OFG Summer Sausage, Step by Step and Video

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disco

Epic Pitmaster
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Oct 31, 2012
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Canadian Rockies
I was out of Summer Sausage and was making a batch. I decided to do a video on the smoke.

I started with 500 grams (1.1 pound) of lean ground beef (you can use any game you like) and 500 grams (1.1 pound) of cubed pork shoulder. I put them in the freezer for about 1 1/2 hours to freeze the surface a little crispy. I ground the pork through the medium plate on my KitchenAid.

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I put the meat in the fridge for 1/2 hour to chill.

I mixed together my seasoning mix into a slurry:

3 g (2.2 ml)(1/2 tsp) Pink Salt #1
18 g (12 ml)(2 1/2 tsp) table salt
2.7 g (5 ml) (1 tsp) coarse pepper
5.4 g (5 ml)(1 tsp) sugar
3.7 g (5 ml)(1 tsp) garlic powder
3.5 g (4 ml)(3/4 tsp) mustard seed
2.5 g (3 ml)(1/2 tsp) onion powder
1.8 g (3 ml)(1/2 tsp) nutmeg
0.7 g (3 ml)(1/2 tsp) dried basil
1.2 g (3 ml)(1/2 tsp) coriander seed
0.2 g (1 ml)(1/4 tsp) dried marjoram
50 ml (1/4 cup) ice water

I put the meat on a tray and poured the slurry over the meat and mixed it well for 3 or 4 minutes.

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I put the meat in the fridge for 1/2 hour to chill.

I put the meat in the bowl of my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment and beat for about 4 minutes, until the meat was almost a paste with a few chunks in it.

I put the meat in the fridge for 1/2 hour to chill.

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I stuffed the meat into 2 1/2 inch fibrous casings that I had soaked in hot water.

I put my temperature probe from my remote thermometer in one of the chubs and tied them off.

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I put the chubs in the fridge for 2 days to let the seasonings blend.

I fired up my WSM Mini to 140 F and smoked the chubs for one hour. I upped the heat to 150 F, then 160 F and 170 F, smoking for one hour each. I increased the heat to 180 F.

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I smoked at 180 F until the internal temperature was 155 F. I plunged the chubs into ice water for 15 minutes to stop the cooking process and then let them sit on the counter at room temperature for 2 hours.

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I let them sit for a day before slicing into them.

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Here is the video:



The Verdict

I really like this version. It is old style without and additives except the pink salt #1. It has a great flavour with a touch of tang. It is my go to Summer Sausage.

Disco
 
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Nice job ,,, for not adding a binder or anything else the texture and color is awesome . Very nice .
 
Nice job ,,, for not adding a binder or anything else the texture and color is awesome . Very nice .
Thanks. I started making this style without binders and other flavour additives earlier this year remembering the Summer Sausage people made when I was a kid. Now, I'm hooked.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SonnyE and chopsaw
Looks Great Disco!!
A lot prettier than my Unstuffed Bear Logs.
Nice Job, Buddy!!
Like.

Bear
 
That looks great.
Question for you, did you calculate the amount of instacure needed by the weight of the meat?
Is there any reason that I could not use Morton's Tender Quick in place of the instacure?

I have both but lately I tend to lean toward using the tender quick.
 
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Reactions: bill ace 350
Looks Great Disco!!
A lot prettier than my Unstuffed Bear Logs.
Nice Job, Buddy!!
Like.

Bear

Thanks, Bear! They may look ok but they aren't better than your logs when it comes to taste!

Lookin' good man.Nice texture and spice distribution.
Ice water....chuck'em in the snow!
crazymoon crazymoon has been known to snow chill his:emoji_snowflake:

Har! I'll have to try that! Thanks for the kind words!

That looks great.
Question for you, did you calculate the amount of instacure needed by the weight of the meat?
Is there any reason that I could not use Morton's Tender Quick in place of the instacure?

I have both but lately I tend to lean toward using the tender quick.

Thanks.

You can't substitute Tender Quick for Instacure. The Tender Quick has a higher ration of salt to nitrites and the product would be too salty if you had a sufficient nitrite hit.
 
I wonder where the tang comes from. No cultures added or fermentation at all?

Nope, none at all. It doesn't have as much tang as if you did but there is some sour from the mustard and the two days in the fridge before and after smoking does let a little lactic acid form for just a touch of sour. This is an old style that was what people made when I was growing up. They didn't have access to cultures nor the time to spend fermenting.

I have done both and actually prefer this simpler method both because I don't have to track down the ingredients and for the taste which I prefer. My friends also like it and give me some of their game to use in making it and we share the results. This is particularly great because I am too lazy to hunt!

Nice looking sausage and very simple.
Like

That's one of the best parts of this recipe. You don't need a lot of stuff!
 
Those SS look really good Disco, another fine job from North of the Border.

Point for sure.
Chris
 
D, Awesome looking SS , you make some great products and posts/vids! As Motocrash said try the snowbank chill ,looks like you have plenty of it ! :)
 
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