# Mennonite Farmers Sausage



## cdn offroader

So my whole reason for wanting to get into smoking/sausage making is to make what was a staple growing up, Farmers Sausage. I know there are many different types by the same name, but this is essentially ground meat, cure, salt and pepper. This was eaten in copious amounts at any family gathering, often with homemade perogies(which I am running dangerously low on) and a delicious cream gravy.

Sadly, I am far re,moved from my usual sources of farmer sausage, so I must rely on my family bringing me a suitcase full when they come for a visit. Now that I have my smoker however it is time to try a batch of my own, so with the wife away for the weekend, here we are....













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__ cdn offroader
__ Nov 30, 2013






Coarse ground and then seasoning added













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__ cdn offroader
__ Nov 30, 2013






Hung up and ready to go, smoking with a mix of hickory and apple pellets( just found a great local source)

Time to kick back with some spiced rum and eggnog I think...


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## reinhard

Looks great so far.  So, for seasoning you only use salt and pepper? Reinhard


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## cdn offroader

Hey Reinhard, the recipe I have is from my cousin...


25lbs pork shoulder, ground coarse
1/2cup salt(regular grind table salt-even used iodized and the world didn't spin of its axis)
1/4c black pepper(increased to 1/2 cup, was a bit to much pepper, 1/3 cup is about right using equal portions coarse ground and regular table BP)
1tbsp +2tsp cure #1

Mix all ingredients well and allow to rest in refrigerator overnight.

stuff into 34-36mmm casings and link into 10-12" sections,allow links to air dry until dry to the touch, can be sped up by placing in front of a fan

Cold smoke 3-4 hours smoke hickory/apple(my last batch I did 8 hours and liked it like that), allow smoked links to bloom overnight in refrigerator.

Hot smoking can be done as well, start at around 120F, and raise smoker temp by about 10 deg f every half hour until it reaches 170. Do not go above this temp or you may get fat rendering around the outside of the sausage. Smoke until you get to internal temp of 155 F, then place in a cold water bath until IT is back down to 100F. Allow links to cool and bloom in refrigerator overnight.

cheers

EDIT- updated procedures with more details, and recipe amendments.


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## mdboatbum

Amish sausage and pierogies...hmmm, PA roots perhaps? Sausage looks great.


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## JckDanls 07

this look great..  nothing like some "alone time"....   it's my understanding that when using cure you are to let the meat set for a minimum of 4 hrs to let cure do it's thing...  I dunno,maybe I misunderstood...  did you stuff and put in smoker right away after mixing seasonings and cure?


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## cdn offroader

I could be wrong, as I am new to this, but from what I understand, the links are supposed to be dry to the touch before putting them into the smoker, but I can't find anything about the cure setting. Then they are pulled from the smoker, water bathed and then hung at room temp to air dry some more 2-3 hours minimum and to bloom. That's what I have for directions anyways....


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## cdn offroader

4hours of cold smoking, and now cranking the heat to finish them...













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__ cdn offroader
__ Nov 30, 2013


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## cdn offroader

And finally, got them to temp, gave them a bath, hung them to dry, and couldn't wait any longer....













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__ cdn offroader
__ Nov 30, 2013


















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__ Nov 30, 2013






Final verdict....pretty close but next time I think I'll add a bit more pepper and salt. I converted the original recipe to a 6lb total, so maybe I didn't calculate quite right, but overall I'm happy, next time it should be right where I want it.


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## woodcutter

Nice! Close to a suitcase full.


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## reinhard

On the recipe you have 1 tablespoon of cure [i'm thinking you used instacure #1 the pink stuff].  using this cure it should be 1 tsp per 5 pounds of meat mix.  3 tsp equal one tablespoons. so it should be 5 tsp for 25 pounds [that is if you where using instacure.  when using this cure the sausage mix should be left in in the fridge overnight to blend into the mix and stuffed the next day.  The sausage does look real good.  Reinhard


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## cdn offroader

Thanks for the reminder Reinhard, I actually did adjust the cure level when i made my recipe. For 6lbs I used 1 and 1/4 tsp cure #1,  I updated the recipe to avoid confusion. I also suspect that leaving it to set longer would have improved the typical pink/reddish color of the sausage?


