# First time smoking venison summer sausage with complete recipe and how to guide



## rnyboy

Hi All,

I spent quite a bit of time looking into using my new MES 30 Analog Smoker to make 10 lbs of venison summer sausage (VSS).  Well after "harvesting" all of the information on sites like this one I came up with a recipe that was sort of a blend of many.  Along with writing down the recipe I also wrote down the full procedure, from start to freezer, for making my first batch of VSS.

The main issue was getting the needed smoke at the required temperatures, and for that I very recently purchased the A-MAZE-N wood pellet smoker (AMZNPS) to fill that need; which it did so perfectly I might add!  So for Step 6, the smoking procedure, its written for a smoker that is already capable of smoking at lower temperatures.  From what I've read I think most commercial electric home smokers are probably not capable of producing smoke, or enough smoke at least, at low temperatures .  Most are actually more like BBQs that smoke at around 225F and not a cold smoker.  Two rows of hickory pellets in the AMZNPS, lit at both ends, produced a beautiful heavy smudge of white smoke for a solid 3 1/2 hours and continued to produce a lighter smoke for another additonal hour, which seems to have been near perfect for this first attempt.

When I took the first taste of the VSS this morning I was very very happy with the results, in fact you might say I was amazed.  Way better than I expected considering this was the first time I ever smoked anything, and with a more or less untested recipe.  I took a half of a stick of the freshly smoke VSS along with some sharp cheddar and Vermont chedder to a sportsmans club I belong to at around noon today and it was gone in no time with several of the guys asking for the recipe.  So I've since printed out copies of the below to give to them next weekend.

I did modify my smoker so it can hold a fourth rack as well as allow hanging of the sticks of sausage from some square tubing near the top.

If you have any questions on anything in this start of a thread please feel free to ask.

So without further blather here's a photo of my slightly modified smoker at the start of the smoking with the sticks of VSS hung and the AMZNPS smoking, the recipe, and the full process I used.  I hope it helps anybody else who is completely clueless like I was when I first got interested in smoking meats:













VSS 1st smoke.jpg



__ rnyboy
__ Dec 29, 2012






*Smoked Venison Summer Sausage Recipe, for 10 lbs*

(Adapted from numerous venison summer sausage recipes by Pat Thompson, 12-11-12)

*Ingredients:*

   1)       6 lbs coarse ground venison

   2)       4 lbs course ground fatty pork butt/shoulder

   3)       3/4 cup + 1 tblsp low fat cultured buttermilk (Edit on 12-22-18,  I used liquid buttermilk, like you would drink.  I see there are a lot of questions related to liquid or powdered.)

                  (Cultured buttermilk will help give sausage its "tangy" flavor.)

   4)       2 tblsp non-fat dry milk, for binder and additional lactose for fermenting

   5)       2 tsp (0.40 oz) of Prague Powder #1

   6)       4 tblsp + 2 tsp kosher salt, can substitute 4 tblsp of pickling salt

   7)       2 tblsp whole mustard seed

   8)       3 tblsp coarse ground black pepper

   9)       4 tsp sugar, for fermenting to get tang.

10)      1 tblsp garlic powder

11)      1 tblsp onion powder

12)      2 tblsp paprika

13)      1 tsp ground marjoram

14)      1/4 tsp ground ginger

15)      1/4 tsp ground coriander

16)      1 tsp monosodium glutamate (optional), Same as Accent seasoning

*Step-by-Step Instructions:*

1.         *First grind of the meat *- Cut the meat into 1" cubes and put in freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to firm meat for grinding.  Grind with coarse plate for proper texture.  Always keep the meat cold (< 40[sup]o[/sup] F).

2.         *Season the meat* - Add all ingredients to ground meat and thoroughly mix by hand or with a meat mixer.

3.         *Regrind the meat before stuffing** - Regrind the meat with the coarse plate to assure the desired texture for stuffing and mixing of all the ingredients.

4.         *Stuff the sausage into casings* - Keep meat cold (< 40[sup]o[/sup] F) while stuffing.  Stuff into synthetic or fibrous casings that are 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.  A 2 1/2" dia. by 17" long stick will weigh about 3 1/2 lbs.

