My family has made summer sausage every Christmas for at least 40 years, and every year I ask myself why I only make it around the holidays. The recipe came from my Sicilian great aunt, Fran. It is inexpensive, delicious, and versatile. When I was a kid we ate it with cheese and crackers, but now I use it as a homemade substitute for hard salami on pizza, in sandwiches and omelets. It also fits into Paleo and low-carb diets.
*Note: This recipe calls for 1 pound loaves, but I usually shape mine into smaller half pound loaves. Up-a to you-a.
Fran's Homemade Summer Sausage
5 pounds hamburger (DO NOT get very lean ground beef. You'll be sorry.)
5 teaspoons Morton's Quick Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. (We've begun making ours in 2 gallon, zip-loc storage bags.) Cover tightly and refrigerate 24 hours. Mix. Refrigerate another 24 hours. Make 5 one-pound loaves. Bake at 225 degrees for 6-8 hours, turning after 4 hours. The outside will be mahogany brown and the inside will be pink throughout, just like store-bough. Don't worry. It's done. There should be no trace of blood or softness.
(Try a few slices warm from the oven. Heaven.)
*Note: This recipe calls for 1 pound loaves, but I usually shape mine into smaller half pound loaves. Up-a to you-a.
Fran's Homemade Summer Sausage
5 pounds hamburger (DO NOT get very lean ground beef. You'll be sorry.)
5 teaspoons Morton's Quick Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. (We've begun making ours in 2 gallon, zip-loc storage bags.) Cover tightly and refrigerate 24 hours. Mix. Refrigerate another 24 hours. Make 5 one-pound loaves. Bake at 225 degrees for 6-8 hours, turning after 4 hours. The outside will be mahogany brown and the inside will be pink throughout, just like store-bough. Don't worry. It's done. There should be no trace of blood or softness.
(Try a few slices warm from the oven. Heaven.)
Allow the logs to cool a bit. You can wrap them in foil at this time and tuck them in your fridge, or toss the whole lot of them into a zip-loc bag.
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