple with a little Mesquite

All soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

 

[themule69]

Sounds good thanks for sharing.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[kathrynn]

Yummm....have any q-views of them.   

K

 

[smokinhusker]

Sounds good, thanks for sharing it!

 

[palladini]

 

[cruiser rod]

Thanks for you input!

 

[greg b]

Sounds good! Thank you for sharing, hoping to have some fresh whitetail coming this weekend. Might have to give it a try!

 

[mdboatbum]

 
Hi everyone, I just joined this forum about a week ago and I have been really enjoying some of the post. I've been trying to come up with a good summer sausage recipe for a while now and I think I have something I can share with this forum. Hopefully you will it enjoy too. I intend to tweak it a little more for a more distinctive flavor and added moisture. I'm using a Big Chief Smokehouse which has it's limitations but still does a nice job. So here it is:

3 lbs. Ground Hamburger

3-1/4 tsp. Prague Powder No. 1 (1/4 tsp. for every pound of meat)

1 1/2 tsp. Whole Mustard Seed (crush in a mortis)

1 1/2 tsp. Coarse Ground Pepper (fresh grounded w/pepper grinder)

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp. Crushed Cayenne Pepper

1/2 tsp. Crushed Coriander Seed

1 tsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

Mix well and refrigerate 24 hours, mix again and let cure for 3 more days. On the last day roll into 3 - 2” diameter logs, set on rack and let sit over night uncovered in the refrigerator. (4 days over all)

Smoke (Big Chief Smokehouse) for 10 hours depending on the time of the year. A little shorter in the summer. Sausage will form it’s own casing. Use 4 pots of chips.

Chips:

Hickory with a little Mesquite

Apple with a little Mesquite

Cherry with a little Mesquite

Apple with a little Mesquite

All soaked in hot water for 30 minutes

You may wanna change the way that is worded, as is it looks like three and a quarter teaspoons, and I think you meant three quarters of a teaspoon. Three and a quarter teaspoons of cure #1 for 3lbs of meat is WAY too much. Just worried someone might copy this recipe and put the wrong amount in. Looks like a great recipe though!

 

[chewmeister]

 
You may wanna change the way that is worded, as is it looks like three and a quarter teaspoons, and I think you meant three quarters of a teaspoon. Three and a quarter teaspoons of cure #1 for 3lbs of meat is WAY too much. Just worried someone might copy this recipe and put the wrong amount in. Looks like a great recipe though!

I noticed that too. Recipes I have seen call for 1/2 tsp. per kilo (2.2 lbs.).

 

[cruiser rod]

I thought it was clear using what's in the parentheses.

 

[seadog92]

I bought some summer sausage casings from Sausage Maker.  If I'm going to smoke these in the casing, do I still let the meat sit for four days as is, or do stuff after the first day and let hang in the fridge the last three days before smoking?

 

[cruiser rod]

I'm not sure, I do think there are some recipes that work with castings. Try searching this forum and the internet for your answer.

 

[fished]

When I did my first summer sausage I used one of the prepackaged kits.  It didn't say you needed to let it sit before smoking it.  I let it sit over night then smoked it the next day.  I think the cure just allows you to safely smoke it at lower temerapures, but not sure.

 

[cruiser rod]

I think the object is to cure the meat so that when you smoke it, it will create its own casing.

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Cure #1 & 2 is added @ 1 level tsp per every 5 lbs of meat. 2.5 lbs of meat would take 1/2 tsp cure.

Curing the meat will not create a casing.

CURES - Cures are used in sausage products for color and flavor development as well as retarding the development of bacteria in
the low temperature environment of smoked meats.
Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.
The primary and most important reason to use cures is to prevent BOTULISM POISONING (Food poisoning). It is very important that any kind of meat or sausage that will be cooked and smoked at low temperature be cured. To trigger botulism poisoning, the requirements are quite simple - lack of oxygen, the presence of moisture, and temperatures in range of 40-140° F. When smoking meats, the heat and smoke eliminates the oxygen. The meats have moisture and are traditionally smoked and cooked in the low ranges of 90 to 185° F. As you can see, these are ideal conditions for food poisoning if you don't use cures. There are two types of commercially used cures.

Prague Powder #1
Also called Insta-Cure and Modern Cure. Cures are used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures (under 200 degrees F). This cure is 1 part sodium nitrite (6.25%) and 16 parts salt (93.75%) and are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to ‘gas out’ at about 130 degrees F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20% of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. 4 ounces of Prague powder #1 is required to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat. Mix with cold water, then mix into meat like you would mix seasonings into meat.

Prague Powder #2
Used to dry-cure products. Prague powder #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. (1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt.)
It is primarily used in dry-curing Use with products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which is sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly.
Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat when mixing with meat.
When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.

 

[cruiser rod]

 
Cure #1 & 2 is added @ 1 level tsp per every 5 lbs of meat. 2.5 lbs of meat would take 1/2 tsp cure.

Curing the meat will not create a casing.

CURES - Cures are used in sausage products for color and flavor development as well as retarding the development of bacteria in
the low temperature environment of smoked meats.
Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis. In addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. In general, though, use of the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate.
The primary and most important reason to use cures is to prevent BOTULISM POISONING (Food poisoning). It is very important that any kind of meat or sausage that will be cooked and smoked at low temperature be cured. To trigger botulism poisoning, the requirements are quite simple - lack of oxygen, the presence of moisture, and temperatures in range of 40-140° F. When smoking meats, the heat and smoke eliminates the oxygen. The meats have moisture and are traditionally smoked and cooked in the low ranges of 90 to 185° F. As you can see, these are ideal conditions for food poisoning if you don't use cures. There are two types of commercially used cures.

Prague Powder #1
Also called Insta-Cure and Modern Cure. Cures are used to prevent meats from spoiling when being cooked or smoked at low temperatures (under 200 degrees F). This cure is 1 part sodium nitrite (6.25%) and 16 parts salt (93.75%) and are combined and crystallized to assure even distribution. As the meat temperate rises during processing, the sodium nitrite changes to nitric oxide and starts to ‘gas out’ at about 130 degrees F. After the smoking /cooking process is complete only about 10-20% of the original nitrite remains. As the product is stored and later reheated for consumption, the decline of nitrite continues. 4 ounces of Prague powder #1 is required to cure 100 lbs of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 level tsp per 5 lbs of meat. Mix with cold water, then mix into meat like you would mix seasonings into meat.

Prague Powder #2
Used to dry-cure products. Prague powder #2 is a mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite, .64 parts sodium nitrate and 16 parts salt. (1 oz. of sodium nitrite with .64 oz. of sodium nitrate to each lb. of salt.)
It is primarily used in dry-curing Use with products that do not require cooking, smoking, or refrigeration. This cure, which is sodium nitrate, acts like a time release, slowly breaking down into sodium nitrite, then into nitric oxide. This allows you to dry cure products that take much longer to cure. A cure with sodium nitrite would dissipate too quickly.
Use 1 oz. of cure for 25 lbs. of meat or 1 level teaspoon of cure for 5 lbs. of meat when mixing with meat.
When using a cure in a brine solution, follow a recipe.

You have taken this way out of context. By letting the meat with the cure mixed in it set for an extended length of time and warm smoking it, the sausage creates its own "simulated" casing. I don't want to argue with you but I never intended to mislead anyone reading this post to believe that cure magically creates a casing. If you feel otherwise you can edit this post like you have in the past.