Summer Sausage - who makes them at home without kits?

[Encore 280]

I have the Cabela's mixes but their instructions are for 25# batches and it gives the amount of water to use for the whole package but nothing in regards to amount of water for smaller batches. I guess just do the math huh? Say 12# would use 1 to 1 1/2 c. water and so on?

[callturner]

Yup! 

[92xj]

I've done a pound or two. I thought I wrote out my process here somewhere, but I can't find the thread yet. I did find this one though. If you have any specific questions, ask away.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,247677.0.html

[92xj]

Found it.  Page two has some write-up and info. 

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,232091.15.html

[Encore 280]

You say lean pork, so if you use a pork shoulder roast then you trim as much fat off as you can?

[b0bbyg]

Thanks all lots of good info!

I did not Trim off any fat just cubed both meats up and started Grinding.

I feel like packing is the reason for the air pockets as I think there is still a little fat in the finished product. I could tell the first one had way more wrinkles, and larger spots than the last few I did.  But I will also be watching the temps closer next time around because I could have let temp spike that could have greased out the chubs on the outer edges.

My wife hung in there for a while then just said good night, I was on my own once it hit around 1AM    next time I will aim towards smoking on a weekend or a workday where I am at home with very few meetings scheduled.

I did end up cutting them all in half and vacuum sealed most of it, figured this would help it last longer in the freezer, but I don't think that will be an issue. Small batch will probably get eaten pretty quickly.

[ctwiggs1]

I was 100% positive 92x was wrong when he told me that my summer sausage was wrinkly because of temp (ok, could have phrased that different ).

I was 100% wrong.

[nwwanderer]

Great color, good patience with the process.  Excellent choice for a blend.  Thanks

[callturner]

Lean pork = pork sirloin. 

[b0bbyg]

Added my ingredients to the first post in the thread.

Today my work had a pizza making competition over a Zoom session. I learned that slicing summer sausage real thin and putting on a pizza works pretty well    along with lots of cheese and some sliced elk pepperoni the butcher made I was pretty happy with my PNW pizza. 

I think pepperoni may me one of the next things I have to try, need to go back and find the thread on that. think there was a good recipe I saw earlier this week on Hunt Wa