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What went wrong: venison sausage

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  • What went wrong: venison sausage

    I'm not a venison fan but made some summer sausage for a friend... summer sausage. I used Clear Fibrous 3 1/2 X 24 casings, smoked with Jack Daniels Pellets (which I usually have very good results with) and the following recipe:

    Traditional Venison Summer Sausage
    Making traditional venison summer sausage will require a little effort on your part. And it'll take a little time. But the results make it all worthwhile.


    Traditional Venison Summer Sausage - the Recipe
    This is the basic recipe for a traditional tasting sausage.
    Venison Summer Sausage
    • 15 pounds coarse ground venison
    • 10 pounds 50/50 coarse ground pork trimmings
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 cup Morton Tender Quick
    • 1/4 cup whole mustard seed
    • 1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 3 tablespoons garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon marjoram
    • 1 tablespoon mono sodium glutamate (optional)
    Combine the ground venison and pork. Mix the Tender Quick into the water...t won't completely dissolve. Add this slurry to the ground meat, mixing in one-quarter of it at a time. Continue mixing the meat for five minutes. Place the meat in a shallow pan and refrigerate for three to five days. Mix the meat twice each day.
    Mix the spice ingredients into the meat thoroughly, and regrind the meat before packing it into 3 inch fibrous casings.

    I followed the recipe to the letter; smoked the sausage at 200 till it hit 150ish internal.

    Now when I pushed out the contents of the stuffing tube and friend it up to test the flavor it tasted awesome; had a nice sweetness and loads of flavor. The smoked stuff is boooooring and I cant even tell it was smoked. WTF???

  • #2
    Well I use Hi Mountain summer sausage but I do add some of my own seasonings as well. I guess the only thing I do differently is that I do not stuff mine until after the mixture has set 24 hours before stuffing. Then I let set out to dry to the touch for about an hour, then 130 for an hour and start my smoke process at 160 mark smoke temp. I really do not get a strong smoke flavor other then smelling the sausage. Maybe bring your smoke temp to 180 which in turn will give ya a longer smoke time.
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    • #3
      looking at the recipe I find it a bit odd. that you cure the meat and THEN add the seasonings.
      That's wasted 2 days where the spices should have been enfusing and flavouring the meat.

      That's the only thing I can think of. Mix spices with cure and give it all some time.

      I do find that flavours are much more subtle/weaker in cured and smoked sausage as opposed to the same mix cooked quick or fresh.

      Plus there's no really strong flavours in the spice mix. and given that you had 25lb of sausage it looks pretty light on seasonings anyway.
      I use that amount of black pepper in 10lb.

      So I figure between the three things: very little time for the spices to flavour the meat, the smoking process and fairly light seasoning. That'd account for the final result.
      Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
      Just call me 'One Grind'



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      • #4
        Originally posted by curious aardvark View Post

        So I figure between the three things: very little time for the spices to flavour the meat, the smoking process and fairly light seasoning. That'd account for the final result.
        I'm with the questioning funny-looking quadruped here...
        In God I trust- All others pay cash...
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        • #5
          Thanks for the replies...

          I slept on it and after reading this stuff; I think CA is right saying there isn't much spice per pound of meat and it came to mind for me that I tasted the smoked stuff after smoking it so I was still smoked up myself. Someone once told me that smoked food tastes better after showering to get the smoke off of you before eating; and I've found that, that is absolutely right.

          Justsmoke...Hi Mountain's Summer Sausage is the best SS I've ever tasted (right out of the box for me) and everybody I share it with agrees.

          I did lie a little... I mixed everything together at once then let it sit for several hours, then stuffed then let it sit stuffed for a day. I doubt any of that is the problem.

          It still boggles my mind how it was so different in the fry pan??

