# Why refrigerate summer sausage?



## travisty (Nov 9, 2017)

I’m whipping up my first ever batch of summer sausage. I picked up a “Backwoods” (LEM) cure/seasoning packet and followed the instructions there. 

Currently the stuffed casings are curing in the fridge over night. 

One weird thing is that the packet says “Rifeigerate or freeze finished product”

I thought the whole point of summer sausage was that it was shelf stable? Do you think this is just a precautionary thing from the company, or is there an issue with the amount of cure they put in it?

Another question: it says to cure “overnight” in the fridge but gives no timeframe. What do you think the minimum and maximum is? You think it would be okay for 2 days?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Nov 9, 2017)

Because you have mixed the cure into ground meat the minimum time for the cure to donits thing is overnight. Two days would be fine. 

There is more processing that needs to be done besides just adding cure to make summer sausage, snack stick, and jerky shelf stable. 

So yes you will need to refrigerate or freeze the finished product.


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## tallbm (Nov 9, 2017)

DS covered it above. 

It really makes you think... what in the hell does it take to make meat shelf stable lol.  I imagine that not much of it can be too good for ya :D


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## travisty (Nov 9, 2017)

Awesome. Thanks for the tips guys! 

Makes sense about the whole shelf stable thing. For sure if I can avoid those chemicals! Just expected that going in to it, considering all the summer sausage you see at the grocery this time of year. 

Anyway. I’ll keep you guys posted. Here are some more photos.


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## travisty (Nov 10, 2017)

Alright, so weird timing here has led to an experiment. Ill be throwing this into the Sous Vide threads once I'm done (if it all works out). so I have A TON of stuff going on this weekend, including 6 racks of ribs that I made for a work thing, the work thing being that my team is going to stay until midnight tonight working Overtime to get caught up....

Anyway, due to all of these timing conflicts, I have decided to sous vide the sausages. I'm not gonna actually smoke them at all. If I'm not happy with it then Ill dust off and try again. After a lot of research it looks like people do this with success, though most people still smoke them first, but again, with the timing this is what will work for me so we will see how it goes... 

So the sausages are currently in a sous vide bath under my desk at work! lolol, this is the most convenient cook ive ever done. 

Gonna SV them in the bath at 152* for 2.5 hours. I got a lot of mixed info on the time, but I figure this time is a safe bet since the temp is low enough to avoid any de-fatting. 

Dave Omak had a ling on another such post on here, and that was the time the link he posted recommended for the starting temp of the meat, and the thickness and shape, and Dave hasn't let me down yet! I would have thought it was much less time, and other forums were saying as little as 30 minutes, but those seemed to all be starting AFTER the smoking process, so that being the case, the 2.5 hr should be right.

Ill keep you posted.


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## crazymoon (Nov 10, 2017)

T, Keep us posted as to your results on the SS!


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## tallbm (Nov 10, 2017)

Looks like you got a handle on it.
Also let me know how the flavor is.  I used LEM's Summer Sausage seasoning once with some oven made summers sausage (BTW, the directions for doing so on the package are no good lol).
They came out tasting like Corned Beef logs rather than Summer Sausage!!!! :eek:

The flavor wasn't bad it was just Corned Beef and not Summer Sausage hahahaha.  It's a total mind screw job. :D


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## travisty (Nov 10, 2017)

lol, well I hope its good! I pulled it out of the sous vide bath and into an ice bath. Once its cooled ill go a head and have a sample. 
If the flavor isn't great then I'm gonna go for a most scratch option next time, using a recipe on here. I have plenty of tenderquick, and other curing salts, so I really don't know why I opted to go with a packet, but I guess I was just excited to get some summer sausage under my belt so I went with the quick easy method. 

I did add as I mentioned some more seasoning, so we will find out if that makes up the difference. The one issue ive noticed up to this point is that there is a bunch of liquid in the wrap. Part I think is cause I don't have an actual sausage stuffer so I filled these by hand. I'm hoping that even though I can already tell that they aren't a perfectly shaped log that they will at least taste good.


