# Summer sausage gone bad



## Jkoenning87 (Apr 11, 2020)

So I made my first ever batch of summer sausage with a proven good recipe from a friend of mine. The only thing I changed was instead of using liquid smoke I decided to smoke it myself. 
Minus a 15 min window where the temps jumped to 250 degrees, the smoking went well. Kept it between 190-210 for about 4 hours using only oak wood. 
The problem is my links taste bitter and like plastic. Do you think it was because of the brief temperature spike or am I overlooking something?

Thanks for your help.


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## BGKYSmoker (Apr 11, 2020)

Your start heat is way to high. Start around 130-140 and bump temps up every couple hours to 165/170. Bitter taste is from the high heat and smoke combined. Plastic? what casings did you use.


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## pushok2018 (Apr 11, 2020)

SFLsmkr1 said:


> Your start heat is way to high. Start around 130-140 and bump temps up every couple hours to 165/170. Bitter taste is from the high heat and smoke combined. Plastic? what casings did you use.


Agreed with all above. Also, can you tell what recipe did you use for you SS?


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## Jkoenning87 (Apr 11, 2020)

pushok2018 said:


> Agreed with all above. Also, can you tell what recipe did you use for you SS?





SFLsmkr1 said:


> Your start heat is way to high. Start around 130-140 and bump temps up every couple hours to 165/170. Bitter taste is from the high heat and smoke combined. Plastic? what casings did you use.


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## Jkoenning87 (Apr 11, 2020)

SFLsmkr1 said:


> Your start heat is way to high. Start around 130-140 and bump temps up every couple hours to 165/170. Bitter taste is from the high heat and smoke combined. Plastic? what casings did you use.



Not sure about the casings. I was supposed to make it with my friend and our schedules never lined up so he gave me the casings they use. Dark brown and came tied on one end. Looked  up some instructions after posting, I did not soak the casings first so that might be it as well.


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## BGKYSmoker (Apr 11, 2020)

Jkoenning87 said:


> Not sure about the casings. I was supposed to make it with my friend and our schedules never lined up so he gave me the casings they use. Dark brown and came tied on one end. Looked  up some instructions after posting, I did not soak the casings first so that might be it as well.


Yeah fibrous and synthetic SS casings need to be soaked.


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## chopsaw (Apr 11, 2020)

That recipe has the wrong amount of Morton's tender quick . That's not what caused your problem , but the 1 TBLS per pound is for whole muscle meat . 
The amount for ground meat is 1 1/2 tsp per pound .


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