5.         *Cure the sausage at 40[sup]o[/sup] F* -   Store sticks in the refrigerator and refrigerate at least overnight.  Can be kept in refrigerator for up to three days.  "Tang" of summer sausage will increase the longer it is refrigerated.  I refrigerate mine for about two days.  Do not let internal temperature get below 34[sup]o[/sup] F or mix will not ferment.  Active bacteria in the cultured buttermilk will metabolize (ferment) the added sugar and lactose in non-fat dry milk to lactic acid giving the summer sausage its characteristic "tangy" taste.  You really won't "taste" any of the sugar that has not been metabolized but the sausage may seem to taste less salty than expected.

6**.      *Smoke the sausage in smoker* - Preheat smoker to 120[sup]o[/sup] F.  Hang or lay sausage on racks in smoker, making sure the sticks are well separated from each other.  Insert temperature probe into center of sausage near the middle of the smoker.  Allow to dry for one hour with damper wide open at 120[sup]o[/sup] F.  Add wood chips (hickory is suggested) to the wood pan, close damper to 1/4 open, and increase smoker temperature to 150[sup]o [/sup]F for four hours, add water to water pan and increase temperature to 170[sup]o[/sup] F (*Max)* to finish cooking.  (Edit on 12-22-18, Don't exceed the 170F, or much above 160F in the sausage, or you could experience "fat-out" where the fat redistributes and seriously changes the texture of the sausage)  While smoking add wood as necessary in 1/4 cup amounts and generate smoke for three to ten hours (suggest four or five hours for first try) depending on how "smoky" you want it to taste, continue cooking without smoke until internal temperature of sausage reaches 155[sup]o[/sup] F.  (Edit on 12-22-18, The time to reach 155F takes quite a long time.  I was pretty surprised at how long it took actually.)

Some recipes recommend using a heavy smudge during the smoking process.  A "heavy smudge" is produced using lots of heavy white smoke.  This is difficult to do with most home smokers at 150[sup]o [/sup]F unless you have an additional smoke generator attached to or within your smoker to produce the necessary level of smoke.  

7.         *Stopping the smoking/cooking *- To stop the cooking process once the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 155[sup]o[/sup] F immediately plunge the sticks into ice cold water to drop the internal temperature to 100[sup]o[/sup] F.  You can also plunge the sticks into deep snow if present.  I used the available snow and this cool down took about a 1/2 to 3/4 hour to complete.

8.         *Blooming*:  Dry the outside of the sticks with a towel and allow to further air dry while hanging at room temperature for a few hours to reach proper color and then store in a cooler or freeze.  If wrapped in aluminum foil and butcher paper the sausage will stay fresh in a freezer for several months.  Vacuum packing and freezing will insure freshness for up to a year.

*Note:  You can grind the meat finer during the second grind if you prefer a finer texture to the summer sausage.  I prefer a coarser sausage.

**Note: Most home smokers are not meant for low temperature smoking.  You may need to purchase an additional low cost sawdust or pellet smoke generator, such as sold by A-MAZE-N Products, that is designed for cold smoking.


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## daveomak

MB, morning.... Thanks for the tutorial and recipe.....  Sausage looks good..... Smoker looks a little pale... needs a work out...  Dave


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## smoking b

Sounds like a good recipe. Thanks for the in depth description of your process


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## diggingdogfarm

Lookin' good.


~Martin


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## BGKYSmoker

Looks good, nice write up.

However im not with the step #5

Lactic acid in the Buttermilk will (normally) not work well with the table sugar.

DEXTROSE - 70% as sweet as cane sugar and quite a bit heavier. Helps reduce nitrate to nitrite as meats are cured. Used to counter salt in brines. Dextrose assists fermentation, which gives us the desired tang of flavor. The most common sugar used in meat is dextrose. Dextrose is corn sugar and it will not burn as easily as cane or beet sugar. When a recipe calls for cane sugar you can replace it with dextrose by adding 20% more dextrose than cane sugar due to the sweetness factor between cane sugar and dextrose.

Bactoferm[emoji]8482[/emoji] F-RM-52 - Medium: 5.0 pH in 4 days) F-RM-52 is a freeze-dried culture well suited for all fermented sausages where a relatively fast acidification is desired. The culture is recommended for the production of North European types of fermented, dry sausages with a sourly flavor note.

