Adding Jalapeno to Summer Sausage

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BrianGSDTexoma

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Aug 1, 2018
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I ended up picking up that SS kit from Academy mainly because it comes with the casings. This be my first time making SS. Will adding fresh pepper shorten the shelf life or the texture? Walmart has these in attachment? Going to try to find some of that Tillamook farm style cheese also. I think Target has it. Thinking of vacuum sealing and cooking in sous vide? Welcome any tips?

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Haven’t tried the pepper but have used jalapeño powder from sausage maker didn’t add much heat. I don’t think it will affect anything but the flavor hopefully in a good way
 
i have only used chopped up fresh ones from garden. i like the fresh green taste and slight crunch it adds. i freeze my logs after smoking and havent noticed a "shelf life issue. i smoke my logs to 160*
 
BGSDT, I use one jar of Mt. Olive drained diced jalapenos for each ten pounds of meat. I learned this from Boyko and it adds some kick to the SS. I still have some SS from August which was vac sealed and is tasty as the day I made it .I dry for an hour or so in the smoker before adding chips, then a couple hours of smoke(all personal preference). I then vac seal and sous vide for about 4 hours @140*.I'm using 2.5 inch casings and using Baldwins chart with extra time in the SV. Some folks don't vac seal before SV and are quite happy with the results.
 
I find that dried jalapeno peppers actually give you a more intense jalapeno flavor. When added, the dried peppers suck up moisture from the meat mix instead of releasing water as fresh would do. Also, a great trick is to use a spice grinder and make some jalapeno powder to add that in if you want to up the jalapeno flavor throughout the mix.
 
i bet that 4hr hot tub soak really permeates the flavors!!! nice touch!
IP, It helps but my main reason for the SV is to have a definite time that my SS is done. I did hundreds of pounds in the smoker and never knew when I would get to my desired IT. Outside temps always had me guessing as they played havoc on my smoker some days.
 
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I used canned and pickled as the entire jar will have consistency in heat vs fresh …. Drain the brine before putting in the sausage
 
BGSDT, I use one jar of Mt. Olive drained diced jalapenos for each ten pounds of meat. I learned this from Boyko and it adds some kick to the SS. I still have some SS from August which was vac sealed and is tasty as the day I made it .I dry for an hour or so in the smoker before adding chips, then a couple hours of smoke(all personal preference). I then vac seal and sous vide for about 4 hours @140*.I'm using 2.5 inch casings and using Baldwins chart with extra time in the SV. Some folks don't vac seal before SV and are quite happy with the results.
I not really wanting to smoke this one but wonder if I should cook in the MES for a while before going in the sous vide?
 
Here ya go Brian. This is an older post but may help.


Robert
 
Here ya go Brian. This is an older post but may help.


Robert
Wow Robert is that really you? Makes me extremely happy to see your post. I know its been a hell of a year for you and hope your seeing the light at the end of the tunnel buddy. I will take a look at thread. I making some Green Chicken Enchilada Soup today I know you would love but noy sure about Tracy with her chicken thing.
 
Here ya go Brian. This is an older post but may help.


Robert
Wow, I may have to try that Robert, thanks. . .
Good to hear from you again !
 
Agree with the others you need to use a few different forms for best results. Not perfected mine yet but getting pretty close. Best so far was last run, 15% pickled and 1% dried powder. Next run (on deck) will be 20% pickled and 2% dehydrated I think. Totally done with adding cheese to mine.

FYI the most well known and most liked SS there is is not smoked at all but uses liquid smoke: Hickory Farms. I am playing with the stuff now and do eventually plan to run some SS without any smoke. THE HORROR! LOL
 
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Here ya go Brian. This is an older post but may help.


Robert
WOW!! Robert, welcome back old friend. Brian oddly enough my neighbor just bought and showed me a bottle of that exact crushed jalapeno. I'd think it would be great in summer sausage.
 
I not really wanting to smoke this one but wonder if I should cook in the MES for a while before going in the sous vide?
BGSDT, I'm using my smoker at the start just to impart smoke flavor only ,no serious cooking involved(120 ish for a few hours). You could certainly do all SV for your SS.
 
I ended up picking up that SS kit from Academy mainly because it comes with the casings. This be my first time making SS. Will adding fresh pepper shorten the shelf life or the texture? Walmart has these in attachment? Going to try to find some of that Tillamook farm style cheese also. I think Target has it. Thinking of vacuum sealing and cooking in sous vide? Welcome any tips?

View attachment 711985
I've only done jalapeno in sausage one time and it came out well for what it was.

When I researched this same question I landed on using dried jalapeno. 1 pound ran me $21 on amazon. They are unavailable on Amazon now but found the same ones I got for the same price on Walmart.com https://www.walmart.com/ip/Natureja...partner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101581442&gQT=1

The only issue I had was I needed to double up on the amount of dried Jalapeno that I used. I went 2gm of dried jalapeno per pound of sausage and my notes say to easily double it. I think you would also want to double it as you are not sensitive to heat and love you some pepper flavor. Maybe even even go to 5gm per pound of sausage vs 4gm. Please let me know what you land on if you go dried and the amount you add.

I also like the advice given that you can take these and just grind in a spice grinder (I use magic bullet grinding blade) and you can make powder. Just always beware inhailing this stuff as you mess with it no matter if it's ground or not!

Also I did cheese in my sausage with the jalapeno.
I followed the plan someone else on the forums posted about buying sharp/extra sharp cheddar blocks, dicing up small and laying on a paper towel in the garage fridge for 3 days to dry up. It worked well BUT was a pain in the butt with the prep hassle of it all.

Next time around I will go to Tom Thumb and buy the Lucerne RUSTIC cut (the big big shreds) sharp cheddar and just spread that out on a paper towel in the garage fridge to dry for a few days. I think that will eliminate the pain of prep when having to cut blocks of cheese by hand AND I love that rustic cut stuff anyhow so it will easily do double duty in my house.

If you vacuum seal just double seal and sous vide away!
 
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I find that dried jalapeno peppers actually give you a more intense jalapeno flavor. When added, the dried peppers suck up moisture from the meat mix instead of releasing water as fresh would do. Also, a great trick is to use a spice grinder and make some jalapeno powder to add that in if you want to up the jalapeno flavor throughout the mix.
Im down with the freeze dried japs also. They pull the moisture in and rehydrate in the meat.

HT
 
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