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Venison Cheddar-Jalapeno Summer Sausage
I have no idea who belongs to this recipe, so if it's yours claim it and thank you.
The Bier Wurst came from Kevin P. (TSR)

Y'all know how to chunk up, grind, mix and stuff meat, so I won't bore ya with a step by step.
I ground up some Farmer John Boneless Pork Butts that I got on sale. I will find somebody that carries Seaboard cause the FJ's SUCK. I think they made sure to attach more fat and throw in veins that I have never seen before. :shock:
I also ground up a whole Sirloin Tip. Same brand, it was better, but still not what I'm used to back in Missouri. I think I got X-cel last case of briskets that I bought there.

Anyway, here's the proof that they are in the smoker. I have some lump burning in a pan under them. I know it's a gasser so don't give me no crap. I miss my FEC back home.





The recipes:
Venison Cheddar-Jalapeno Summer Sausage
Ingredients:
1 cup cold water (Buttermilk)
1-1/2 tablespoons Morton Tender Quick
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (butcher grind)
2 teaspoons liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
3 pounds lean ground venison or (90/10 ground beef)
1 cup coarsely shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or Hi-Temp cubes (I used shredded smoked sharp)
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and ground (1 tsp Chipotle Powder)
(11 g Binder #86)

Directions:
1. Stir the water, curing mixture, mustard seed, garlic powder, black pepper, and liquid smoke in a large bowl until the curing mixture has dissolved. Mix in the ground venison, Cheddar cheese, and jalapeño peppers; mix until evenly blended and somewhat sticky, about 3 minutes. Divide the mixture in half, and roll each half into 2 inch thick logs. Wrap each log tightly with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then remove the foil from the sausage logs, and place them onto the baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F (75 degrees C), 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool the sausages on a rack until they have cooled to room temperature. Dab occasionally with a paper towel to absorb excess grease. Slice thinly to serve.

If it's in () then that's what I used, with the exception of the burger. It was ground 5# sirloin tip mixed with 1# ground pork butt, in the first recipe.
Made a test patty, mighty tasty. Didn't think about pics for the test on either one of them.

Bier Wurst
Kevin P (TSR)


1.06 kg beef
1.21 kg pork
2.67 g Butcher Grind Black Pepper
3.67 g Whole Mustard Seeds or mix of Ground (I used 50/50)
4.86 g Cure #1 (5.66 g ??? per WD.com)
pinch cardamon (didn't use it, I wasn't paying $13 for a tiny jar of it)
0.67 g Nutmeg
2.86 g Dextrose
20.0 g Morton Kosher Salt
11.32 g B & P NFDM
0.67 g Garlic Granules
150 mL Ice Water

Grind meat together through a 3/16" plate, add spices and water.
Mix until you get a bind. (at this point I ground the mixture again using a fine plate (3mm).
This may 'grind up' some of the mustard seed, so if you wish to have more visible seeds, add them after the fine grind).
Stuff into 3" to 4” cases.
Let rest overnight in the fridge to meld the spices and cure.
Place in smoker at 120 F for 2 hrs, no smoke.
Increase temp to 150 F apply smoke for 4 hrs, increase temp to 170 F and continue until internal temp of 155 F. (*For me, this step took nearly 8 hours... )
Remove from smoker and shower with cold water for 5 minutes then hang at room temp for 2 hrs to bloom.
Place in cooler overnight then slice or package.

All casings are 1.5" x 18" Mahogany. I know it has a deer on it, but I was supposed to be home for deer season and not in SoCal.

The reviews:



Jalapeno/Cheddar Summer Sausage
Nice texture and bite to it.
The buttermilk imparted a slight tang like you get in an cured sausage.
Nice warm after glow to it, just took a minute before it let you know that the pepper was there. I will double the Chipotle next time, as I like a little more heat.
My coarse, shredded cheddar all but disappeared. I will use cubes next time.
A bit more shrinkage than I expected. Probably due to the fact that there was only about 3-4% fat content.



Bier Wurst
Nice texture and bite to it.
There seemed to be a tang to it, but I don't know where it came from.
Had some air pockets in it, but probably due to the lean meat.
Shrunk way more than expected. I will either use Kevin's Regular NFDM or B&P Binder #86 next go 'round.
I wish it had a little heat to it, but then that would make it something else.