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## reinhard

Yes, the instacure #1 will give the meat that red color when you give the cure time to blend in. Reinhard


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## grimreeper

I was wondering if can make as a fresh sausage and still put cure in to keep the pink color?


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## cdn offroader

grimreeper said:


> I was wondering if can make as a fresh sausage and still put cure in to keep the pink color?


I don't see why not, should be fine to add it in, set in the fridge over night and then stuff and cook or stuff and freeze if you don't plan on smoking it. That way it would still get the hammy flavor.


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## snake03

Hi  I was wondering what temp. did you bring it up to and for how long and did you bath them in cold water or hot water thank you for any help you can give me.

Snake03


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## cdn offroader

I smoked them to ~160f and then into the cold water bath until they were around 100f(I haven't been able to find a specific number for this step). The temp  goes down faster if you can circulate the water a bit, leave the cold water running in the sink if you can. Then hang or leave in fridge to bloom over night.


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## snake03

thank you so much for this info helps me a great deal

snake03


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## chef jimmyj

grimreeper said:


> I was wondering if can make as a fresh sausage and still put cure in to keep the pink color?





CDN offroader said:


> I don't see why not, should be fine to add it in, set in the fridge over night and then stuff and cook or stuff and freeze if you don't plan on smoking it. That way it would still get the hammy flavor.


Just a bit of info, it is no issue using Cure #1 in a sausage that will not be smoked. My family has done this over 100 years, We make one recipe for Kielbasa, with Garlic, S & P  a bit of Marjoram and Cure #1. The bulk of it gets Smoked but a few pounds is put aside as White or Fresh Kielbasa. The White Kielbasa gets either simmered with Sauerkraut or Grilled. The result is delicious but does not have a Hammy flavor. It does taste different then a sausage without cure. It is more Savory and hard to describe, the overall flavor is more intense, but not what I would call Hammy...JJ


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## mrsteerman

Hello.  I am in a similar situation as you.  Far from the nest with no farmer sausage.  I had Pioneer or Winkler farmer sausage when I was back home. How has your sausage making venture gone.  Have you perfected it?  Any tips/tricks advice?  Thanks

Dorian


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## cdn offroader

mrsteerman said:


> Hello.  I am in a similar situation as you.  Far from the nest with no farmer sausage.  I had Pioneer or Winkler farmer sausage when I was back home. How has your sausage making venture gone.  Have you perfected it?  Any tips/tricks advice?  Thanks
> 
> Dorian


Updated the recipe with what I've done so far. Taste is pretty much where I like it anyways.


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## snake03

at what temp did you cold smoke your sausage


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## cdn offroader

80-100f for cold smoking


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## snake03

thanks a bunch


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## mrsteerman

Thanks.  Do you have any recommendation for a meat grinder/suffer (some thing that may work with ez peel casing)?  When you are making the sausage..does it need to be done in a chilled environment or can it be done at room temperature?  Thanks


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## cdn offroader

mrsteerman, no problem doing the sausage at room temperature as long as you follow normal food safety guidelines. It helps to chill the grinder before hand, meat grinds better if it is partially frozen 1-2 hours before grinding. I'm not familiar with the ezpeel casing, so I can't help you there. Most people will recommend getting a separate grinder/stuffer if you can. I use an old hand crank grinder(easy to find ata garage sale or something, and a kitchener 5lb stuffer. Bass pro/cabelas/amazon etc all have similar models for a reasonable price.


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## duncan10

Looking good guys. I have made batches of Mennonite sausage before with a friend of mine. Just a couple of differences to what you are suggesting these were no cure at all just salt, pepper and smoke. Last time we made there was over 200 lbs that were done. The only smoke that we have used is Black diamond willow. I would like to try with some of the other woods to see the difference.

