Homemade Summer Sausage

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.)

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.