Jalapeno Cheddar Summer Sausage

This jalapeno cheddar summer sausage is loaded with high temp cheddar cheese and packed with flavor from our No. 391 Jalapeno Summer Sausage Seasoning. Follow along with the video and step-by-step directions below to make your own batch at home.

Ingredients

• 15 LB -- Pork Trim or Pork Butts
• 10 LB -- Boneless Beef Chuck
• 1 pkg -- PS Seasoning No. 391 Jalapeno Summer Sausage Seasoning
• 1 pkg -- Maple Cure (included with No. 391 Seasoning)
• 3 Cups -- Water
• 2 1/2 LB -- High Temp Cheddar Cheese
• 2.5" X 14" Fibrous Casings
• Vertical electric smoker

Directions

1. Preheat your smokehouse to 100 degrees F on smoke setting.
2. Soak casings in warm water.
3. Trim and cut the meat into 3-4" pieces. Place in the freezer for 45 minutes to temper.
4. Set up grinder with 3/8" plate and grind the meat once.
5. Reset grinder with 1/8" plate and grind the meat again.
6. Add seasoning and maple cure, along with 3 cups cold water to the meat and mix well for 7-10 minutes until the meat becomes very tacky.
7. Add high temp cheddar cheese and mix until incorporated.
8. Load meat block into stuffer.
9. Stuff the meat into casings and tie off ends.
10. Hang the sausage on smoke sticks, ensuring there's space between them for optimal airflow.
11. Insert meat probe into the center of one of the sausages to monitor temperature.
12. With dampers wide open, dry the sausage at 100 degrees F for 2 hours.
13. After 2 hours, increase the temperature of the smokehouse to 120 degrees F.
14. Run for 1 hour.
15. Fill sawdust pan 1/2 way with your choice of sawdust and dampen with water, then form into a funnel shape.
16. Place the sawdust pan on the heating element and increase the temperature of the smoker to 130 degrees F.
17. Set dampers to 2/3 closed.
18. Run for 1 hour.
19. After the hour, increase temperature of the smoker to 140 degrees F.
20. Run for 1 hour.
21. After the hour, remove sawdust pan from smoker.
22. Then increase the temperature of the smoker to 150 degrees F. Run 1 hour.
23. After 1 hour increase temperature of the smoker to 160 degrees F and run for another hour.
24. Increase the temperature of the smoker to 180 degrees F and run until the internal temperature of the summer sausage reaches 156 degrees F.
25. Remove the summer sausage from the smoker and place in an ice bath to bring the temperature down to 100 degrees F rapidly. This should take about 1/2 hour.
26. Hang the sausage at room temperature for 2 hours to bloom.
27. Place in the fridge to cool completely before slicing.