Beef summer sausage internal temp Q

mkc · March 2011

I just put my first foray into summer sausage on the Egg. 5 pounds of ground brisket using Hi Mtn seasoning, 225 indirect using pecan and apple (I seem to be out of cherry :( ). I cut the mahogany casings in half to make 1 - 1 1/4 lb logs instead of the full size.

The recipe card advises minimum internal temp of 156F and I saw a few posts on the board here pulling at 165-168F.

What internal temp for the best result say ye experienced summer sausagers? I did just brisket, no pork, since we like a drier product (hope it works!)

Weekend Warrior · March 2011

Hi Michelle. Pull at 156 or even a few degrees before won't hurt if the cook is dragging on. You will have an exceptionally dry product if you go all the way to 165 or 168 especially since you didn't add pork. This is venison bologna, but the recipes, temps and times are just about identical. This batch is 10lbs very lean venison to 5lbs pork loin.

Getting sausages like these "just right" can take some practice and fiddling with mixes so don't be discouraged if it doesn't come out perfect on your first try.

Good luck,

Mark

mkc · March 2011

Weekend Warrior wrote:

Hi Michelle. Pull at 156 or even a few degrees before won't hurt if the cook is dragging on. You will have an exceptionally dry product if you go all the way to 165 or 168 especially since you didn't add pork.

Getting sausages like these "just right" can take some practice and fiddling with mixes so don't be discouraged if it doesn't come out perfect on your first try.

Thanks, Mark! They've been on for 2 hours now and are at 145 internal (Egg's running a bit hot at 240 pit temp according to the DigiQ). Definitely not dragging on - I started them early enough in the day just in case

It was one of those "what the heck do I do with a trimmed brisket?" projects. Even if they're not perfect, they'll be better than store bought!

Weekend Warrior · March 2011

240 is a little hot. I don't think you want to be over 200. You don't want your sausage to render out what little fat is in your mixture. If you've accidently done this, the outside of your casing will be oily when you're done and there will be open pockets of air in the sausage where fat particles were.

I don't cook 15 lbs at a time anymore like in the photo (one of my tweaks). I found that having too much cool meat mass in the egg extended the cooking time and gave me drier sausages. I do 15 lbs in 2 batches now with shorter sausages and my results are much better. It can be a little tricky getting both cooks done in the 12 to 24 hour window after stuffing that Hi-Mountain recommends.

A 5 lb batch is a great starting place though and letting your sausages warm up on the countertop for a few hours is important too. It will speed up your cooking time and help prevent drying.

Mark

mkc · March 2011

Weekend Warrior wrote:

240 is a little hot. I don't think you want to be over 200. You don't want your sausage to render out what little fat is in your mixture. If you've accidently done this, the outside of your casing will be oily when you're done and there will be open pockets of air in the sausage where fat particles were.

Yeah, the target was lower but I probably loaded the egg a bit too much with lump - the bag I'm using has smaller-than-normal chunks and was consumed pretty fast the other night so I loaded it up.

I pulled them at 156 and there were just a few tiny dots of oil on the casings and only a little drip or two on the platesetter from the tied ends. They're resting a bit before heading the fridge to cool completely.

Thanks for the help!

Beef summer sausage internal temp Q

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