Sugars are use to add flavor and to cover or mask salt. Sugars will cause browning when the product is pan fried or grilled. There are different forms of sugar. The most common is cane sugar. Cane is what we normally call table sugar. It can be used in meat brines but is not widely used in sausage because it has a tendency to burn or scorch. Brown sugar is used in most brines but sometimes used in meat because of its flavor.

NON-FAT DRY MILK - Milk powder has been used for years in sausage making. Acts as a binder by helping to retain the moisture of the meat. Although not highly effective as a binder, it can impart a creamier taste to some sausage products. You can use up to 12% (of the meat weight) without affecting the taste of the sausage. This product is good at hiding salt flavor in most sausage and is used in liver sausage, hot dogs and bologna.


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## woodcutter

nepas said:


> Looks good, nice write up.
> 
> However im not with the step #5
> 
> Lactic acid in the Buttermilk will (normally) not work well with the table sugar.
> 
> DEXTROSE - 70% as sweet as cane sugar and quite a bit heavier. Helps reduce nitrate to nitrite as meats are cured. Used to counter salt in brines. Dextrose assists fermentation, which gives us the desired tang of flavor. The most common sugar used in meat is dextrose. Dextrose is corn sugar and it will not burn as easily as cane or beet sugar. When a recipe calls for cane sugar you can replace it with dextrose by adding 20% more dextrose than cane sugar due to the sweetness factor between cane sugar and dextrose.
> 
> Bactoferm[emoji]8482[/emoji] F-RM-52 - Medium: 5.0 pH in 4 days) F-RM-52 is a freeze-dried culture well suited for all fermented sausages where a relatively fast acidification is desired. The culture is recommended for the production of North European types of fermented, dry sausages with a sourly flavor note.
> 
> Sugars are use to add flavor and to cover or mask salt. Sugars will cause browning when the product is pan fried or grilled. There are different forms of sugar. The most common is cane sugar. Cane is what we normally call table sugar. It can be used in meat brines but is not widely used in sausage because it has a tendency to burn or scorch. Brown sugar is used in most brines but sometimes used in meat because of its flavor.
> 
> NON-FAT DRY MILK - Milk powder has been used for years in sausage making. Acts as a binder by helping to retain the moisture of the meat. Although not highly effective as a binder, it can impart a creamier taste to some sausage products. You can use up to 12% (of the meat weight) without affecting the taste of the sausage. This product is good at hiding salt flavor in most sausage and is used in liver sausage, hot dogs and bologna.


Question: If you use Dextrose and Bactoferm could you also use Encapsulated Citric Acid or is that doubling the effort for tang? One or the other ?


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## BGKYSmoker

Woodcutter said:


> Question: If you use Dextrose and Bactoferm could you also use Encapsulated Citric Acid or is that doubling the effort for tang? One or the other ?


I wouldnt use ECA in conjunction with a Bactoferm product. Or use ECA with fermento, buttermilk powder or buttermilk. Use ECA by itself if thats what you have on hand.

ENCAPSULATED CITRIC ACID: Use encapsulated citric acid when making summer sausage or snack sticks and that distinctive “tang”, associated with reduce pH, is desired but the lengthy fermentation cycle is not. When used correctly, it is almost impossible to tell if the sausage was manufactured by fermentation or by the use of this product. There is no need to worry about processing under special conditions. You just add the citric acid to the meat at end of the mixing process (making sure that you do not grind meat again), and then blend into the meat by hand or by mixer. If using a meat mixer, mix only until the encapsulated citric acid is blended into the meat mix, usually about one minute is sufficient. Longer mixing can cause the capsules to rupture resulting in the premature release of the citric acid.

Encapsulated citric acid is citric acid, a naturally occurring acid, that has been encapsulated (coated) with maltodexrine, a hydrogenated vegetable oil, which will melt at 135 degrees F. releasing the citric acid into the meat product. This prevents the citric acid from releasing and prematurely lowering the ph of your sausage meat mix. If the meat’s ph drops before the protein sets at 105-115 degrees you will get a negative effect on the texture of your finished sausage. It won't bind as well and the texture will be crumbly.
Encapsulated citric acid should be added and mixed in after the grinding is complete as not to rupture the capsules. Since the encapsulation prevents release into the meat until the meat’s internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F. a ruptured or damaged capsule will release the citric acid prematurely causing the undesired affects listed above.
Once the capsule is melted releasing the citric acid into the product decrease in pH is achieved resulting in the distinctive "tang" or sour taste associated with reduced pH products.
Suggested usage for this purpose is 3 oz. for 25 lb. of meat
Also use to preserve color of fresh sausage during storage. Use 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. per 100 lb. of meat for this purpose.