Dunc


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## jimmyh

mrsteerman said:


> Hello.  I am in a similar situation as you.  Far from the nest with no farmer sausage.  I had Pioneer or Winkler farmer sausage when I was back home. How has your sausage making venture gone.  Have you perfected it?  Any tips/tricks advice?  Thanks
> 
> Dorian


I live in the heartland of Mennonite farmer's sausage. My dad and I made thousands of pounds of it over the years I lived at home. It was a way of making money off of hogs that were not ready for market when the barn was supposed to be filling with a new batch. 

Here's my opinion for what it's worth - Winkler and Pioneer are not worth eating. Follow the recipe and process outlined above and I think you will have a much better sausage than those two companies will give you. Don't be afraid to include some fat in the recipe. If you are in the south of Manitoba and want to purchase sausage, go to Spenst Brothers in Winkler and buy their sausage. I prefer it and Winkler/Morden CO-OP in-store sausage to the two big companies, hands down!


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## jimmyh

I've taken to using Morton's Tenderquick in my farmer's sausage. It is simple and straight forward. Takes care of salt, cure and sugar (I like some sweetness in my FS). To that I add black pepper and smoke. I think my next batch will be smoked with oak. That will take me down memory lane!


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## diggingdogfarm

There's just a very TINY amount of sugar in Morton's Tender Quick....I'm surprised that folks are able to pick it up. :biggrin:


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## jimmyh

DiggingDogFarm said:


> There's just a very TINY amount of sugar in Morton's Tender Quick....I'm surprised that folks are able to pick it up.


There's enough sugar in there to satisfy me when I am making farmer's sausage. My dad used to add brown sugar to the mix and when I make farmer's sausage with with base ingredients I also add brown sugar. It can get too sweet for my liking if too much sugar is in the mix.


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## diggingdogfarm

How much Morton Tender Quick are you using per...???


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## jimmyh

DiggingDogFarm said:


> How much Morton Tender Quick are you using per...???


I don't have the recipe in front of me right now. It's at my dad's about 2 hours away. If I am correct, I am using it to the level recommended on the packaging but I'm not too certain about that. A quick Google search seems to indicate that of the Tender Quick mix itself, sugar is right around 20% with salt, cure and anti-caking agents making up the rest. While that isn't a lot I would disagree that it is tiny. It's enough to taste. My dad used to use just enough Tender Quick to give the sausage the cured look and topped it up with salt and sugar. I talked him out of that as it isn't guaranteeing the protection of nitrates for the smoking process, which in most practices is warm enough to take the temperature into the botulism danger zone.


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## diggingdogfarm

No, it's not 20% sugar...I was born at night but it wasn't last night..I can assure you it's a small amount. :wink:


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## jimmyh

DiggingDogFarm said:


> No, it's not 20% sugar...I was born at night but it wasn't last night..I can assure you it's a small amount.


Sources? I've tried searching and I've found references of 19% and 20% along with one reference of 2%. The 2% reference was you on another thread on this site. I was also born at night (not last night) and I am having a hard time taking what you are saying seriously without some sources. Prove it and I will believe you but as of now I suspect you are blowing smoke.


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## jimmyh

"Originally Posted by *DiggingDogFarm*  




Here's my recipe for a cure that's used at the same rate as Morton[emoji]174[/emoji] Tender Quick[emoji]174[/emoji] for recipes NOT requiring nitrate.

17.5 oz salt (I use pickling salt)

5.0 oz sugar

2 oz cure #1

It's super easy to use......

For dry curing....use one tablespoon (1/2 oz.) per pound of meat.

For curing ground meats such as sausage....use 1/2 tablespoon (1/4 oz.) per pound of meat...it provides ALL the cure and the salt for the recipe.....no additional salt is needed.

~Dig"

Here is your recipe for a substitute for TQ. Here you have a total weight of 24.5 oz with sugar weight of 5 oz. 5 oz of sugar makes up 20% of the total weight.