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## tallbm (Nov 10, 2017)

travisty said:


> lol, well I hope its good! I pulled it out of the sous vide bath and into an ice bath. Once its cooled ill go a head and have a sample.
> If the flavor isn't great then I'm gonna go for a most scratch option next time, using a recipe on here. I have plenty of tenderquick, and other curing salts, so I really don't know why I opted to go with a packet, but I guess I was just excited to get some summer sausage under my belt so I went with the quick easy method.
> 
> I did add as I mentioned some more seasoning, so we will find out if that makes up the difference. The one issue ive noticed up to this point is that there is a bunch of liquid in the wrap. Part I think is cause I don't have an actual sausage stuffer so I filled these by hand. I'm hoping that even though I can already tell that they aren't a perfectly shaped log that they will at least taste good.



I followed LEM's overn directions and I had a lot of liquid in the bag as well with fat out :(
The sausage was a bit crumbly.  I just crumbled the stuff into a bowl, added some bbq sauce and mixed and made awesome corned beef bbq sloopy joes hahahaha.  A good slice of sharp cheddar, some onion, and all on a toasted bun and man the sandwiches were awesome!  You would have never known they were a salvage job :D


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## travisty (Nov 10, 2017)

tallbm said:


> I followed LEM's overn directions and I had a lot of liquid in the bag as well with fat out :(
> The sausage was a bit crumbly.  I just crumbled the stuff into a bowl, added some bbq sauce and mixed and made awesome corned beef bbq sloopy joes hahahaha.  A good slice of sharp cheddar, some onion, and all on a toasted bun and man the sandwiches were awesome!  You would have never known they were a salvage job :D




great! thanks for the suggestion. Still haven't sampled it yet, but if I don't like it, ill do that for sure.


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## travisty (Nov 10, 2017)

Woohoo, it is both finished, and delicious! So I have only cracked open the hotter version (which actually didn't end up that hot) but I sliced up the whole log to take around to my team and other surrounding cubicles and it is a hit!

I do see what you are saying about the corned beef flavor, I catch a hint of that, but no one else seemed to notice, and everyone that tried it said it was awesome, with a few saying it was the best summer sausage they'd ever had (but sometimes just knowing something is fresh/home made can cause that reaction).

Anyway, here is what she ended up looking like:


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## BGKYSmoker (Nov 10, 2017)

A SS cured with #1 will not be shelf stable for more than a couple days. To have a shelf stable SS you will need to use some fermentation agent in which your shelf time will increase to just over a week in which you will still need to fridge. good for 2-3 weeks, freezer 6 months.

Dry sausage unopened shelf stable for a year (un opened) (open 1 month)


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## tallbm (Nov 10, 2017)

travisty said:


> Woohoo, it is both finished, and delicious! So I have only cracked open the hotter version (which actually didn't end up that hot) but I sliced up the whole log to take around to my team and other surrounding cubicles and it is a hit!
> 
> I do see what you are saying about the corned beef flavor, I catch a hint of that, but no one else seemed to notice, and everyone that tried it said it was awesome, with a few saying it was the best summer sausage they'd ever had (but sometimes just knowing something is fresh/home made can cause that reaction).
> 
> Anyway, here is what she ended up looking like:



I'm glad it came out well and was a hit!
Also thanks for confirming the corned beef flavor.  I will hunt for a different seasoning or do one from scratch the next time I attempt summer sausage.  If I want corned beef logs I know where to go :D


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## daveomak (Nov 11, 2017)

From what I have read, (If I remember correctly), it is difficult at best, to make cooked meat shelf stable...(something changes in the meat when cooked)..  Raw meats with cure #2 and salt, dehydrated to a Aw (water activity) of around 0.9 and lower is necessary for "shelf stable" meats..


*Hurdle technology*
While temperature, pH, and several other factors can influence whether and how fast microorganisms will grow, water activity is often the most important factor. Water activity may be combined with other preservative factors (hurdles), such as temperature, pH, redox potential, etc., to establish conditions that inhibit microorganisms. The water activity level that limits the growth of the vast majority of pathogenic bacteria is 0.90aw (0.70aw for spoilage molds). The lower limit for all microorganisms is 0.60aw.

The following table lists the water activity limits for growth examples of products in those ranges.

