first time summer sausage...need help tweaking method

[bgaviator]

Hello,
I have a question please based on my first attempt at Summer Sausage today.  I made my two, 1 lb sausages using 85/15 ground beef.  I used LEM cure that I picked up at Gander Mountain, using 1/2 teaspoon total for the two pounds.  I used mustard seed, peppercorns, paprika, kosher salt, garlic power, onion powder, and 2 Tablespoons liquid hickory smoke.  I had my meat mixture sit for 1.5 days, mixing a few times.
I followed the instructions for the recipe I found on the web which had you wrap the sausages in foil with holes poked in the bottom, and cook on the oven rack for 90 minutes at 350 degrees. (I don't have a smoker...yet.)
The sausage had a pretty decent flavor for my first attempt, but the meat turned out to be a little on the dry side...it holds together when slicing, but it just has a drier mouth feel.  What can I do to overcome this next time?  Should I cook based on internal temp and not time by using a thermometer?  Should I up the fat content to a 80/20 mix?  Should I add some water to the meat mixture (which I didn't do this first attempt).  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Hello,
I have a question please based on my first attempt at Summer Sausage today.  I made my two, 1 lb sausages using 85/15 ground beef.  I used LEM cure that I picked up at Gander Mountain, using 1/2 teaspoon total for the two pounds.  I used mustard seed, peppercorns, paprika, kosher salt, garlic power, onion powder, and 2 Tablespoons liquid hickory smoke.  I had my meat mixture sit for 1.5 days, mixing a few times.
I followed the instructions for the recipe I found on the web which had you wrap the sausages in foil with holes poked in the bottom, and cook on the oven rack for 90 minutes at 350 degrees. (I don't have a smoker...yet.)
The sausage had a pretty decent flavor for my first attempt, but the meat turned out to be a little on the dry side...it holds together when slicing, but it just has a drier mouth feel.  What can I do to overcome this next time?  Should I cook based on internal temp and not time by using a thermometer?  Should I up the fat content to a 80/20 mix?  Should I add some water to the meat mixture (which I didn't do this first attempt).  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Cut the heat down to 170-180 if you have an electric oven. The directions you found on the web is just having you make a foil wrapped fatty.

Your 85/15 is fine as with the 80/20

 

[bgaviator]

I assume the low temps wouldn't be an issue since the mix has the LEM cure in it?  So should I just wrap in foil and place on the rack like I did before, just cook at the lower temp for longer?  Should I use a leave-in thermometer and cook based on internal temp?  If so, what temp am I aiming for?  Thanks. 
 

 

[rob brumdrundrl]

Internal temp of 160F is fully cooked, you could go up to 165 just for a margin of safety in case your thermometer is in a hotter spot (actually, 160F already gives you 4 degrees of margin.) I definitely agree with Nepas about cutting the oven heat down to 175-200F.

The other thing that would help is to cool the sausage fairly quickly once it's cooked. Without a casing, cooling it with water would probably just give you a wet mess. Maybe toss yours in the freezer for 15-30 minutes?

Definitely can add a bit of water, maybe start with 1/4 cup for the 2 lb recipe. After tinkering with these suggestions, if you still want something moister, you could try adding some nonfat dry milk or soy flour.
 

 

[bgaviator]

what does the nonfat dry milk do?  Would I just add this to the mix with my other spices?  How much do you normally used for just say a 2 lb batch of meat?  Thanks!

 

[rob brumdrundrl]

Nonfat dry milk gives a moister, more "smooth" texture. Ideally, you should use the powdered, high-heat processed type that's made for bread baking and sausage making, but I think you'd be OK with trying the grocery store type.

One recipe that I really like uses 1/4 cup per 1 lb of meat. I'd advise adding some water as well. 2 Tbsp as a start. Mix dry ingredients (spices, salt, cure, dry milk, etc.) with the water, then pour over the meat and mix thoroughly. You can use an electric mixer if you want or just mix with your hands or whatever stirring tool works for you. I usually mix and stuff right away, then let cure for 12-24 hours in fridge. But others go with remixing and stuffing later, so I guess either way works.