Jalapeno & Cheddar Summer Sausage

[chiefs23]

I'm planning to smoke my first venison SS soon in my MES 40 and am trying to figure out a good recipe to start with. I've done some searching around here and was planning to try the following ratio:

3lbs venison
2lbs pork butt (not trimmed)
1TBS black Pepper
2 TBS kosher salt
1tsp mustard seed
1tsp marjoram
1TBS sugar
1TBS garlic powder
4 jalapenos chopped
1/2lb of Kraft crumbles cheese (want to try this before high-temp cheese)
Enough cure #1 for the weight of the meat and other ingredients (little over 1tsp)

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to add non-fat dry milk or if I should try a mix without it first? I've also seen some recipes that include fermenting ingredients (ECA, buttermilk, etc.) I think this is to give the sausage a tangy or sweet flavor? I may try without at first to see how I like and then venture into that later.

Plan is to partially freeze and coarse grind both venison and pork, mix seasonings, and then coarse grind again, and then let cure in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then stuff. Hang at room temp for a couple hours and preheat smoker. Will smoke at 115-120 for an hour with no smoke. Then 140 for four hours with smoke. Then up to 170 until IT reaches 152. Ice bath and then hanging to bloom for a few hours.

I do have a couple of questions about the steps. Is it better to let cure before or after stuffing or does it matter? Also, for the second grind would it be better to run through a finer plate? I think this is a matter of personal preference, but I don't have much experience with sausages.

Just looking for any thoughts on if I can improve the recipe or process. Thanks all!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

See my answer posted in your other thread.

http://smokingmeatforums.com/index.php?threads/jalapeno-cheddar-summer-sausage.270603/

 

[exromenyer]

I'm planning to smoke my first venison SS soon in my MES 40 and am trying to figure out a good recipe to start with. I've done some searching around here and was planning to try the following ratio:

3lbs venison
2lbs pork butt (not trimmed)
1TBS black Pepper
2 TBS kosher salt
1tsp mustard seed
1tsp marjoram
1TBS sugar
1TBS garlic powder
4 jalapenos chopped
1/2lb of Kraft crumbles cheese (want to try this before high-temp cheese)
Enough cure #1 for the weight of the meat and other ingredients (little over 1tsp)

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to add non-fat dry milk or if I should try a mix without it first? I've also seen some recipes that include fermenting ingredients (ECA, buttermilk, etc.) I think this is to give the sausage a tangy or sweet flavor? I may try without at first to see how I like and then venture into that later.

Plan is to partially freeze and coarse grind both venison and pork, mix seasonings, and then coarse grind again, and then let cure in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then stuff. Hang at room temp for a couple hours and preheat smoker. Will smoke at 115-120 for an hour with no smoke. Then 140 for four hours with smoke. Then up to 170 until IT reaches 152. Ice bath and then hanging to bloom for a few hours.

I do have a couple of questions about the steps. Is it better to let cure before or after stuffing or does it matter? Also, for the second grind would it be better to run through a finer plate? I think this is a matter of personal preference, but I don't have much experience with sausages.

Just looking for any thoughts on if I can improve the recipe or process. Thanks all!

I use the non fat dry milk as a binding agent and I also tried some ECA in mine. I LOVE the taste of them both. Your thoughts of trying without and then with are very reasonable, I did the same. That ECA adds a nice tangy flavor to the snack sticks that I made. The biggest PITA is the MES 40 staying at temp. I think many folks here have good luck but I haven't. I've moved to a WSM and I am beginning to play around with keeping temps low with charcoal opposed to an element that kicks on and off every 5 minutes. DO NOT trust the thermometer in that MES40 as mine was off 20-30 degrees. I've got a Maverick ET-732 and I know there are newer ones out there.

As for curing, look up the name NEPAS on here has some great instructions on doing this. I've cured mine in the fridge over night to give the meat a chance to stick to the casings. I grind mine once then add the seasoning to my bucket and mix by hand. You can grind it again but you don't want to many grinds it will affect the meat and could make it really thin....One thing to READ very carefully is if you use the ECB, DO NOT grind it, mix it by hand in the meat then stuff. I believe at that point it needs to go into the fridge overnight OR it has to be smoked immediately. The bag I bought told you on it, I just can't remember but I am POSITIVE you mix that by hand, NO GRINDING....

Once I'm done smoking it, I wipe it down with some wet paper towels and I put mine in a brown paper grocery bag and close it and put it in the fridge for a few days....

Happy Smoking!
Tony

 

[JckDanls 07]

For me... I grind all through coarse plate and then half of it back through the fine plate... mix those two back together (by hand)... mix (by hand) in seasoning and cure and then in fridge over night... I usually do only snack sticks so I rest the meat in bulk overnight in the fridge (no room for 40lbs of stuffed sticks in fridge)... just before stuffing the next day I will remix and check to see if any water needs to be added... This is when (and only then) do you want to add the ECA... as stated above, DO NOT add ECA and then regrind ...

 

[chiefs23]

Thanks to both of you! Exromenyer: Fortunately, I've had some good luck with this MES 40 holding pretty consistent temps once its preheated well. I use my Maverick for an accurate temp reading. I'm probably going to end up trying the ECA at some point just to see the difference and if I like that taste. You both make a good point about NOT grinding with the ECA already in the mix as that can cause it to burst. I may even do something like add the nonfat dry milk and/or ECA to different batches during this run and compare.

 

[archeryrob]

Cheif, did you try this and did you use the crumbles or did you buy high temp cheese? I am wondering if the crumbles can be used without being a mess.