Cheddar Summer Sausage Kit

This Cheddar Summer Sausage Kit is everything but the meat. Our own summer sausage seasoning, the casings to stuff it into, a pound of high temp cheddar that holds its shape in the smokehouse, and the Insta Cure #1 the recipe calls for — portioned for a single 10 lb. batch, so nothing is missing and nothing goes to waste.

Add 10 lbs. of beef, pork, venison, or a blend and follow the recipe below. Every piece in this kit is something we make or pack ourselves in Buffalo, New York, and each one is sold separately if you want to reorder just the part you ran out of.

Making bigger batches? Our Summer Sausage Seasoning Kit is built for 25 lbs. and adds hog rings, pliers, liquid smoke, and a pricker — without the cheese.

What's in the Kit

Summer Sausage Seasoning, 8 oz. — our proprietary blend of salt, pepper, mustard, coriander, garlic powder, dextrose and Fermento, balanced to work with every protein, including wild game. Blended without silicon dioxide, the anti-caking agent most seasoning houses use, so if it packs down in the bag it hasn't spoiled — just crush it loose in your hands. Seasons the full 10 lbs., and no additional salt is needed.

Insta Cure #1, 4 oz. — the pink curing salt summer sausage requires. A 10 lb. batch takes 2 level teaspoons, so there's plenty left for the batches after this one. Cure isn't optional on a sausage held at low smokehouse temperatures — it's what makes the long smoke safe, and it's where the cured color and tang come from.

High Temp Cheddar Cheese, 1 lb. — diced 1/4" and made to hold its shape to 400°F, so it stays in distinct pockets through the smokehouse instead of melting out. One pound is the right amount for 10 lbs. of meat at our recommended 5–10% ratio.

Your choice of casing — all three are non-edible and peel off before eating. Both fibrous options come pre-tied at one end, so there's one less knot to tie, and both are shelf stable with no refrigeration needed. The natural beef casings arrive packed in salt and must stay refrigerated.

Features

• Makes 10 lbs. of smoked summer sausage
• Cure included, in the quantity the recipe actually calls for
• Both fibrous casings are pre-tied at one end
• Seasoning blended and packed by The Sausage Maker in Buffalo, New York
• No silicon dioxide or anti-caking agents in the seasoning
• High temp cheddar holds its shape to 400°F
• Three casing styles, including a venison-printed casing for wild game
• Enough casing left over for your next batch
• Works with beef, pork, venison and other wild game

10 lb. Summer Sausage Recipe

• 8 lbs. venison and 2 lbs. pork trimmings, or 10 lbs. pork butts
• 8 oz. Summer Sausage Seasoning (the full packet)
• 2 level teaspoons Insta Cure #1
• 1 lb. High Temp Cheddar Cheese

Instructions

1. Soak fibrous casings in warm water, about 100°F, for 30 minutes before you start. Natural beef casings should be rinsed of their salt and soaked in cool water in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Grind the venison through a 3/16" plate. Use a 3/4" plate for the pork fat or trimmings.
3. Transfer the ground meat and fat to a mixer or tub, then mix in the seasoning and cure until evenly distributed.
4. Fold in the cheese last, working gently so the dice stay whole.
5. Slide a casing onto the largest stuffing tube you have and stuff until full, leaving about 2 inches unfilled. The fibrous casings are already tied at one end; if you're using natural beef middles, tie off one end first.
6. Close the open end with 1/2" hog rings and pliers, or tie it off with butcher's twine. Both are sold separately.
7. Preheat the smokehouse to 120–130°F, hang the chubs on smoke sticks, and apply a heavy smoke for 3–4 hours.
8. Raise the temperature to 165°F and cook until the internal temperature reaches 152°F.
9. Shower with cold water until the internal temperature drops to 120°F or below.
10. Refrigerate and let the chubs rest at least 24 hours before slicing.

Allergens

Milk. Soybean oil used as a mixing aid in the seasoning.

Storage

• Keep the cheese refrigerated. Freezing is not recommended.
• Store the seasoning and cure in a cool, dry place.
• Fibrous casings are shelf stable and need no refrigeration. Natural beef casings must stay refrigerated and should never be frozen.

Shipping

This kit contains cheese. During the warmer months of the year, we ship cheese on Mondays and Tuesdays only. Orders placed later in the week go out the following Monday or Tuesday.

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