Overall both sausages came out and tasted great. It took way longer than I thought to get to the final temp.
Since I had no way to get the smoker to maintain 170F, I had to use the electric oven. I cracked the door a bit to let the moisture out.
I started out cold smoking with the tube smoker for 4 hours. At 3 pm, I put them into a 170F preheated oven. I figured as Kevin said about 8 hours. WRONG!!!
I got hungry during the wait and found some Pulled Pork, BBQ Pit Beans and some coleslaw from a couple nights ago, so I made me a sundae.



2:30 am, they finally hit 154F IT. Put them in a sink with cold water and a frozen 1 gallon jug of water and went to bed.
7 am, got back up and they were nice and cold. Hung them in the smoker to dry and now I'm gonna pack em up and put them in the fridge for Turkey Day snacks along with the smoked cheeses and crackers.
Thanks for looking. Y'all need to try these at least once, but I bet it don't stop there.
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Thanks for sharing. I bought the mahogany packaging over the summer at Cabelas. I have been looking to fill 'em. We also have a bunch of venison in the freezer. Did you smoke the venison summer sausage? I only read oven??? Also, what is B &P NFD? From reading I am assuming its a binder and am guessing it's necessary to get the summer sausage texture. I have had no need for it yet because I have only made smaller natural casing sausages. I am assuming I can get this binder and hi-temp cheese on the same website or sites. which one do you use?

Thanks again, because yes, I need a way to use the cubed venison the butcher included in my order (stew was too tough, my fault). So, you were right, perfect timing for deer season!

Vicki
Thanks Vicki.
I smoked em just like the second recipe. 4 hours with the Amazen Tube Smoker and then into a 170F oven. I would have used the FEC if I was home. Low temps keep the fat from rendering out. Take em to 154F IT.
quote:
Also, what is B &P NFD? From reading I am assuming its a binder and am guessing it's necessary to get the summer sausage texture. I have had no need for it yet because I have only made smaller natural casing sausages. I am assuming I can get this binder and hi-temp cheese on the same website or sites. which one do you use?

B & P is Butcher and Packer
NFDM is Non-Fat Dry Milk. I use a high temp powder, but you can use regular ole store bought if you run it through a mill or blender first to make a fine powder. I will try regular next time. Measure 1 cup BEFORE milling.
When I use HT cheese I get it from B&P. Regular ole cheddar will work too. Just make 1/4" cubes. It will taste better I'm sure.
Butcher and Packer Cheese
Hi-Temp NFDM
Thanks. One more question, I have a little left over dextrose from allied kenco, I am ordering more from Butcher Packer along with other stuff. B&P sells Cultured dextrose concentrate. I am assuming its the same product but the B&P one is more potent, hence the concentrate in the name. I would call and ask them, but it's Sunday and after normal business hours. Thanks so much, this is a big help, I really wanna get going on making these ASAP so I can try it out and have it where I want it by Thanksgiving for my guests!
Vicki I made an edit to my recommendation above, so use the current one.
I can't help you on the dextrose, but I guess they are the same. Dextrose is 75% as sweet as sugar and aids in the browning of meats, especially when pan fried.
Impress em with some smoked cheese to go along with the sausage and some homemade wheat thins. Wink
Last edited by Former Member
Your cheese looks fantastic! I have been smelling my smoker all day. First with almonds and now with the 8lb chicken that has been in there for almost 3 hours. I am soon hungry.

I forgot about smoked cheese. What's this I read about homemade wheat thins????

I am gonna go ahead and order the dextrose concentrate. I will ask them about it tomorrow.

Thanks.
I may get in trouble with Smokin', but here ya go:

Wheat Thins
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for topping
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the flour, sugar, salt and paprika to a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the bowl. Then, using a pastry blender, mix the butter into the dry ingredients thoroughly. Combine the water and vanilla in a small measuring cup. Add to the butter/flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. (My dough was still pretty dry so I added slightly more water before it came together.)

Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered with a towel so they don't dry out. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin and roll the dough into a large rectangle. Lift the dough and turn it as you roll to ensure it's not sticking. You want to roll the dough as thin as possible, try to make sure it's 1/16-inch thick at most. If you want all of your crackers to be perfect, trim the edges of the dough so you have a rectangle with even sides. Use a pizza cutter to cut the rectangle into squares about 1 to 1 1/2 inches wide.

Transfer the dough squares to the prepared baking sheets. You don't need to leave much space in between the crackers - they don't spread at all in the oven. Sprinkle the squares lightly with salt. Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough. Save all of your scraps under the towel; reroll them all at once to create a final batch of crackers. (I covered the baking sheets with towels while I rolled the rest of the dough so the cut crackers wouldn't dry out.)

