Wild summer sausage ride

[RON PARRISH]

I made a batch of jalapeno summer sausage this weekend and was challenged every step of the way! Mixing and stuffing went fine Let it set overnight and started cooking process next morning.I had filled my big pot with water the night before to finish sausage with and over night it leaked out.pot was cracked!I managed to find a smaller pan but my water had frozen overnight.I had enough bottled water for that pan so all good .now I need water for ice bath!We had just gotten a foot of snow so I filled a 100 qt cooler and when sausage hit temp I packed them in the snow.Probably not the best but gotta do what you gotta do.Bottom line is if not for all the things I have learned in this community I am certain I would have lost this batch. Sausage came out a little wrinkled but taste is great!

[jpurol]

What I have learned is do not pack them in the snow. The snow acts like a insulator. Just a suggestion.

[RON PARRISH]

jpurol I thought about that but at the time I had nothing else. Thanks

[Rambow]

Did you smoke them

[Jonathon]

@RON PARRISH Glad you stuck with it and fought through to the finish! Yeah, snow and water would be a great mix but not snow by itself. jpurol Is there a story to how you found this?

[jpurol]

I tried that here in Northern Michigan when I first started making sausages and salami’s. I found that the snow will melt away from the casings and the snow then traps the heat. If it’s the only option I found that if you lay them in the snow and sprinkle them with snow and continue this process flipping them often so the bottom side is in constant contact with the snow the thermal process stops much faster. I verified this by leaving one salami with a meat probe just covered in snow and one with a meat probe laying in the snow and “sprinkling” it and flipping it. I don’t remember the exact time difference but it was much faster.

[RON PARRISH]

I did smoke them at 125 for an hour and then an 135 for about an hour then at 140 until they reached 130.finished in water bath to 160.Then put them in snow in cooler.I did keep turning them and re covering until they cooled.Thanks to all! By the way that ghost pepper cheese has a definite kick!

[smokinbubba]

I did the snow trick a couple weeks ago. The roads were too nasty to go get a bag of ice. I over filled a meat lug with fresh powder and layered sausage in. Then ran cold water over to make a slurry. Worked GREAT!