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Smokin Bill View Post
            It still boggles my mind how it was so different in the fry pan??
            Frying adds it's own flavors, Bill..the Mallaird reaction, and the spices are brought to a higer temp, changing their flavors as well. The pan fry WILL give a good indication of salt, if you don't fry too much fat out of the patty.
            In God I trust- All others pay cash...
            Check out the Mad Hunky and products at https://madhunkymeats.com or https://www.facebook.com/MadHunkyMeats
            Lang 60D, The Beast, 18 and 22 WSM, Brinkmann Backroads trailer, Weber 22 Kettle, gutted MB burning watts

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            • #7
              Maybe I'll suggest he slice and fry it. LOL

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              • #8
                not to mention when frying to test sausage mixes they tend to taste more spicy on the onset. but seems once they go into smoker the flavors tend to blend together more and not as "loud" as in the fry test... once frozen with fresh seems to do the same thing as well... just my opinion... so you could have an underseasoned mix that tastes good in the initial fry but get boring as you say after the smoker...
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                • #9
                  smoked the sausage at 200 till it hit 150ish internal.
                  One of the reasons cure is added to smoked sausage, is so it can be smoked at low temperatures to absorb the smoke before it actually gets cooked.

                  I smoke mine at no higher than 140 for a few hours, or until it turns a nice color, then raise the temp to about 160 for another hour, then 170 to 180 until it is 152 internal. Then cold water bath, then hang at room temp for an hour or 2.

                  Three stages in smoking sausage. Cure, smoke, cook.

                  I think you cured it and seasoned it fine. You just cooked it before it got smoked.
                  Keith

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                  • #10
                    people who have only ever marinated or rubbed seasoning on meat are always astonished at the amount of seasonings I put into sausage, and then equally amazed that the flavours are never overpowering and usually quite subtle.

                    for example in 5 lbs of bratwurst I use a whole nutmeg.
                    I saw a recipe on here recently that had 1/8 tsp nutmeg in 5lb sausage (can't remember whuch recipe).
                    That to me is just pointless.

                    The seasoning mix you've got is good. but (salt aside) you could add 50% as much again or maybe even double the amounts of everything else, but I'd increase gradually and test after each increase..

                    Plus I find that microwaving a small amount of mix gives you a much better gauge of the seasoning than frying (also less washing up).
                    I usually get a couple of tsps worth, form it into a small patty and nuke it for about a minute and then let it cool.
                    Gives you a really good idea of final seasoning.
                    Made In England - Fine Tuned By The USA
                    Just call me 'One Grind'



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                    • #11
                      Yea I usually pump up the seasoning too but I was trying to be safe (not my meat you know?). I hate it when I do something for someone else that wasn't cooked for me too; something always goes wrong.

                      I like that microwave idea; much more like if it was smoked than frying.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Kingudaroad View Post
                        One of the reasons cure is added to smoked sausage, is so it can be smoked at low temperatures to absorb the smoke before it actually gets cooked.

                        I smoke mine at no higher than 140 for a few hours, or until it turns a nice color, then raise the temp to about 160 for another hour, then 170 to 180 until it is 152 internal. Then cold water bath, then hang at room temp for an hour or 2.

                        Three stages in smoking sausage. Cure, smoke, cook.

                        I think you cured it and seasoned it fine. You just cooked it before it got smoked.
                        I agree.... I think you cooked it before it got much smoke. I smoke my venison sausage the same way as above.

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                        W/ needle valve mod.
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                        • #13
                          Inasmuch as the lack of smoke flavor I too agree with Kingudaroad. I think you started out at too high a temp to allow the smoke to impart into the sausage. I usually bring it up slowly, that allows for better smoke flavor, minimal shrink and fat loss. You also have to be sure the surface of the casing gets a chance to dry to allow smoke to penetrate.
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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Kingudaroad View Post
                            One of the reasons cure is added to smoked sausage, is so it can be smoked at low temperatures to absorb the smoke before it actually gets cooked.

                            I smoke mine at no higher than 140 for a few hours, or until it turns a nice color, then raise the temp to about 160 for another hour, then 170 to 180 until it is 152 internal. Then cold water bath, then hang at room temp for an hour or 2.

                            Three stages in smoking sausage. Cure, smoke, cook.

                            I think you cured it and seasoned it fine. You just cooked it before it got smoked.
                            You don't find cranking temp up to 170 to 180 melts the fat you added to your sausage and causes it to drip out of meat. I keep mine at 160 and temp will get to about 147 deg in sausage and stay there for hours. I just take mine to 147 then boil till 152 then cold water bath. The book I use says 160 max. Just trying to figure it out. thanks

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