Making Summer sausage (And Smokehouse build..kinda)

92xj

WKR
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
1,237
Location
E.Wa
It's that time of year again.
I did one of these threads years ago, but it got jacked up when photo bucket screwed pictures, so I shall do this again.
This is what I do and how I do it.

I work in 23 pound batches.
My seasoning is good for 25 pounds, but I cut it short 2 pounds to increase boldness in flavor.
I mix all my sausages 70/30, Game to pork shoulder
This batch is 16 lbs deer, 7 pounds Boston butt.

I use AC Legg seasonings. Salami, Summer Sausage and Jalapeño Summer Sausage.
For the ones with cheese, I use High Temp cheese and add 2.5 lbs per 23 lbs of meat.

So, lets start.
Setup your work area. If you don't have 2 meat totes, stop everything, and go buy them now.
I grind my meat partially frozen. It grinds so much better.
Start with your large grinding plate and grind away.
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Once first grind is done, mix your seasoning AND your cure with super cold water. Whisk away and dump all over first grind. Then start mixing the meat. The partially frozen meat will be in little marble clumps that fold over themselves nicely. I mix by hand and go for 3-5 minutes or until I can’t feel my fingers anymore.
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At this step, go get a bowl of hot water and soak your casings until ready to stuff.
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Once meat is mixed with seasoning and cure, install your fine plate on your grinder and start mixing the second grind. I pinch golf ball size chunks that fall into the neck of the grinder and never use the plunger. Using the plunger creates suction and it’s a pain. Just pinch small pieces and let gravity and the grinder do their thing.
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After the second grind its time to mix again and also add cheese if you are wanting it. Add the cheese (or not) and mix by hand. I add more water here, about 2 cups of cold water. And mix away. I fold and punch and push and fold and punch. Once I cant feel my hands and see that the cheese is consistent throughout, I call it good.
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Grinding and mixing are done and its time to stuff the stuffer. Drop in handful size balls and press down getting all air pockets out of the meat. Fill up the stuffer and get ready. Get your casings from the water bowl, pull out a few and load one. I would highly recommend an electric foot pedal stuffer. It changed my life. Start stuffing and hog ring the ends.
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Once all are stuffed, rest in fridge for 24 hours.
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Last edited:
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92xj

92xj

WKR
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
1,237
Location
E.Wa
Lets cook.
Internal temp 152 – 155.
Smoker temps from 120 – 179.9
Never, and I really do mean never, let your smoke house go over 180 degrees. You have just spent hours grinding and stuffing and cleaning, don’t screw it up cooking. It is going to take a long time and get annoying, but plan accordingly. This batch took 24 hours exactly to hit temp. I started at noon Thursday and ended today at noon.
After your meat has sat in the fridge for 24 hours, hang in smokehouse and get your heat source fired up.
Run 125 degrees for an hour, no smoke to dry the casings and prep them to take on smoke.
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After an hour, I crank up the heat to around 150 and start adding smoke. I use a smoke tube that I place in the air intake port of my smoke house. It is perfect. Allows me to control the smoke and add more without opening the smokehouse door at all during the process.
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I run two probes that hang in the smokehouse. One even with the bottom of the sausage on the left hand side and one on the right hand side at the top of the sausage. I want to know what the heat is doing throughout the house. I then run two probes in the meat. One in the bottom of a tube on one side and one in the top of a tube on the other side. The bottom will be a tick warmer in the sausage and smokehouse that the top, but keep an eye on it all and do good work. After a few hours, I crank the heat and hold between 170 and 179 with the lowest probe. And the waiting game continues…

8hour mark
Top of sausage = 133
Bottom of sausage = 138
Top of smokehouse = 161
Bottom of smokehouse = 169
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10hour mark
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18hour mark
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24 hour mark
Top of sausage = 152.2
Bottom of sausage = 157.1
Smokehouse is cooling as I just turned off the heat
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Open door and take some pride here…
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Pull meat out and place in cold water asap. Keep in there for 20 minutes at least. I leave the garden hose running and walk away from a half hour and let water run.
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92xj

92xj

WKR
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
1,237
Location
E.Wa
Now that the meat is cooked and cooled. I bring inside and lay out towels to roll the meat and dry it.
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Once dry, I place in fridge and chill for however long you can stand it. After chilled pull out and cut into whatever size you want to package. I do quarters and fit two logs in one quart bag.
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I vacuum seal in premade quart bags. I used to do the make your own custom size bag, but never again. Premade is the way to go. Just learn to deal with the little excess of bag and fold it under the logs when storing.
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Stack in freezer and pat yourself on the back. Also, every time you walk by the freezer, open it and accept the pride you feel.
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godwinmt

FNG
Joined
Sep 13, 2021
Messages
13
Thanks for the write-up! We've got a fair amount of coarse ground that we'll turn into summer sausage in the next couple weeks, so appreciate it!
 

Elite

WKR
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
921
Awesome write up! Any more details on that smoker build?


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Joined
Jul 27, 2021
Messages
1,455
nice looking sausagees, pretty much how I make mine only I do not soak the casings, do you find soaking the caseings better, as those are the exact type of casings I use (each stick weighs about a little over 3 lbs.) and use my own seasoning mix. and work in 30 lb. batches.
 
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92xj

92xj

WKR
Joined
Apr 22, 2016
Messages
1,237
Location
E.Wa
I’ve always soaked the casings. When I started learning years ago, the internet told me to do it so I did and have never done it dry. It slides super nice in my hand when stuffing and takes shape beautifully. So, I can’t say it’s better than dry since I’ve never done dry but I have no desire to change since it works so well.


Random google search I just did…
 
Joined
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1,455
Thanks for the reply, as said never soaked the casing, as you it packs well in a dry one. Might give the soaking a go. Been making bolonga going on 40 years always learn something new.
 
Joined
Jan 19, 2020
Messages
413
Awesome write up. I made mine for the first time this weekend. I wish I had a sweet smoke house like that. I used a small Weber Smokey Mountain, Eesh. I had to discard about 2” on two that were close to the coals but the rest turned out awesome. I did some cheddar, some jalapeño cheddar and some pepper jack. Would have been a touch better with an electric smoker or a house like yours but I have the ThermoWorks billows for my WSM and it held temps great, just hard bc it isn’t very tall so the sausages were hanging low near the coals. I built a shield with foil to help.

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