Show entries
*aw* *Bacteria* *Mold* *Yeast* *Typical Products*
0.97 _Clostridium botulinum E 
Pseudomonas fluorescens_ fresh meat, fruits,
vegetables, canned fruit, canned vegetables
0.95 _Escherichia coli
Clostridium perfringens
Salmonella spp.
Vibrio cholerae_ low-salt bacon, cooked sausages,
nasal spray, eye drops
0.94 _Clostridium botulinum A, B
Vibrio parahaemolyticus_ _Stachybotrys atra_
0.93 _Bacillus cereus_ _Rhizopus nigricans_ some cheeses, cured meat (ham)
bakery goods,
evaporated milk, ral liquid
suspensions, topical lotions
0.92 _Listeria monocytogenes_
0.91 _Bacillus subtilis_
0.90 _Staphylococcus aureus
(anaerobic)_ _Trichothecium roseum_ _Saccharomyces
cerevisiae_
0.88 _Candida_
0.87 _Staphylococcus aureus
(aerobic)_
0.85 _Aspergillus clavatus_ sweetened condensed milk, aged cheeses (cheddar), fermented sausage (salami), dried meats (jerky), bacon, most fruit juice concentrates, chocolate syrup, fruit cake, fondants, cough syrup, oral analgesic suspensions
0.84 _Byssochlamys nivea_
0.83 _Penicillium expansum
Penicillium islandicum
Penicillium viridicatum_ _Deharymoces hansenii_
0.82 _Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus parasiticus_
0.81 _Penicillium Penicillium cyclopium
Penicillium patulum_
0.80 _Saccharomyces bailii_
0.79 _Penicillium martensii_
0.78 _Aspergillus flavus_ jam, marmalade, marzipan, glace fruits, molasses, dried figs, heavily salted fish
0.77 _Aspergillus niger
Aspergillus ochraceous_
0.75 _Aspergillus restrictus
Aspergillus candidus_
0.71 _Eurotium chevalieri_
0.70 _Eurotium amstelodami_
0.62 _Saccharomyces rouxii_ dried fruits, corn syrup, licorice, marshmallows, chewing gums, dried pet foods
0.61 _Monascus bisporus_
0.60 No microbial proliferation
0.50 No microbial proliferation caramels, toffees, honey, noodles, topical ointments


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## donaltman3 (Nov 15, 2017)

I will let the cure sit for 2 days before I ever stuff it into casings I also add pink salt to the cure mix...   I smoke them and then let sit in the refrigerator on a tray w/ paper towels for another 2 days... followed by vacuum sealing and freezing.  

I take these steps to let the cure work before smoking..  Sitting in the fridge after smoking helps the flavors to develope and meld, it  also helps to pull the excess moisture out before vacuum sealing.
I am 100% certain my summer sausage is shelf stable when I finish this process.   Although I still prefer to keep in the freezer as they are big and take up so much room in my pantry.


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## donaltman3 (Nov 15, 2017)

tallbm said:


> Looks like you got a handle on it.
> Also let me know how the flavor is.  I used LEM's Summer Sausage seasoning once with some oven made summers sausage (BTW, the directions for doing so on the package are no good lol).
> They came out tasting like Corned Beef logs rather than Summer Sausage!!!! :eek:
> 
> The flavor wasn't bad it was just Corned Beef and not Summer Sausage hahahaha.  It's a total mind screw job. :D



Corned beef is traditionally cooked by boiling... but the spices are almost identical between it and the summer sausage.. the main difference is Smoke.  Since you're cooking them in the  oven, next time I would add some liquid smoke.. Another difference is SS usually has some garlic,  but a corned beef never does.. If you continue using the backwood LEM  brand,  maybe add a bit more garlic powder as well.  those two changes shouldn't be a real drastic difference but enough to separate it from corned beef.


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## daveomak (Nov 15, 2017)

It's much easier to stuff immediately after mixing the ground meat...   Then let the stuffed casings sit in the fridge for a couple days, then smoke/cook....


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## naterdump (Dec 17, 2020)

I ground up some venison summer sausage with 70% venison 30% pork.  I used the correct amount of cure #1 in the mix.  I stuffed it right after mixing it up and placed it in the refridgerator.  Was planning on smoking next day, but unexpected things came up, and haven't got it smoked yet.   How many days will it be okay in the fridge before smoking.  Any help would be great!!


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## indaswamp (Dec 17, 2020)

Aw is a measurement of bound water in a product. Acids, salt, sugars, and other additives can bind free water in meat making it unavailable for bacteria to use. Aw 0.87 is roughly 30% weight loss of a salami....but it is not an exact measurement; higher the fat content, the less overall water in the salami.  Shelf stable is around Aw 0.87 with pH under 5.3...both help to reduce the activity of bacteria.


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