Summer sausage cook cycle

[Trevor Abrams]

Is it normal for summer sausage to take 12 hours to cook?

I made 25 lbs of venison and beef summer sausage this weekend and it took 12 hours to get to 160.

We followed the suggestion on Walton’s for the first 6 hours, 125(no humidity), 140, and 155 for an hour and 175 until done. At hour 8 we turned up the smoker to 185/190 to try and get them done. We stalled from 150 to 155 for a few hours.

Is this normal?

[Jonathon]

Trevor Abrams 12 is a little long but 10 isn’t unheard of for Summer Sausage. I don’t like this as it is very easy for something to be miscalculated but appendix a https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/fsis-content/fsis-questionable-content/oppde/rdad/frpubs/95-033f/95-033f_appendix-a/default/ct_95-033f_appendix+a from the USDA will show you time-temp lethality and at above 155 its mere seconds. The issues is that this is removing any safety net you have.

Another option is to finish it in water. You ran into a late stall where your water evaporation energy was equaling out your thermal processing energy. Adding humidity or finishing in water. Check out the two most recent Meatgistics University Cured Sausage videos for some information on doing both of those things.