NOTE: Too much Citric Acid will cause the meat to turn white.


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## driedstick

nice snausages and smoker ,


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## smoking b

Lots of good information in this one thread - I learned a few useful things. Thanks Nepas


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## woodcutter

Smoking B said:


> Lots of good information in this one thread - I learned a few useful things. Thanks Nepas


Yes, thanks for the summer sausage thread and thanks Nepas for clearing that up for me.


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## down lowe

thanks for taking the time to share your process.  Do you have any "money" shots of the finished product?


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## smokin meat al

Rnyboy.   Thx for the info.   Made a batch from ur post and it was excellent!!!!!!!!


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## jsk53

Woodcutter said:


> Question: If you use Dextrose and Bactoferm could you also use Encapsulated Citric Acid or is that doubling the effort for tang? One or the other ?


Is Bactoferm the same thing as Fermento?


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## boykjo

Bactoferm (TM) F-RM-52 is a freeze-dried culture well suited for all fermented sausages where a relatively fast acidification is desired. The culture is recommended for the production of traditional North European types of fermented, dry sausages with a sourly flavor note.

Fermento is a starter culture that produces a tangy flavor immediately in semi-dry cured sausage. you can stuff and smoke immediately. Generally used in venison summer sausage, cervelat, goteborg and other summer sausages


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## jsk53

Got it! Thank you, that is very helpful.


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## remi

I am new to making sausage and smoking sausage.  I tried this recipe for my first time at making summer sausage.  It turned out perfect, everyone that tried it said it was better then what we get from the local smoke house.  Next I will add some high temp cheese and maybe some dried jalapeno flake to the next batch.  Great step by step information thanks so much for this recipe.


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## bertman

I used this recipe tonight and plan on smoking Sunday or Monday, depending on what the weather will allow. Can't wait to see how this turns out.


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## bertman

Five hours in the smoker so far. I think I'll give it another hour in the smoker at 150 with smoke before I bump the temp up to 170.













IMG_20140831_133902 (1).jpg



__ bertman
__ Aug 31, 2014


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## boykjo

Summer sausage is looking great. How about starting a new thread on your adventure

Joe


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## bertman

boykjo said:


> Summer sausage is looking great. How about starting a new thread on your adventure
> 
> Joe


I hadn't planned on taking any pics, just wanted to add to replies about rnyboy's recipe. I hope I haven't broken any protocol by doing it this way.

I found this by researching summer sausage recipes, and I kept coming back to this one. It's hard to find a "go-to" recipe, and I thought if mine turned out good, it might help someone else doing a similar search.


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## countryboy-q

Going give this a try!  Looks great!


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## zink

Thanks for the recipe and the how to guide! I just bought a meat grinder and a MES 40, now all I need to do is kill a deer this weekend.

Brand new to smoking, so this will be my first adventure! Thanks again!


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## litterbug

Does anyone know the substitution ratio if I were to use Morton Tender Quick instead of Prague powder? (Ingredients list #5 and #6). Thank you in advance.


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## boykjo

Mortons tenderquick is 1 1/2 tsp per lb for ground meat. You will have to omit the salt in the recipe if it called for cure #1


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## bill ace 350

Got 2 deer this season,  and had the processor add pork to the ground meat. Definitely going to try this recipe very soon. Thanks for sharing!


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## turkeysteve

Hi all

I'd like to try this recipe this weekend. Somewhat new to making stix and sausage. Is the buttermilk powdered or liquid?


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## turkeysteve

Hi all

Going to try this recipe this weekend. New to smoking stix and sausage. Is the buttermilk powder or liquid?


