Summer sausage storage & cure

[wayoutwest]

Hello I have a question regarding Summer sausage and cures. Would I be able to make Summer sausage and leave it out on the counter for weeks or months? I read that SS was made during the winter then held until summer. I'm not sure if it's because of the cold temp in the mainland that the sausages can hold up until the summer, but I live in Hawaii & it's about 80 degrees plus almost all year. Can I leave them in it's casings on my counter until I'm ready to eat, or do I remove the casings then vac seal.

Question 2

 I use cure #1 every time I make SS . I read that once you break the vac seal shelf life goes down. Would I be able to add instacure # 2 along with instacure #1 so it will have a longer shelf life? Kind of like leaving salami out to dry. I'm new to sausage making & I want to send to my family who lives in the mainland & outer island. I didn't want to send it in the mail & it spoils. I'm not sure if once I refrigerate it I have to always have it cold. Sorry I hope i'm making sense.  Thank you   

 

[BGKYSmoker]

 
Hello I have a question regarding Summer sausage and cures. Would I be able to make Summer sausage and leave it out on the counter for weeks or months? I read that SS was made during the winter then held until summer. I'm not sure if it's because of the cold temp in the mainland that the sausages can hold up until the summer, but I live in Hawaii & it's about 80 degrees plus almost all year. Can I leave them in it's casings on my counter until I'm ready to eat, or do I remove the casings then vac seal.

Question 2

 I use cure #1 every time I make SS . I read that once you break the vac seal shelf life goes down. Would I be able to add instacure # 2 along with instacure #1 so it will have a longer shelf life? Kind of like leaving salami out to dry. I'm new to sausage making & I want to send to my family who lives in the mainland & outer island. I didn't want to send it in the mail & it spoils. I'm not sure if once I refrigerate it I have to always have it cold. Sorry I hope i'm making sense.  Thank you   

First do not use cure 1 in conjunction with cure 2, not a good thing.

Myth: You can make SS at anytime. In past cured meat were preserved in oil or lard on the counter or storage device. Most used SaltPetre but with the introduction of modern cures saltpetre is rarely used. Shelf life SEALED is approx 2 weeks, once open that time is reduced. Dry cured meats using cure 2 can be left shelf stable for weeks to months.

I have shipped bologna and ss to Iraq & Afghn with no spoilage.

Also stay away from zip lock bags, they hold moisture and promotes faster spoliage.

 

[atomicsmoke]

The summer sausage is not a dried meat product.It will keep for a little while at room temps, but not as long as a dry sausage. It has too much moisture to be shelf stable. Drying it would make it shelf stable , but a little...dry. We used to do that when I was a kid: it wasn't available a the time during the cold war in the old country so we would buy a big load when the weather was cold and dry it. Then it would last indefinitely.

Cure#2 won't prevent mold or other problems you might encounter. It's meant to prevent botulism germination and rancidity and you already have cure#1 in.

 

[wayoutwest]

So what I did was I had it in the fridge for a couple of days, then I removed the casings & vac sealed the SS. Now I want to send to the mainland. Would that be ok? I'm just worried about it going from cold to room temp, then cold again. Not sure if that will promote spoilage. In the future should I vac seal with out placing in fridge & ship out? Or I should be fine with what I'm doing. Thank you guys for all the info.