Dried jalapeno's - try number 2 - venison/jalapeno/cheddar summer sausage

[uncle eddie]

I decided to try dried jalapeno's in my summer sausage a while back. I was trying to figure out how much, hydrate or not hydrate, etc.

Dried Jalapeno for summer sausage - Question

I picked up a half-pound of dried jalapeno's for my next batch of jalapeno/cheddar summer sausage. I have used jarred/drained jalapenos so far...but after taking a sausage making class in Hermann, MO, they convinced me dried was the way to go (binds with the meat better). QUESTION: How many...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

This batch I decided to go with 0.75 oz. of dried jalapenos per 10 pounds of meat. I did hydrate them for about 20 minutes and used tap water. I dumped the rehydrated jalapenos and the little bit of water they were soaking in (about an ounce) into the meat and blended it all together.

Here is what I found out:

• Hydrated jalapeno's show up better in the sliced finished product. I will probably hydrate them from here on out.
• 0.5 oz. dried jalapeno (unhydrated) / 10 pounds of meat was a very light jalapeno flavor
• 0.75 oz. dried jalapeno (hydrated) / 10 pound of meat was noticeable jalapeno flavor and actually had a little kick to it.
• For this batch I used 7.5% high temp cheddar (in case you were wondering)
• Next batch I will probably go back to 0.5 oz. of dried jalapeno (hydrated) just to see the difference.

Here are the pics.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I decided to try dried jalapeno's in my summer sausage a while back. I was trying to figure out how much, hydrate or not hydrate, etc.

Dried Jalapeno for summer sausage - Question

I picked up a half-pound of dried jalapeno's for my next batch of jalapeno/cheddar summer sausage. I have used jarred/drained jalapenos so far...but after taking a sausage making class in Hermann, MO, they convinced me dried was the way to go (binds with the meat better). QUESTION: How many...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

This batch I decided to go with 0.75 oz. of dried jalapenos per 10 pounds of meat. I did hydrate them for about 20 minutes and used tap water. I dumped the rehydrated jalapenos and the little bit of water they were soaking in (about an ounce) into the meat and blended it all together.

Here is what I found out:

• Hydrated jalapeno's show up better in the sliced finished product. I will probably hydrate them from here on out.
• 0.5 oz. dried jalapeno (unhydrated) / 10 pounds of meat was a very light jalapeno flavor
• 0.75 oz. dried jalapeno (hydrated) / 10 pound of meat was noticeable jalapeno flavor and actually had a little kick to it.
• For this batch I used 7.5% high temp cheddar (in case you were wondering)
• Next batch I will probably go back to 0.5 oz. of dried jalapeno (hydrated) just to see the difference.

Here are the pics.

Great report, really helpful, thanks! I haven't tried jalapeños, but your writeup will be a good guide when I do. Amazing looking big pile o' sausage!

 

[Brokenhandle]

Nice looking batch you made!

Ryan

 

[Fueling Around]

Thanks for the tip on hydrating dried jalapenos. I usually dry my own (and deseed) but didn't get a big crop this year.

 

[tbern]

your summer sausage looks great!! thanks for sharing what you learned with the peppers!

 

[smokerjim]

Looks fantastic

 

[chopsaw]

Looks fantastic bud . You got this figured out . Nice work .

 

[zwiller]

Looks great! Thanks for the update. I forget, have you run picked japs?

 

[uncle eddie]

Looks great! Thanks for the update. I forget, have you run picked japs?

I have done jarred diced jalapenos that were drained. It was good as well. It made the sausage a bit more "tangy"

 

[DRKsmoking]

Great incite and help for us thinking of doing also,

Thanks , and a nice batch of food

David

 

[Fueling Around]

Forgot to mention. That is really nice looking SS. I like it tangy.
I have tried the commercial jar pickled jalapenos and they are not the greatest. The jarred stuff brings in salt and vinegar, plus the flavor has been cooked out. I thought about using the jar liquid as the liquid adder to the mix, but that salt and vinegar component.
I make my sausage to REDUCE salt.

Have you tried crumbling the high temp cheese? That is my next round as all of my sausage goes in hog casings.

 

[Tinner340]

Great looking sticks!! I like the texture, did you use sheep casings?

As far as Jalapeno's go, I use 8 grams dried Jalapeno per kilo of meat. If I want to go hotter I use 9g or mild 7g. A lot easier then chopping up fresh jalapenos but maybe not as much flavor.

With fresh Jalapenos, I use 1 medium sized pepper per pound.

 

[uncle eddie]

Great looking sticks!! I like the texture, did you use sheep casings?

I used 33mm fibrous casings ...

 

[Tinner340]

I used 33mm fibrous casings ...

My eyes are not what they used to be, the photos looked like snack sticks. It would help if I'd opened up the photos.:)