Cheddar cheese summer sausage

[LoydB]

Fermented at 85 degrees F for 36 hours. Starting PH 5.55, ending 4.80. Right at 4 kilos/8.5 pounds. Smoking with a mix of hickory and pecan with my new Bella generator.

 

[LoydB]

 

[indaswamp]

Looking good! Question-what did you add to the mince so that the starting pH was 5.55? Usually fresh pork is in the 5.7-6.0 range.

 

[tbern]

that looks delicious!!

 

[LoydB]

Looking good! Question-what did you add to the mince so that the starting pH was 5.55? Usually fresh pork is in the 5.7-6.0 range.

Thanks! There is no pork in this :)

 

[LoydB]

that looks delicious!!

Thanks!

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks! There is no pork in this :)

Ah, you are correct. I should have read your recipe more closely. But it makes it more confusing as beef usually has a higher initial pH than pork. Strange......

 

[LoydB]

But it makes it more confusing as beef usually has a higher initial pH than pork. Strange......

Last time I made a batch the starting PH was 5.53, so 5.55 is in line with my previous results. The only difference in the two is that I have 10% cheese in this one.

 

[indaswamp]

Last time I made a batch the starting PH was 5.53, so 5.55 is in line with my previous results. The only difference in the two is that I have 10% cheese in this one.

My mistake- I had them backwards. Pork (pH 5.7-5.9) usually runs slightly higher than beef (5.5-5.8).

 

[LoydB]

Ten hours in.

 

[tbern]

Great color, looking awesome!

 

[indaswamp]

Beautiful!!!

 

[indaswamp]

How do you like that bella smoke generator?

 

[LoydB]

Great color, looking awesome!

Thanks!

Beautiful!!!

Also thanks!

How do you like that bella smoke generator?

I'll give it a B-.

• I wouldn't trust it to smoke unattended for more than an hour or two, in spite of the giant hopper. It regularly needs stirring. I really wish someone made an inexpensive auger machine.
• On long long smokes, the ash builds up badly (one thing the Masterbuilt one did was have an ash pan -- I may try and make one for this).
• The smoke quality is fantastic.
• There is a ton of liquid-y creosote that runs down the sides when you open the top, and it also fills the smoke tube, and sucks to clean out.

I'm sad that I have yet to find a smoke generator that I'd trust to run unattended overnight. I've tried pans, maze-types, Masterbuilt and now Bella's. Maybe the answer really is a puck smoker. :(

 

[indaswamp]

I use an amazn tube filled with dust made from pellets. clean, ultra thin burn for 10-12 hours...
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...daves-coarse-pellet-dust.284931/#post-1934126

But ya gotta pack it in tight. I use a short piece of 3/8" rebar to pack it.

 

[LoydB]

@indaswamp Thanks! I've got one of the maze-style ones that I can try using homemade dust instead of pellets.

 

[indaswamp]

@indaswamp Thanks! I've got one of the maze-style ones that I can try using homemade dust instead of pellets.

Do a search on this site for "Dave's pellet dust"....