going to be doing first batch, wanting to make sure im covered, please help

[big dago]

im going to do my first batch of summer sausage and snack sticks cold smoke style.
what i was pretty much told to do is the following:
also i have bout the seasoning that i like from my butcher who cold smokes as well and it has the pink cure.
and im doing a 20 pound batches
mix all the deer meat and pork (i have the ratio she gave me )
mix seasoning and cure (sure cure) in 1 to 1.5 cups of water and mix till all seasoning is dissolved and pour in meat mixer.
stuff in my casings.
put in fridge over night
put in smoke house, start cold smoke generator let smoke 10 hours for summer sausage 6 to 8 hours for snack sticks
keep smoker under 90 degrees.
take out of smoker and hang in well vented area for at least 20 to 21 days to let the cure do all the work
while hanging wipe down with baking soda and water mix to keep mold from forming
vacuum seal and put in freezer.
AM I MISSING ANYTHING....

?

thanks for all the help.!!

 

[crankybuzzard]

You're missing the main thing that needs to happen, cook the sausage...  I wouldn't smoke, freeze, and then complete the cooking process later.

Also, the Sure Cure won't prevent spoilage of meat hanging in a non conditioned space.

Where did you get the recipe and procedure, we can help you make some good SS, but I'm concerned with what you have above.

 

[chef jimmyj]

90 degrees will not get the internal to mid 150's. What you are attempting requires Cure #2 for Raw cured sausage. Start the cook at 130 for an hour to dry the casing then start Smoke and bump the temp 10 degrees every hour or so until the smoker is 170. When the sausage hits 152-155, you are good. Shower with cold water and hang to dry...JJ

 

[crankybuzzard]

90 degrees will not get the internal to mid 150's. What you are attempting requires Cure #2 for Raw cured sausage. Start the cook at 130 for an hour to dry the casing then start Smoke and bump the temp 10 degrees every hour or so until the smoker is 170. When the sausage hits 152-155, you are good. Shower with cold water and hang to dry...JJ

 

[tropics]

Sure Cure is like Cure #1 it is made for sausage that will be brought up to a safe temp. in a smoker

I agree wit CB it needs to be cooked

Richie

 

[big dago]

I bought the cure and spice mix from the butcher that used to do them for me.

the way that they explained it was the cure will do the work for me, they said i should smoke it (cold smoke not to get past 90 deg in smoker) and then let it hang for 21 days, they told me that if i didn't want to smoke it i could put in casings and hang till i got the desired firmness, again because the cure will do the work

 

[SmokinAl]

Apparently the butcher gave you cure #2, with the spice mix.

Al

 

[crankybuzzard]

Still, 21 days cure/dry time seems odd to do in a non temp/humidity environment.  Also, I can't find a semi-dry SS recipe anywhere that doesn't talk about fermentation.  Does the ingredients list have anything in it that will promote the fermentation?

 

[chef jimmyj]

If you trust him and the Butcher says you are good to go. Follow his direction. Some butchers give their stuf familiar names for a sausage that is completely different. THis may not be a common summer sausage and so no need to add culture, ferment or even cook...JJ

 

[BGKYSmoker]

 
im going to do my first batch of summer sausage and snack sticks cold smoke style.
what i was pretty much told to do is the following:
also i have bout the seasoning that i like from my butcher who cold smokes as well and it has the pink cure.
and im doing a 20 pound batches
mix all the deer meat and pork (i have the ratio she gave me )
mix seasoning and cure (sure cure) in 1 to 1.5 cups of water and mix till all seasoning is dissolved and pour in meat mixer.
stuff in my casings.
put in fridge over night
put in smoke house, start cold smoke generator let smoke 10 hours for summer sausage 6 to 8 hours for snack sticks
keep smoker under 90 degrees.
take out of smoker and hang in well vented area for at least 20 to 21 days to let the cure do all the work
while hanging wipe down with baking soda and water mix to keep mold from forming
vacuum seal and put in freezer.
AM I MISSING ANYTHING....

?

thanks for all the help.!!

You can do this if your using cure #2.

Prague Powder 2. AKA: Cure 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.

IMHO i would not use what a butcher gave you. I have run into butchers who sell sausage and when i ask about cure i sometimes get "Whats that" Ok see ya.

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

 

[big dago]

looked up sure cure and its like pink cure #2 and i looked that up in mu book and its for little to no hear applications.

the 20 to 25 days hanging in a ventilated place is something i read where the USDA recommends to hang that long to ensure the cure takes full affect.

 

[cdn offroader]

Not sure if this is the same product, but this is the Sure Cure from Waltons

"Pink Sure Cure
[h4]Compares to other "basic" pink cures[/h4]
For use with jerky, summer sausage, snack sticks, and other smoked products. Similar to Cure #1.

Ingredients: Salt, sodium nitrite 6.25%, FD & C Red #3 .00099% and not more than 2% sodium silico aluminate added as an anticaking agent.

Use 1 oz per every 25 lb of meat or 4 oz per every 100 lb of meat"

If that's what you have, it's not right for they way you are using it. You need Cure #2 or equivalent that contains both sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. you further would need to include a starter culture and fermentation stage, and then the most reliable method for determining when your sausage has aged enough is to weigh it after fermenting, and then weigh it regularly until it has lost at least 30% weight.

Dry curing is an advanced sausage making technique, and while not complicated, needs to be done correctly to be safe. If you have started these sausages already, I would recommend throwing them out, and reading up more on dry curing procedures before trying again.