How to Make Summer Sausage - Homemade Recipe & Cooking Methods (2024)

This beef summer sausage recipe is one of our favorites when it comes making sausage, especially during the spring/summer season. It has a perfect blend of savory spices and tastes amazing.

I originally got this recipe from a good friend of mine who used to make this sausage several times per year, and since then, I have been doing it for many years by myself.

I like the way it is done, with the smoke enhancing the flavor of the spices, giving this sausage a unique taste.

I decided to share the recipe with everyone and the full step-by-step process I follow to make the summer sausage, with all the tips, tricks, cooking times, temperatures, and other things to have in mind.

Note: You may want to use the quick navigation table below to jump directly to the preferred section, as I am going to tell you the complete process how to make summer sausage, how to prepare them with and without casing machine, how to make it at home and several other things to have in mind during the process. So, jumping to the section which fits your preferences may save you a few minutes.

• Also Read: How to Make Smoked Chuck Roast

• For Cooking: Oven, Electric Smoker, Propane Smoker or Low-Temperature-Capable Grill
• Meat Grinder (If you are buying fresh meat and grinding by yourself)
• Sausage Casings (You can either use casings or use a simple plastic wrap)
• (Additional) Sausage Stuffing Machine (If you are using casings, then you can buy a sausage stuffing machine to make even better sausages)

For example, if you plan to cook your summer sausage by smoking, you will need a smoker. You can either use an electric smoker, propane smoker or a grill which is capable of maintaining low temperatures.

If you need a few suggestions, for an entry-level smoker, I would suggest the Masterbuilt 30-inch Electric Digital Smoker. It is considered one of the best value model for the average family. If you want a full list of models to consider, you can read our best electric smokers under $200 guide to have a better look at each model.

If you are planning to do a lot of low and high heat smoking in the future, then you should probably consider a propane smoker. Models like Masterbuilt XL are easy to use, and with a little instruction, you will be able to maintain a low temperature for a long time. Read our best propane smoker guide to get a better look at all the models worth considering.

Also, one thing to have in mind is to grind your spices before using. This will help them to give the most flavor to the ground meat.

As for curing the meat, since summer sausage is a fermented sausage, you should use a meat culture such as FL-C. Bactoferm F-LC meat culture with bioprotective is mostly used for fermented sausages and is widely known for suppressing the growth of Listeria. This meat culture drops the meat’s pH level to 5.3, preventing the growth of pathogenic bacteria and giving the meat its tangy taste.

In addition to that, since summer sausage is smoked for hours, you should use Cure #1 Pink Salt. It improves the meat’s flavor, tenderizes it, prevents food poisoning, and creates the pink color widely associated with smoked meats. You can purchase Cure #1 Pink Salt online on Amazon or other similar stores.

• Also Read: Curing & Smoking Meat at Home

After you have collected all the required ingredients, it is time to prepare the meat and start the cooking process.

As I said in the upper section, I am going to use a mixture of 75% beef (Choice Grade Chuck Roast) and 25% pork butt.

Before starting the grinding process, the meat should be clean, thawed, and preferably at a cool temperature.

For the best results, I suggest you to buy fresh meat and grind it by yourself. If you don’t have a meat grinder, you can ask your butcher to grind it for you. In case you are using a manual meat grinder at home, a 3/16” plate would give the best results.

For an easier and faster grinding, you can cut the meat into small pieces and then put them on the grinder. After grinding the meat once, check its texture. If you feel like it is not fine enough, you can run a second grinding process to give it a fine texture.

A simple tip to have in mind when grinding the meat, you should keep it cold and clean. If the meat gets hot, you will have a harder time grinding it.

One small trick to distribute them more evenly is to mix the seasonings with pieces of meat before grounding it. Distribute the half of spice mixture to the meat cuts before grounding it. After grounding, mix the other half.

Mix the meat and the spices in a large bowl until the whole mixture becomes sticky. This is the point where it is ready for stuffing.

After you finish mixing it, all the pressure applied has made it warmer than it should, so you need to put the mixture in the freezer for 45-60 minutes to get cold again.

To stuff the meat into casings, you can either use a sausage stuffer or do it manually by hand.

One of the most efficient and value for the money sausage stuffer is the LEM Products 5 Pound. It is not very expensive and does the job very well.

If you don’t want to spend money on a sausage stuffer, you can buy a cheap sausage stuffer attachment for your meat grinder or pick a manual stuffer such as LEM Manual Sausage Stuffer. These models are efficient but will require some physical strength to work properly.

When you are stuffing the meat, don’t worry about the tiny air pockets that remain. It is impossible to remove all the air, and tiny air spots are inevitable. And for semi-dry sausages, the air is not a problem, so don’t worry at all if there is air present.

If you don’t want to buy a stuffing machine, then you can stuff the meat using your hands.

For the process to be easier, you should first soak your collagen casing in warm water. Warm water will make it pliable and easier to work with.

For a lot of people, cooking the summer sausage in the oven is probably the best choice, especially if you have a smoker or grill which don’t have total control over heat to keep it as low and evenly as needed.

The recommended internal cooking temperature for summer sausage is at 155°-160°F. Anything higher or lower than that will ruin the fat dispersion. Also, you don’t want the heat to rise fast and get too hot. This will also ruin the sausage.

To cook it on the oven, first, place it on a rack over a cookie sheet. Put the cooking temperature at 200°F and use a thermometer for cooking the sausage until it reaches an internal temperature of 155°F. Usually, it will take around 2:30-3 Hours to reach that temperature.

After it is finished cooking, transfer the sausage to cool into the refrigerator. After it is completely cooled, you can continue slicing it.

When making summer sausage in electric smoker, you should first start smoking at 110-130°F until the meat reaches the desired color. Then, gradually increase the temperature to 150-175°F and then up to 190°F.

The recommended internal temperature for smoked summer sausage is at 155-160°F. Anything higher than that will make the beef fat to burn and not taste good.