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## boykjo

It looks like the low fat buttermilk was a liquid in this recipe. I dont see low fat buttermilk in a powder form although you can use saco cultured buttermilk in powder form for tang


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## turkeysteve

Thanks. Mixed and stuffed a batch last night. Smoking it tomorrow.


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## riclark

Thanks for the recipe! Made a 10# batch, as listed above, it's very tastey!


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## lostandout

just mixed up a batch.cant wait to try this after smoking tomorrow


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## jhend

Let us know how it turns out


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## lostandout

IMG_0493.JPG



__ lostandout
__ Dec 24, 2015






ready to go in the smoker in the a.m. smoked the small one tonight this is a very good recipe .i think the other three will be even better tomorrow


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## boykjo

boykjo said:


> Summer sausage is looking great. How about starting a new thread on your adventure
> 
> Joe


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## hawkwardhunter

I used step #6 as a means of cooking some vension summer sausage and came out with sausage with a thick tough exterior, about 1mm thick, but it still tasted great.  Did you only put the water pan in after you raised the temperature to 170 degrees, or during the 4 hour smoke at 150 degrees?  It doesn't really affect the flavor, it just get it like a beef jerky like exterior that still was really good.  I used an AMZNPS and about a 65/35 blend of cherry/hickory in mine.  One day i'll get around to trying this recipe in it's entirety.


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## hawkwardhunter

My results using step #6, I think it ended up being in there for about 7-8 hours to bring it up to 155 degrees, may be due to how I had some foil in my smoker on top of the smoke tray which is where I put my 65/35 blend.

http://s68.photobucket.com/user/Pyro_01/media/Smoking/07111C86-6517-4550-A7B6-9BE65C21C569.jpg.html


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## fanci

That is such a fantastic tutorial and photo!  Thank you for the step by step write up.   I have never smoked or made sausage but have always wanted to.  Have learned a lot from your post.  Great looking summer sausage!


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## tom gallopavo

Tried this myself, came out great, thanks!













DSC08008.jpg



__ tom gallopavo
__ Dec 30, 2015


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## lostandout

this was good enough that i have to make another batch this batch is 50% venison 50% fatty pork looking foward to smoking it sunday


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## terry56

After looking at the pictures, I just had to try this. I had no luck in the deer hunt so no venison. I used three pounds of  80/20 ground beef. (that's all I had on hand) No buttermilk, so I soured some coffee cream not realizing that the culture was suppose to help the fermenting process.( I don't know whether this made any difference) Took it out of the smoker, cooled it in ice water and put it in the fridge to rest for two days. OMG!! I don't need any other recipe. I only made three pounds and with family and friends, it was gone immediately.My wife, who is European, said it was exactly like the smoked lunch meats she grew up on.

Starting another batch today. This time, five pounds.Again with the beef.

Thank you for posting this recipe.


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## wolfman1955

I made a #10 batch of this using 80/20 beef last month, and man it sure is good!! I know 













IMG_0452[1].JPG



__ wolfman1955
__ Feb 5, 2016






Keep Smokin!!!

Wolf


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## dolly123

Hello ... just wanting to know if the culrued butter milk is put in as a powder form or if its a liquid , im guessing that the non fat milk is skim milk and is added as a powder ..

Ted ...


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## daveomak

dolly123 said:


> Hello ... just wanting to know if the culrued butter milk is put in as a powder form or if its a liquid , im guessing that the non fat milk is skim milk and is added as a powder ..
> 
> Ted ...


Dry powdered....   













SACO Buttermilk.png



__ daveomak
__ Feb 19, 2016


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## tom gallopavo

I made a second 10 pound batch with cheddar and jalapeno and it was even better....


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## illinoishunter

Rookie mistake...wish I had read this yesterday.  Made a 30lb batch of venison summer sausahe and followed the instructions that came with the kit.  Well, they recommended 180 degree final cooking temp until IT was reached, aaannnndddd I had a fat out.  Still looks good, i guess.  Will neber go past 170 ever again!!!


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## jaymax

Made a 15lb batch this weekend. This is a keeper! I think I am going to add high temp cheese next batch. Thanks for the recipe.