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## diggingdogfarm

jimmyh said:


> DiggingDogFarm said:
> 
> 
> 
> No, it's not 20% sugar...I was born at night but it wasn't last night..I can assure you it's a small amount. :wink:
> 
> 
> 
> Sources? I've tried searching and I've found references of 19% and 20% along with one reference of 2%. The 2% reference was you on another thread on this site. I was also born at night (not last night) and I am having a hard time taking what you are saying seriously without some sources. Prove it and I will believe you but as of now *I suspect you are blowing smoke.*
Click to expand...


I'm blowing smoke????
BWAHhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

This is like those cure threads last week!!!!! Lots of non-sense...few facts!!!! LOL 

SIGH!!!!!!!!!

Okay, time to let the cat out of the bag.......


Here are the facts...this is from the MSDS sheet for all three of Morton's curing products, so you DO have to be familiar with them all to make total sense of it...but, anyway...you can easily see that there's not much sugar in Tender Quick.....













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__ diggingdogfarm
__ Jan 27, 2015


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## diggingdogfarm

jimmyh said:


> "Originally Posted by *DiggingDogFarm*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here's my recipe for a cure that's used at the same rate as Morton[emoji]174[/emoji] Tender Quick[emoji]174[/emoji] for recipes NOT requiring nitrate.
> 
> 17.5 oz salt (I use pickling salt)
> 
> 
> 5.0 oz sugar
> 
> 
> 2 oz cure #1
> 
> It's super easy to use......
> 
> For dry curing....use one tablespoon (1/2 oz.) per pound of meat.
> For curing ground meats such as sausage....use 1/2 tablespoon (1/4 oz.) per pound of meat...it provides ALL the cure and the salt for the recipe.....no additional salt is needed.
> 
> 
> ~Dig"
> 
> Here is your recipe for a substitute for TQ. Here you have a total weight of 24.5 oz with sugar weight of 5 oz. 5 oz of sugar makes up 20% of the total weight.




Yeah, that's a substitute.
We're not talking substitutes here.
The amount of sugar in that has nothing to do with what's in actual Tender Quick.


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## jimmyh




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## diggingdogfarm

I'm sorry...it's just that some folks here tend to aggressively argue false "facts" and it's very aggravating.
Nothing against you personally.

Thank you for participating.


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## jimmyh

You know what? I've looked back on the posts, cooled off, and I've got to say I was more than a little touchy. I apologize. No reason. I'm a jerk. You didn't come across as condescending.


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## jimmyh

DiggingDogFarm said:


> I'm sorry...it's just that some folks here tend to aggressively argue false "facts" and it's very aggravating.
> Nothing against you personally.
> 
> Thank you for participating.


Ha ha! I'm a teacher. I'm not sure I would have given myself "participation" marks for that exchange!


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## jimmyh




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## ron forst

Very similar to what in Minnesota we call "Farmers Style Sausage" Only thing I do differently is I cook onions with water, then use the cooled onion water for liquid in the mix, also usually 50 percent pork 50 percent beef, and whole mustard seed. After that pretty much the same, I smoke for about 3 hours and then let bloom and freeze. usually boil about 15 minutes before eating.


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## cdn offroader

Sounds like an interesting variation Ron. I recently did a batch of 50% vension and 50% pork shoulder and it was really good also. (venison had 20% back fat added) Most people had no idea until I told them.


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## ron forst

Ive also done venison, use it in my Brats as well that call for 20 percent beef and 80 percent pork, nobody has a clue venison is in them until you tell them


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## hosea

Hi I was from Gretna Manitoba just a year ago and this town is close to Altona and Winkler. I have been to both plants and have had friends work there . I ran the coop store in Gretna as the meat manager years ago. The receipts look great. The main thing for this sausage is not to grind it to fine and use good quality meats. The smoking should be a cold smoke . The original Pioneer and Winkler sausage years ago was raw in the middle. Now they have it 90 percent cooked. The smoke was hickory or what we could find around the yard . apple tree would but mostly hickory. In the early years we use straw off of the field to smoke with. Don't  get to fancy with seasoning as salt and pepper and smoke was only used in the old days. Remember we used old out houses for our smokers so it took a long time to smoke. We did not cook the sausage in the smoker we left it raw with a nice smoke on the out side. A nice taste of pepper and salt is what makes this sausage. I am in  Joffre ab now and starting to make the farmers sausage for my self and friends. They sure love it as it is hard to find authentic farmers sausage. Hope this helps


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## knotfree

I had been trying to make a farmers sausage and came up with very few actual recipes on the internet. So i wrote a couple of recipes ,a simple recipe and a more commercial  style recipe with binders and sodium erythorbate  in it.  

