Summer sausage is a delicious sausage that doesn’t have to be refrigerated. This summer sausage can be made with a mixture of beef, pork, and venison.
Curing salt is generally always used when making summer sausage along with other seasonings such as black pepper, mustard seeds, and other seasonings. Making this delicious food is easy to do and once you make your own summer creation you will never purchase store meats again.
The first thing that needs to be done before creating this delicious food is getting all of the supplies and ingredients together.
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In this article:
Summer Sausage Ingredients
- 7 teaspoons ground pepper
- 8 teaspoons non-iodized salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon garlic
- 5 pounds of pork
- 5 pounds of beef or 5 pounds of venison
- 1 packet of curing packet (optional)
- 5 ounces of water for every pound of meat
This summer sausage recipe will make approximately ten pounds of sausage.
Tools Needed
- A meat grinder (electric or manual)
- Knife
- Scale stuffing horn
Types Of Casings
There are different types of casings that you can use, which include:
a) Fibrous Casings
Fibrous casings are made from wood cellulose, then protein permeated is applied. The fibrous casings are generally used for sausages because they are very strong and they don’t break easily.
The inside of the fibrous casings is coated with the protein so when the meat slightly shrinks the casing will shrink with the meat. The fibrous casings don’t need any refrigeration after the sausage has been cooked.
b) Natural Casings
Natural casings does require refrigeration. The natural casings come in a vacuum sealed bag and they are packed in salt brine. The natural casings shouldn’t be frozen and the natural casings are not recommended for sausage.
c) Synthetic Casings
Synthetic casings are made from alginates. The synthetic casings don’t need any refrigeration. They come in a variety of colors and sizes and they are generally used with sausages and salami.
How to Make Summer Sausage at Home
If you want to make the best summer sausage, then it is important that the meat is always nice and cold. Here are the steps in making your own summer creation:
1. Use the knife and bone the meat that will be used. Don’t remove all the fat that is on the meat as the fat will add moisture to the sausage. Once the meat has been boned, then cut it into smaller cubes and place it in the freezer for approximately thirty minutes to an hour. This will help the grinding process go smoothly and the meat grinds better when it is cold.
2. Set the meat grinder up. You should use a coarse plate to grind the meat. You will want to grind the meats separately, then you will mix the meats after they have been grounded up and this is also when you will add your seasonings.
3. Feed the meat that has been cut into smaller cubes into the grinder. Once this is done, then have each of the meats ground, then this is the time that adding the ingredients should occur.
4. Mix the two types of meat together then start adding the ingredients. For every one pound of meat that you have ground, you will need to add 5 ounces of water to the mixture. The water should be ice cold water.
5. If the product and summer creation is going to cold smoke the sausage that you are making, then you will need to add cure to the mixture. The cure will prevent the meat from spoiling once it has been made. The cure will allow you to smoke the summer sausage by using lower temperatures.
6. After all the meat has been mixed thoroughly, then place it in the freezer for an hour to let it get very cold.
7. Take the meat casings and soak them in warm water for approximately an hour before you will be using them to stuff with the meat. This will make the casings easier to handle and stuff when they have been soaked.
8. After the meat is very cold and the casings have been soaked for an hour, then this is the time that stuffing the casings can begin.
9. Remember to pin the casings at the end. This will eliminate any air that is in the casings.
10. Add the sausage stuffing attachments to the meat grinder and start stuffing the casings.
11. When you have all of them stuffed, then place them into the refrigerator overnight.
12. Remember to clean the grinder and all other equipment to avoid nasty bacteria.
Smoking Homemade Sausage
1. Start the smoker at around 140 degrees. Keep the heat at this temperature for approximately two hours.
2. The sausage should be hung in the smoker so they get properly smoked thoroughly.
3. After two hours the heat should be raised to 175 degrees, but no higher than that. The product should remain in the smoker at this temperature for two additional hours.
4. The sausages should reach 156 degrees internally. You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat to make sure they reach the appropriate temperature internally.
5. After the smoking is done, then take them and rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Rinsing them in cold water will stop the cooking process and rinsing them will reduce any shrinkage along with removing residue from the smoke that is on them.
6. The sausages will need to be dried thoroughly, then they are ready to be stored and enjoyed. If you have a vacuum sealer, then storing them in a vacuum sealed bag is recommended.
How to Make Summer Sausage in the Oven
If you don’t have a smoker or you just prefer cooking the sausage in your oven the flavour of the sausage will be just as good. The only difference that you will notice by cooking them in the oven is they won’t have the same color as they would if they are done in the smoker.
1. Take the links and place them on screens.
2. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. If your oven doesn’t have that low of a degree level, then place it on the lowest, then open the oven door.
3. Cook the links for an hour at 160 degrees.
4. The internal links should be at 156 degrees and you can use a meat thermometer to see what the degrees are.
5. Continue to cook the links for an additional hour at 180 degrees.
6. When the links are done the cooking, then rinse them off with cold water and let them dry, then place them in the refrigerator or freezer the sausages.
7. Don’t cut into the links until they are cool. This will allow the links to retain the moisture.
Remember, cooking times may vary depending on the smoker, oven, and the size of the sausages. Making summer sausage is easy to do as everyone can see.
For classical sausage, read our guide.