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## bob2

I made this (first time making and smoking summer sausage) and it turned out great but was not tangy at all. I had it in a freeze under controlled temps for 3 or 4 days prior to smoking in hopes of making it tangy.  What can I do next time to get the tangy flavor?  Fermento? Thanks


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## indaswamp

bob2 said:


> I made this (first time making and smoking summer sausage) and it turned out great but was not tangy at all. I had it in a freeze under controlled temps for 3 or 4 days prior to smoking in hopes of making it tangy.  What can I do next time to get the tangy flavor?  Fermento? Thanks



Don't put it in the freezer to ferment. Put it in the refrigerator and keep it between 34~40*. Freezer is too cold for fermenting.


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## bob2

indaswamp said:


> Don't put it in the freezer to ferment. Put it in the refrigerator and keep it between 34~40*. Freezer is too cold for fermenting.



Sorry I meant to say fridge. I have a mini fridge with a temperature controller on it that I use for fermenting beer. So I held it between 34 and 40 precisely (I can't remember what I set it to - maybe 38) and it holds the temp within 1 degree.  If I use something like Fermento next time would I not use the Buttermilk powder and corn sugar?  Good/bad idea?


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## tx smoker

I made a batch of this today, with a couple of tweaks. First off, I only did a half batch. Didn't want to make a bunch to find out it wasn't up to my expectations. I'm not a hunter so no venison. Used beef. I upped the black pepper and garlic powder by about 50%....because that's the way we like stuff. Lots of garlic, and lots of black pepper. I also added a tablespoon of crushed red pepper. That will hopefully add just a little bit of a glow to the sausage. Additionally, there was a post that stated that the Buttermilk was powdered. First off, I couldn't find that at my little local grocery store. Secondly, every batch of sausage I've made has called for some sort of liquid, usually ice water, so  I just used the liquid Buttermilk as my liquid. It's cased and hanging in the back of the keg-o-rator getting happy now. I'll smoke it in a few days and cross my fingers. It sure sounds like a great recipe though and truly appreciate it being shared.

Summer (sausage) in Lago Vista
Robert


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## bowtech9

Here is my results from yesterday for this recipe with Antelope. I’ve been using this recipe for 4 years now. I added 1# of fresh Jalapeño with seeds per 1# of meat and 1# of high temp cheddar for 10# of meat. This time I tried the water bath after the smoker to bring it up to 155*.i like the bath method.  Still my favorite recipe. It’s amazin!


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## rnyboy

bowtech9 said:


> View attachment 380551
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> 
> Here is my results from yesterday for this recipe with Antelope. I’ve been using this recipe for 4 years now. I added 1# of fresh Jalapeño with seeds per 1# of meat and 1# of high temp cheddar for 10# of meat. This time I tried the water bath after the smoker to bring it up to 155*.i like the bath method.  Still my favorite recipe. It’s amazin!


Hi,  I was the author of the recipe and haven't looked back at the article since 2013 but a guy sent me an email yesterday about when I added the water and I replied back with the answer.  This morning he sent back a thanks so I thought I'd go back and look at the article and surprised at all the posts now.  I see a  lot of questions around the buttermilk being liquid or powdered, it was just plain liquid buttermilk so I edited the recipe to make that clear.  I'm glad you like the recipe and very happy to see others have liked it as well.  Good hunting!


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## bertman

Trying this recipe right now. Made the sausage with some diced, frozen jalapeños that we had frozen, but stuck pretty close to the recipe. I'll be smoking tomorrow, and can't wait to see how this turns out. I've used kits dozens of times, and the only time I worked from scratch was a disappointment. Feeling optimistic!


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## jhend

Keep us posted as to how it goes. Are you hot smoking or cold smoking?


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## jhend

indaswamp said:


> Don't put it in the freezer to ferment. Put it in the refrigerator and keep it between 34~40*. Freezer is too cold for fermenting.


I use butter milk and hang in at room temp for a day or 2 by the they are dry enough to smoke. Then hang at 8 - 10 degrees 75% humidity until 30% of green weight is lost or your preference of dryness is reached.