Bake the crackers, one sheet at a time, until crisp and browned, about 5-10 minutes. Check the crackers at 5 minutes, and if some of the thinner ones are browning too quickly, remove them to a plate and return the remaining crackers to the oven to finish baking. The crackers can burn quickly so you want to keep a close eye on them. Once brown and crisp, transfer to a plate to cool. Store the crackers in an airtight container.
Just got my order from Butcher Packer. Hi temp cheese, the dextrose and hog rings and pliers. Gonna get the venison out of the freezer so I can make the venison summer sausage tomorrow. Got everything else on hand, can't wait.

My casing diameter is smaller than what you used, so I am guessing it will take less time, is that accurate?
Love it, lol....

Ok, questions:

I have done the natural casing sausages like Italian, etc., but never summer sausages in mahogany casings. I got my hog rings and a plier for them from B&P, but, The rings may have been a little big for the narrower casings. I crimped them and squished them around and sealed pretty good (after twisting the end casing). Do you think it will be okay?

Should I add some butchers twine above the ring?

Will a little juice run out anyway, will that be normal for all these kinds of casings? I am assuming the juice has to go somewhere or else the thing would explode.

Also, my messed up fridge, it's actually a wanna be freezer because a piece is broken between top freezer and fridge, slightly froze the two of the four sausages closer to the back. I have now defrosted them and they are coming up to a warmer temp before freezing. Do you think those two will have had a change in flavor because they were to melding flavors at the same temp as the other two? I really need to get that fridge fixed!

Thanks!!!
quote:
I got my hog rings and a plier for them from B&P, but, The rings may have been a little big for the narrower casings. I crimped them and squished them around and sealed pretty good (after twisting the end casing). Do you think it will be okay?

Should I add some butchers twine above the ring?

Yes they will be OK. And yes I would tie them before the ring, if you have enough room. I usually do and most of the time I don't even fool with the rings. I get the smallest (3/8) I think.
quote:
Will a little juice run out anyway, will that be normal for all these kinds of casings? I am assuming the juice has to go somewhere or else the thing would explode.

As they are blooming after the ice water bath, the grease should be absorbed by the meat. The grease will get out through the pores in the casings as you're cooking them before it would explode. Eeker
quote:
I have now defrosted them and they are coming up to a warmer temp before freezing. Do you think those two will have had a change in flavor because they were to melding flavors at the same temp as the other two? I really need to get that fridge fixed!

I would say that you won't notice a difference, as long as they weren't frozen solid. Then your texture might be off a little bit.
Duck tape works wonders on plastic refrigerators. Wink
quote:
I rigged something so they hang freely.

That's why I like using string. I can make a loop for hanging either end. Wink Especially on the longer casings (24").
Just watch your temps. That way you avoid "Fat Out". The rendering and pooling of fat inside of the casing.
Slowly raise your temps 10F per hour til you get to 170F. Then the wait begins for the IT.
Got Beer? Big Grin
No, but got too much to do. It's at 180 no and thats where it will stay. I will probably get that Pooling of grease because I went from 140 to start for almost 2 hours and opened it to insert a probe in one, then upped it to 180 and it slowly rose, it's now at 180, I will leave it there u til it's done. Internal is at 126 already. Next time I will follow that 10 degree an hour rule. I didn't know to start with and made the rookie mistake. I knew there were reasons for the slower rise in temp, but can't wait that long. Good thing hubby is home to watch it cause I have places to be.

Out of smoker and into cold ice water for a little while, then rest on a rack for a few hours, right? Then into fridge.
quote:
Out of smoker and into cold ice water for a little while, then rest on a rack for a few hours, right? Then into fridge.

Yep, bring the IT down to at least 90F. This will take a couple hours.
I prefer to hang them for blooming. A rack will leave a gridmark on them.
Into the fridge barenaked and pack them tomorrow.
DRY...I don't think the 12/1.5 sausage should have taken 12 hours to cook. I know I used all venison and that usually makes for a dry product.

I will post pics at a later time. There was no grease pooling inside. Sme grease would have been nice.

I think perhaps I won't take the venison version to 155 again. I was reading conflicting info on some recipes where it said to take it to 145. I might try that with a half batch.

I have them sitting in the fridge for a few days now in a plastic bag. Maybe they recovered somewhat. The flavor was pretty good, but definitely would have had a better mouth feel and made a better taste if it had some moisture in it.

Any thoughts?

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