 I agree that the trick that really makes it a Farmers sausage is the cold smoke (apple , hickory blend). I like to do about 6 hr of thin blue cold smoke first day then rest over night before another 4 hr warm smoke to finish it off. This seems to carry the smoke flavour right thru to the centre. 

 Now I'm trying to find out if there is a difference between Farmers sausage and Mennonite Farmers sausage?


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## loggie

CDN OFFROADER What do you have your smoking pellets in and where did you get your sausage hooks and racks I'm using oak dowels


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## cdn offroader

The pellets are in a home made pellet tray, the racks and sausage hooks came with my smoker.


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## hosea

Hi the difference on the farmers sausage to Mennonite farmers sausage is the farmers sausage has the preservatives that you have used for presentation in a store. Mennonite farmers sausage is just salt and pepper good quality meat and long cool smoking . This leaves the sausage quite dark but delicious to eat. In the old days we used to smoke our sausage with straw from the fields also. Then store it in the grain bin in winter in the grain. Wow that was a long time ago.


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## Wanham

Does anyone use white poplar / aspen to some their mennonite farmers sausage?


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## cdn offroader

Wanham said:


> Does anyone use white poplar / aspen to some their mennonite farmers sausage?


I haven't seen any good reports on people using poplar as a smoking wood, I would stick with a hard wood like oak or hickory, or a fruit wood like apple.


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## Bearcarver

cdn offroader said:


> I haven't seen any good reports on people using poplar as a smoking wood, I would stick with a hard wood like oak or hickory, or a fruit wood like apple.



I have never used Poplar for Smoking, but it actually is a Hardwood. Kind of Soft compared to others, but still a "Hardwood".
As a cabinetmaker, I used it for paint grade cabinets, and for cabinets that were to be laminated.

Bear


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## CaliCDN

This tread is kinda old but it was just what I was looking for. It’s impossible to bring farmers sausage from a Southern Manitoba to Southern California. I am planning to start making sausage at home in the next few weeks and I was still trying to determine what the beat steps are. This thread definitely cleared up some questions I had!


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## zwiller

I live pretty close to Amish Country as well as quite a few small producers of sausage and I bet serious money all of them use whatever they have on hand to smoke, including some soft wood.  I get a really nice country smoke flavor using a combination of cob, pitmasters blend, and oak pellets/dust for cold smoke.  Reminds me very much of local smoked stuff as these are very common woods to our area.  Cob is most definitely an old school flavor to me and a must try.


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## hosea

Hi, what a beautiful pile of sasuage. I am from Blumenort by Gretna mb. We never used cure and I still don't use it. Your pepper and salt is all that was needed and we did not cook it to 155 degrees. It was still a little raw in side . Just like our hams that we smoked and put in the wheat garinary. I am in Red Deer ab now and sell piles of the Mennonite sausage. We also used to can the sausage for sunday faspa. Good job


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## crazymoon

hosea said:


> Hi, what a beautiful pile of sasuage. I am from Blumenort by Gretna mb. We never used cure and I still don't use it. Your pepper and salt is all that was needed and we did not cook it to 155 degrees. It was still a little raw in side . Just like our hams that we smoked and put in the wheat garinary. I am in Red Deer ab now and sell piles of the Mennonite sausage. We also used to can the sausage for sunday faspa. Good job


H, You are better off to add the appropriate amount of cure #1 to the ground meat.You run the risk of botulism and other nasties if your sausage stays in the 40 degree to 140 degree zone too long.


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