Freezing with cure?

[Bg1]

Hello all! (First post)
My few attempts at smoked venison sausage have been small 5-10 lb batches as I try to figure it out. Basically enough for a family meal and freeze a few for later.
My smoker is too small and time limited to grind up, stuff, and smoke 20 or more lbs in a couple consecutive days.

I want to make in bulk and freeze raw (vaccume seal), to slow smoke small batches later.
Does anyone here freeze raw sausage with cure mixed in without first smoking it? Does it affect anything taste or safety wise?
Thanks!

 

[smokerjim]

Welcome to smf , I dont think flavor would be affected but not sure about the safety part, I'm sure some of the experts will chime in , if not I would PM chefjimmy he is great at getting back to us. Good luck

 

[Bearcarver]

Welcome to smf , I dont think flavor would be affected but not sure about the safety part, I'm sure some of the experts will chime in , if not I would PM chefjimmy he is great at getting back to us. Good luck

Yup---This is a good one for @chef jimmyj or @daveomak .
It came out a few times in the past, but I forgot what the final decision was. (CRS)

Bear

 

[daveomak]

Hello all! (First post)
My few attempts at smoked venison sausage have been small 5-10 lb batches as I try to figure it out. Basically enough for a family meal and freeze a few for later.
My smoker is too small and time limited to grind up, stuff, and smoke 20 or more lbs in a couple consecutive days.

I want to make in bulk and freeze raw (vaccume seal), to slow smoke small batches later.
Does anyone here freeze raw sausage with cure mixed in without first smoking it? Does it affect anything taste or safety wise?
Thanks!

Bg1, morning... Please log into "ROLL CALL" and introduce yourself.....

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[chef jimmyj]

Welcome Bg1...With proper handling, keeping everything clean and cold, there is no Safety issue adding Cure #1 to sausage and freezing to be smoked later. Mix your batch and stuff casing or bulk pack and freeze. It is best to thaw under refrigeration and limit batches to what you will use in 6 months. Over time, Frozen sausage can lose flavor...JJ

 

[Bg1]

Welcome Bg1...With proper handling, keeping everything clean and cold, there is no Safety issue adding Cure #1 to sausage and freezing to be smoked later. Mix your batch and stuff casing or bulk pack and freeze. It is best to thaw under refrigeration and limit batches to what you will use in 6 months. Over time, Frozen sausage can lose flavor...JJ

Thank you JJ and all. My intro posted on roll call.
Take care!

 

[Big_John]

Thank you Chef JimmyJ.... I found this forum because I was Google searching this exact topic. In my recent sausage build, I had right at 100 lbs of grind, but ran out of casings with about 18-20 lbs left over. We filled up 4 gallon freezer baggies and froze, hoping we could eventually use. Glad you have confirmed we can thaw and stuff/smoke in the future.

One additional question.... My Uncle who has done this for decades believes that once frozen, the Phosphite will cease converting and the cure will stop. Is this true and is there any safety consideration?

 

[chopsaw]

cure will stop. Is this true

Not in my experience . Should be no issue . I've don it several times .

Glad you got the answer you were looking for . A bunch of good info here on all kinds of things .
Sadly JJ ( Chef Jimmy J ) passed away a few years back .
Look around , and if you have question ask away .