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## mike hack

I followed the recipe except didn't have prague powder. The temp stalled at about 130 so I pulled them and stuck in a hot water bath for about 1 1/2 hrs. to finish. Then put them in cold water bath followed by a couple hours of hanging.  Put them in the fridge overnight. When I cut them in half today to freeze them they were all full of liquid gel.  I had to squeeze it al out to wrap. Never heard of this problem before.   What went wrong?


rnyboy said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I spent quite a bit of time looking into using my new MES 30 Analog Smoker to make 10 lbs of venison summer sausage (VSS).  Well after "harvesting" all of the information on sites like this one I came up with a recipe that was sort of a blend of many.  Along with writing down the recipe I also wrote down the full procedure, from start to freezer, for making my first batch of VSS.
> 
> The main issue was getting the needed smoke at the required temperatures, and for that I very recently purchased the A-MAZE-N wood pellet smoker (AMZNPS) to fill that need; which it did so perfectly I might add!  So for Step 6, the smoking procedure, its written for a smoker that is already capable of smoking at lower temperatures.  From what I've read I think most commercial electric home smokers are probably not capable of producing smoke, or enough smoke at least, at low temperatures .  Most are actually more like BBQs that smoke at around 225F and not a cold smoker.  Two rows of hickory pellets in the AMZNPS, lit at both ends, produced a beautiful heavy smudge of white smoke for a solid 3 1/2 hours and continued to produce a lighter smoke for another additonal hour, which seems to have been near perfect for this first attempt.
> 
> When I took the first taste of the VSS this morning I was very very happy with the results, in fact you might say I was amazed.  Way better than I expected considering this was the first time I ever smoked anything, and with a more or less untested recipe.  I took a half of a stick of the freshly smoke VSS along with some sharp cheddar and Vermont chedder to a sportsmans club I belong to at around noon today and it was gone in no time with several of the guys asking for the recipe.  So I've since printed out copies of the below to give to them next weekend.
> 
> I did modify my smoker so it can hold a fourth rack as well as allow hanging of the sticks of sausage from some square tubing near the top.
> 
> If you have any questions on anything in this start of a thread please feel free to ask.
> 
> So without further blather here's a photo of my slightly modified smoker at the start of the smoking with the sticks of VSS hung and the AMZNPS smoking, the recipe, and the full process I used.  I hope it helps anybody else who is completely clueless like I was when I first got interested in smoking meats:
> 
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> VSS 1st smoke.jpg
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> 
> __ rnyboy
> __ Dec 29, 2012
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Smoked Venison Summer Sausage Recipe, for 10 lbs*
> 
> (Adapted from numerous venison summer sausage recipes by Pat Thompson, 12-11-12)
> 
> *Ingredients:*
> 
> 1)       6 lbs coarse ground venison
> 
> 2)       4 lbs course ground fatty pork butt/shoulder
> 
> 3)       3/4 cup + 1 tblsp low fat cultured buttermilk (Edit on 12-22-18,  I used liquid buttermilk, like you would drink.  I see there are a lot of questions related to liquid or powdered.)
> 
> (Cultured buttermilk will help give sausage its "tangy" flavor.)
> 
> 4)       2 tblsp non-fat dry milk, for binder and additional lactose for fermenting
> 
> 5)       2 tsp (0.40 oz) of Prague Powder #1
> 
> 6)       4 tblsp + 2 tsp kosher salt, can substitute 4 tblsp of pickling salt
> 
> 7)       2 tblsp whole mustard seed
> 
> 8)       3 tblsp coarse ground black pepper
> 
> 9)       4 tsp sugar, for fermenting to get tang.
> 
> 10)      1 tblsp garlic powder
> 
> 11)      1 tblsp onion powder
> 
> 12)      2 tblsp paprika
> 
> 13)      1 tsp ground marjoram
> 
> 14)      1/4 tsp ground ginger
> 
> 15)      1/4 tsp ground coriander
> 
> 16)      1 tsp monosodium glutamate (optional), Same as Accent seasoning
> 
> *Step-by-Step Instructions:*
> 
> 1.         *First grind of the meat *- Cut the meat into 1" cubes and put in freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to firm meat for grinding.  Grind with coarse plate for proper texture.  Always keep the meat cold (< 40[sup]o[/sup] F).
> 
> 2.         *Season the meat* - Add all ingredients to ground meat and thoroughly mix by hand or with a meat mixer.
> 
