Summer Sausage Help

[brandekm]

I just finished my first batch of summer sausage and could use a little help tweaking my process. It turned out pretty good but it’s a little on the waxy side. I used an 80/20 venison and pork fat blend with the H seasoning and some high temp cheese. What’s my fix here? 85/15 next time? Also how much fat loss is normal? They were all dripping with it about the time it hit 160 and left a fatty residue on the outside of the casing. I mixed for about 10 minutes and seemed to have good protein extraction but I’m just guessing that it was good extraction. What do you guys think?

[calldoctoday]

brandekm They look awfully good, but I will let the tried & proven summer sausage guys help you with the tweaking.

[jsboettcher]

Don’t cook above 153. You don’t want the fat to melt.

153 will kill all bacteria 🦠

[blackbetty61]

brandekm they look good…did you use a binder if not maybe try that…not a summer sausage expert…you could like you said try 85/15 or even 90/10…you could try finishing up in water(just search finishing in water)

[TexLaw]

That fat-out could be a number of things: lack of binder, insufficient protein extraction, cooking too quickly, or maybe you just got unlucky. I don’t think your fat content was too high, though.

[Kentucky Fisherman]

Agree with TexLaw , I don’t see any way 20% fat is too high at all. The other suggestions made here are all good possibilities.

[brandekm]

I did not use a binder on this batch. I think I’ll start there and see how the next run goes. Thanks.

[jimm]

brandekm
I make summer sausage and use 70% venison and 30% pork butt with fat. Don’t use a binder at all. The pork butt with fat is better than just pork fat because the fat will run out of the casing when it gets hot. When temp hits 160 degrees I cool them off in an ice water bath for 20 minutes, dry off and refrigerate. I haven’t had any problems

[jsboettcher]

jimm

The key is not to melt the fat.

Over 20 years I’ve tried finding a way to cook sausage and not melt the fat.

What ie found was cooking in my kitchen stove .

I set the oven for 170* and leave the sticks in for 5.5 hours. In 5.5 hours my internal temp reaches 153*, and that’s perfect so the fat doesn’t melt.

I then submerse them in an ice water bath.

I’ve done this and the fat stays marbled.

Weather you use pork fat or butts it doesn’t matter, it’s all about temp.

[brandekm]

jsboettcher I’m curious, have you tried using a sous vide? I am contemplating doing a 3hr smoke and finishing them in a sous vide water bath. That would allow me to run precisely at a set temp of say 150 and long enough to make it safe without over cooking. I’m just not sure how big of a water bath I can run on just one sous vide.

[jsboettcher]

brandekm

No I haven’t. I found the stove to work and stopped experimenting

[Big Game]

I was having similar problems, even though I was following the book carefully. In my last batch of venison, I added Sure Gel and it came out perfectly. I cook to internal temp of 152, and use sous vide if it ends up taking overly long. Ice bath at the end.

[craigrice]

brandekm try using a turkey roaster to water bath your sticks

[brandekm]

Big Game yeah I think that the route im going to go on my next batch. 160 is probably a bit hot for fat, regardless of protein extraction.

[jsboettcher]

I’m sharing an opinion here.

Everyone has their best process, but for ease and simplicity,

Place 4 sticks of sausage (2.5-3.0” dia) in an electric oven. Set it to a preheated temp of 170*, and pull them out after 5.5 hours.

TIP- set the sausage in the counter for 60 minutes to warm a bit before putting in the oven.

I don’t want to sound like I am poo pooing other processes, but for those that are looking for simplicity…

[jsboettcher]

Big Game

Can you share where you found a recipe with sure gel? I’ve never heard of using that.

Thanks

[brandekm]

jsboettcher It is just a binder and can be added to any recipe. Walton’s has it on their site, 6oz to 25lbs I believe.

[processhead]

In my experience, you will get fat on the outside of the casing when the core temperature of the meat gets much above 160 F. Monitor temperatures closely and pull the summer sausage out when you reach a core temp of approximately 153 degrees F. A cold water bath after they come out will help.

[Big Game]

jsboettcher Yes you just add it in the specified quantities on the label. You do not need to adjust your recipe. Waltons has it.