Making summer sausage at home is something that I have been doing for many years. This sausage is very flavorful and not too fatty. Smoked summer sausage, the way it has been done traditionally, is to die for. Smoke greatly enhances flavor and increases shelf life of sausage due to its antibacterial properties. In this article I will talk about how to make summer sausage at home and share my experience.
Summer sausage is a tasty cured sausage that is popular for its smoky flavor and convenience. It can be enjoyed cold right out of the package or heated up for a warm snack or meal accompaniment. Many people wonder how long it takes to cook summer sausage in the oven to get it heated through without overcooking. Here is a guide to oven cooking times and temperatures for perfect summer sausage.
What is Summer Sausage?
Summer sausage, sometimes called German summer sausage, is an American style cured sausage usually made from a mixture of beef and pork. It gets its name from the tradition of making large batches of it during the winter to be eaten in the summer months when preserved meats were an important food source.
True summer sausage undergoes a slow fermentation process using lactic acid bacteria before being smoked. This gives it a tangy flavor and longer shelf life. The smoking helps preserve the sausage as well as giving it a distinctive smoky taste. Commercial style summer sausages may skip the fermentation and get their tanginess from citric acid.
Benefits of Oven Heating Summer Sausage
While summer sausage can be eaten straight from the package, heating it up in the oven provides some advantages:
- Brings out more smoky, meaty flavors
- Makes the texture more soft and sliceable
- Melts any fat layers for richer mouthfeel
- Warms it up for a hot meal or snack
- Kills any surface bacteria as an extra safety precaution
The key is to use a low oven temperature to gently warm the sausage without cooking it further
How Long to Cook Summer Sausage in the Oven
Most sources recommend oven heating summer sausage at around 165-175°F until warm throughout The sausage should be placed on a baking sheet or pan to catch any drips
Cooking time can vary based on
- Oven temperature (lower = longer cook time)
- Sausage thickness (thicker = more time)
- Amount of sausage (more = longer)
- Desired internal temp (higher = longer)
For example, a few summer sausage logs totaling 1-2 lbs may take 1-2 hours at 170°F oven temp to reach an internal temperature of 140-150°F. Thicker sausage or larger batches may need upwards of 3-4 hours.
It’s best to use an instant read thermometer to monitor the internal temp of the sausage rather than relying on cook time alone. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part without touching bone or fat.
Recommended Oven Temperatures
Most recommendations are in the 165-175°F range. Key factors:
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165-170°F – Lowest temperature to safely heat summer sausage without risk of bacterial growth. Provides very gentle warming.
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175°F – High end of recommended oven temp for summer sausage. Still considered a low temperature but will heat the sausage faster.
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Above 175°F – Not recommended as the higher heat may start rendering fat and altering the texture.
Many ovens won’t go below 170°F on the lowest setting, which works well. Just keep an eye on it and rely on a thermometer for doneness, not cook time.
Internal Temperature Guide
The internal temperature of the summer sausage should reach the USDA recommended minimum of 140°F for safety. Going above that is a matter of personal preference:
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140°F – Minimum safe temperature, sausage will be fully heated through.
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150°F – Sausage will be hotter with melted fat, but texture remains intact.
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160°F – Fat and collagen begin breaking down, texture gets softer.
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165°F and up – Texture likely becoming compromised as fat renders out.
Most chefs recommend removing the summer sausage between 140-155°F for best results.
Tips for Oven Heating Summer Sausage
Follow these tips for perfectly heated summer sausage straight from the oven:
- Let oven fully preheat before adding sausage.
- Use a digital thermometer to monitor oven temp.
- Place sausage on a foil lined pan to catch drips.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check internal temp.
- Rotate sausages halfway through for even heating.
- Tent foil over sausages to retain moisture.
- Once at desired temp, remove immediately to stop cooking.
- Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into it.
Other Cooking Methods
While the oven provides a gentle way to warm ready-to-eat summer sausage, there are other options as well:
- Sliced and pan fried – Good for single servings. Fry over medium-low heat.
- Grilled – Gets smoky flavor from the grill. Use low indirect heat.
- Poached – Simmer sausages in water, broth, or beer at 170°F until heated through.
- Microwaved – Fast but can dry out and toughen texture. Use 30 second intervals.
No matter which heating method you use, following recipe guidelines for temperature and time will ensure your summer sausage stays juicy and flavorful. Trust your thermometer and enjoy this tasty sausage at its very best.
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What is summer sausage?
Summer sausage is an American semi-dry fermented sausage typically made of pork and beef. Summer sausage made of beef alone is also common. Once upon a time, this sausage was made in the winter to be eaten in the field during the summer. This is how the name summer sausage came to be. Properly made summer sausage can be stored without refrigeration for a very long time. Hence, it is often used as a component of food gift baskets along with cheeses and jams.
Summer sausage is typically made of beef and pork, or beef alone. Some recipes make use of beef hearts as well. There are different amounts of beef and pork, ranging from 2075 percent beef and 2075 percent pork. It really depends on personal preference. I like more beefy flavor and prefer a 2/3 beef to 1/3 pork ratio.
The taste of summer sausage is very much dependent on freshness and quality of meat. Beef chuck is a very flavorful cut and is commonly used for making summer sausage. Butt is a very good choice for the pork cut. To get the best results, buy your meat fresh and grind it yourself. Alternatively, ask your butcher to grind it for you. You want to grind the meat fairly fine, through a 3/16″ (4. 5mm) plate.
You will find mustard seed, black pepper and garlic among the most commonly used spices in summer sausage. Many recipes also use coriander, allspice, ginger and other spices. When making summer sausage, the best sausage is the one that you make yourself. Feel free to try different spices. If possible, grind your spices just before adding them to the ground meat. This will help you get the most flavor out of them.
Curing salt and cultures
As summer sausage is a fermented sausage, a meat culture such as FL-C is used. Bactoferm F-LC meat culture with bio protective properties is used for production of fermented sausages with short or traditional production times. F-LC is recommended for the production of all types of fermented sausages and is known for suppressing growth of Listeria. During fermentation pH of the meat drops to 5.3 which helps inhibit growth of pathogenic bacteria and gives the sausage its tangy taste. FL-C culture can be purchased from the sausagemaker.com or butcher-packer.com.
Summer sausage is fermented and then smoked for hours at temperatures that promote growth of unwanted bacteria. To prevent that, Cure #1 (also known as pink salt) is used. Pink salt also improves flavor, prevents food poisoning, tenderizes meat, and develops the pink color widely known and associated with smoked meats. You can purchase Cure #1 from the online stores mentioned above as well as Amazon: DQ Curing Salt #1 / Pink Salt
Homemade Oven Summer Sausage.
FAQ
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