> 3.         *Regrind the meat before stuffing** - Regrind the meat with the coarse plate to assure the desired texture for stuffing and mixing of all the ingredients.
> 
> 4.         *Stuff the sausage into casings* - Keep meat cold (< 40[sup]o[/sup] F) while stuffing.  Stuff into synthetic or fibrous casings that are 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.  A 2 1/2" dia. by 17" long stick will weigh about 3 1/2 lbs.
> 
> 5.         *Cure the sausage at 40[sup]o[/sup] F* -   Store sticks in the refrigerator and refrigerate at least overnight.  Can be kept in refrigerator for up to three days.  "Tang" of summer sausage will increase the longer it is refrigerated.  I refrigerate mine for about two days.  Do not let internal temperature get below 34[sup]o[/sup] F or mix will not ferment.  Active bacteria in the cultured buttermilk will metabolize (ferment) the added sugar and lactose in non-fat dry milk to lactic acid giving the summer sausage its characteristic "tangy" taste.  You really won't "taste" any of the sugar that has not been metabolized but the sausage may seem to taste less salty than expected.
> 
> 6**.      *Smoke the sausage in smoker* - Preheat smoker to 120[sup]o[/sup] F.  Hang or lay sausage on racks in smoker, making sure the sticks are well separated from each other.  Insert temperature probe into center of sausage near the middle of the smoker.  Allow to dry for one hour with damper wide open at 120[sup]o[/sup] F.  Add wood chips (hickory is suggested) to the wood pan, close damper to 1/4 open, and increase smoker temperature to 150[sup]o [/sup]F for four hours, add water to water pan and increase temperature to 170[sup]o[/sup] F (*Max)* to finish cooking.  (Edit on 12-22-18, Don't exceed the 170F, or much above 160F in the sausage, or you could experience "fat-out" where the fat redistributes and seriously changes the texture of the sausage)  While smoking add wood as necessary in 1/4 cup amounts and generate smoke for three to ten hours (suggest four or five hours for first try) depending on how "smoky" you want it to taste, continue cooking without smoke until internal temperature of sausage reaches 155[sup]o[/sup] F.  (Edit on 12-22-18, The time to reach 155F takes quite a long time.  I was pretty surprised at how long it took actually.)
> 
> Some recipes recommend using a heavy smudge during the smoking process.  A "heavy smudge" is produced using lots of heavy white smoke.  This is difficult to do with most home smokers at 150[sup]o [/sup]F unless you have an additional smoke generator attached to or within your smoker to produce the necessary level of smoke.
> 
> 7.         *Stopping the smoking/cooking *- To stop the cooking process once the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 155[sup]o[/sup] F immediately plunge the sticks into ice cold water to drop the internal temperature to 100[sup]o[/sup] F.  You can also plunge the sticks into deep snow if present.  I used the available snow and this cool down took about a 1/2 to 3/4 hour to complete.
> 
> 8.         *Blooming*:  Dry the outside of the sticks with a towel and allow to further air dry while hanging at room temperature for a few hours to reach proper color and then store in a cooler or freeze.  If wrapped in aluminum foil and butcher paper the sausage will stay fresh in a freezer for several months.  Vacuum packing and freezing will insure freshness for up to a year.
> 
> *Note:  You can grind the meat finer during the second grind if you prefer a finer texture to the summer sausage.  I prefer a coarser sausage.
> 
> **Note: Most home smokers are not meant for low temperature smoking.  You may need to purchase an additional low cost sawdust or pellet smoke generator, such as sold by A-MAZE-N Products, that is designed for cold smoking.


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## tom987

Sounds like you had some type of fat out.  This was probably due to one smoker being hotter than you thought, the water bath being hotter than you thought(180*), or the fat smeared when you ground it. 

And the Prague powder is the most important step...it keeps you from dieing 



mike hack said:


> I followed the recipe except didn't have prague powder. The temp stalled at about 130 so I pulled them and stuck in a hot water bath for about 1 1/2 hrs. to finish. Then put them in cold water bath followed by a couple hours of hanging.  Put them in the fridge overnight. When I cut them in half today to freeze them they were all full of liquid gel.  I had to squeeze it al out to wrap. Never heard of this problem before.   What went wrong?


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## bob2

If I were to use "Encapsulated Citric Acid" instead of Buttermilk, should I add water to this recipe? I wanted to try this so I could do it all in one day.


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