Venison sausage with Jalapeno and Cheddar

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi SD,
I just emailed Butcher & Packers with the cheese freeze question.  I will post what their answer is.
With the price of shipping and their price being lower per pound when you buy it in the 10lb package it seems like a good idea to buy the bigger lot and freeze it....if it freezes well. :-\
Carolyn

This thread got me interested in high temperature  cheese. I did some searching around for the best prices. During that search most sites give in their descriptions "...will for 6 months at 34°F, or can be frozen for longer storage."

[Tenpoint5]

I would be of the mindset to use a 2 1/2 - 3 inch Fiberous casing for the sausage. Making 1 or 2 lb chubs with it. More of a summer sausage, Which I believe is what they used "We use casings". You might be able to buy the casings from your processor. I get mine from the locker plant for 50 cents a piece.

[Caribou]

Thanks for the info HS!
Where did you find the best price?
I am stuffing my first sausages this morning, the J & C recipe that I posted at the start of this thread.  Smoking them tomorrow using all the great info every one has supplied me with.
I am just using regular cheese for this small practice batch.  But I'm keeping the cheese in nice 1/4 inch chunks so I'm hoping they won't melt completely away.
Did a silly experiment last night, just to see what temps the regular cheese totally melted at.  Heated some water to 170F and dropped one of my cheese chunks in, then as it cooled to 160F and then again 150F dropped in chunks and watched what they did.  At 170F they almost dissolved completely, 160F they dissolved about a third away and at 150F they kept mostly glued together without melting away.
Probably all pointless sinced I'm buying hi temp cheese for my "real" batches....but it was fun and kinda scientific! ;)
Thanks for info on the casings, too, 10point!
Carolyn

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks for sharing the results of your experiment. Since I only take my sausage up to 152°F, that information come in handy.

[nickld]

Nice to meet you Carolyn. I'm hoping to relocate to the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area in early Spring. Decided to ride out the winter in the SF Bay area but most of my family is in or near Spokane, and I'll be jazzed to be back "home". I'll look forward to having a fellow Bradley enthusiast family near by....  May get a chance to share notes sometime......

[Smokin Soon]

I'm thinkin about some hi-temp chedder or pepper jack in my next batch of fattys. Gotta do it while I still have some maple-honey bacon to grind in. Also the thought of just running some through the the grinder with the meat sounds interesting. I'm droolin a bit just thinking about it!  :D

[Tenpoint5]

I'm thinkin about some hi-temp chedder or pepper jack in my next batch of fattys. Gotta do it while I still have some maple-honey bacon to grind in. Also the thought of just running some through the the grinder with the meat sounds interesting. I'm droolin a bit just thinking about it!  :D

SS,
From the different times I have seen the HIGH Temp cheese it comes in 1/4 x 1/4 squares so you don't have to run it through the grinder. Just mix it in and then run through your stuffer. To get the pretty chunks in your sausage. The blade of the grinder would destroy the cheese and it wouldn't look perty.

[Caribou]

Hey Nickld, it will be great to have a "smoking" neighbor!  We've lived up here for 12 years now and just love it...we're originally from SoCal ourselves.  It's great to have good hunting and fishing close by and the space to raise your own food, not to mention the huckleberries and morels growing here, too.  I bought my BS when the Cabelas opened up here last year, nice to have that nearby , too!  You're going to love it up here but you know that with family here already.
Carolyn

[Smoking Duck]

For those looking for hi-temp cheese, try this: http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/3076

Not sure how the price stacks up compared to others but it does come in 5 lb bags.

SD

[Caribou]

Oh! Jalapeno hi temp cheese, I bookmarked that one to be sure!  Maybe the cheese alone could provide the jalapeno.
Got my experimental batch in the smoker right now, probably will be done pretty soon...I think.
It looks really pretty but we will have to see how it tastes.  Did fry up a patty this AM and my family thought it was tasty.
We used collagen casings from Cabelas and they stuffed well without bursting.  I'm trying hog casings next, but being new to this it was pretty easy just to cut off the amount of casing we needed as we went along instead of soaking hog casings and finding I estimated too much or too little.
I learned right away that it was a two person job getting them stuffed, my husband was the most helpful assistant!
I'll try posting a picture when they are done if I can figure out how.  See the image insert icon but I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do.
Carolyn

[Mr Walleye]

Carolyn

Here are some instructions for posting photos....

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showpost.php?p=768&postcount=11

Mike

[Caribou]

Thanks Mike!   I will open a photobucket account so I can upload my pictures.
I followed your suggestions and the smoked venison sausage came out great!  I was really careful to keep the BS temp not much above the 165F range in an attempt to keep my cheese.  I'd say about 50% remained visible and I did 1/4" chunks, too.  Definately would recommend using the high temp cheese in the future.  Maybe even increase the recipe's amount some.
The original recipe that started this thread with was tasty enough but I could see doubling the jalapenos. I'm not one to like really hot things but I could doing that for a little more flavor and appearence, too.  I like to see more than one piece per slice, kinda like a Chips Ahoy cookie with only one chocolate chip!
Or possibly keep the jalapeno the same and use that jalapeno cheddar that Smoking Duck suggested...either way it needs a bit more jalapeno presence.
The ground venison held up wonderfully and was moist and not crumbly at all.  I think the addition of 15% suet did the trick there.  Also, it was nice to see the little suet chunks in the slices.
I'm just so pleased...can't wait to do more with these tweakings.
Carolyn

[Mr Walleye]

Sounds fantastic Carolyn. Sounds like you are off to a great start. That's what I find so interesting about sausage... tweak a few ingredients and ya got a whole new flavor. Of course the ating part ain't bad either!  :D

Keep us posted and we will look forward to some photos.

Mike

[Caribou]

Okay I'm posting my first photo...believe me they look better in person! ;)
We made different sizes for some reason. :D
Carolyn
Hope this works...I think I followed all steps correctly.  Please bare with me if I messed this up!

[Mr Walleye]

Those look great Carolyn!  ;)

Picture looks great too!

I see lots of great sausage in your future.

Mike