I've been doing one block of the 2.5 lbs of Tilamook for 20 lbs of sausage. It's pretty cheesy, so you could definitely cut back. If you're going to cook at that high of a temp then you'd probably want to dry out the cheese another day or so. Careful though because one time I forgot about it and left the cheese in the fridge for 7 or 8 days and it dried the hell out of it so much that even after cooking the cheese was a little chewy.

4 hours isnt nearly long enough to get to 152 internal.

Time is irreleant, you go to temp on link sausage.

can someone school me on what equpiment is needed to make sausage? paying $4 a pound at the processor is getting old. curious how much it is for equipment start-up and what you can do it per pound if you make your own?

highvelocity said:

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can someone school me on what equpiment is needed to make sausage? paying $4 a pound at the processor is getting old. curious how much it is for equipment start-up and what you can do it per pound if you make your own?

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You can check out this thread I posted earlier this year. I posted all my equipment and others posted their thoughts and what's needed as well. Short answer is grinder for sure, and stuffer makes lot easier but you can stuff using a grinder as well. If doing a lot of sausage then a mixer is nice too.

Thank you so much!

I've never gone to internal temp on smoked sausage. I go to temp on summer sausage though. We eat the summer sausage thawed out of the freezer, so I understand why that one needs to cook. Never understood the smoked sausage temp. It's cooked again before we eat it.

Some of the hill country Germans cold smoke theirs for 4-6 hours and I bet it never hits 120 in the smokehouse.

I've read both ways online. We've never had a problem just smoking to color that we like

dahouse said:

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I've never gone to internal temp on smoked sausage. I go to temp on summer sausage though. We eat the summer sausage thawed out of the freezer, so I understand why that one needs to cook. Never understood the smoked sausage temp. It's cooked again before we eat it.

Some of the hill country Germans cold smoke theirs for 4-6 hours and I bet it never hits 120 in the smokehouse.

I've read both ways online. We've never had a problem just smoking to color that we like

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You're onto it, with it all depends on how ya wanna eat it.

'Smoked' links that you're gonna be tossing on the grill or smoker later, its not really important.

Same with snack sticks really, as long as ya get em dry enough.

For simplicity sake, I make all my 'smoked' sausage to the point where it can be eaten safely out of the fridge. In fact, most of the time I just wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave for quick lunches. (heresey, I know).

For stuff that I know we'll be grilling before eating, I don't even smoke it. Just stuff it, "dry" it for a day in the fridge, then freeze it. Used to do brats this way, but I could never get it right (such a mild seasoned sausage for the strong flavors of game), but I still do Italian sausage this way some years.

Cured and smoked sausage that has been fully cooked will definitely last longer in the refrigerator.

Smoked, but not fully cooked won't last as long, but it will do better than fresh/raw.

It really comes down safety and your tolerance for risk.

Fully cooking wild game sausage provides a significant reduction of any possible pathogenic bacteria that might be present. After cooking, you would still have to worry about normal spoilage bacteria (and pathogens like Listeria), but most of the pathogens like E. Coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter should be eliminated during proper cooking.

If you and your household are the only ones eating it, you might know to fully cook it before eating it. But if you pass it out to extended family, friends, or co-workers, they might not know to fully cook it if it appears to be smoked already.

Has anyone messed around with a 40% venison, 40% pork, 20% brisket or something similar? Considering trying it out. My normal sausage is 75% pork butt to 25% brisket and was wondering if a mix like this would help bring the fat up a little more and introduce some more flavor as well.