Summer Sausage

Homemade Summer Sausage

Ingredients:

1. 5 lb ground hamburger (no lean burger)

2. 5 Tbsp liquid smoke (found near barbecue sauce)

3. 5 Tbsp Morton Salt Tender Quick (found in the dark blue bag in the spice aisle)

4. 2 Tbsp coarse ground pepper

5. 2 Tbsp minced garlic

6. 2 Tbsp mustard seeds

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together using your hands, similar to making meatloaf.

2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for 24 hours.

3. After 24 hours, take out the mixture and knead it one more time. Then, shape it into 4 logs measuring 14x2 inches each.

4. Place the logs on a cookie sheet with sides measuring 1-2 inches.

5. Bake the logs at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

6. Remove the logs from the oven and wrap each log in wax paper, followed by aluminum foil.

7. Refrigerate the wrapped logs until they are well chilled.

8. To serve, slice the summer sausage and enjoy it on its own or with crackers and cheese.

Note:

- When shaping the logs, ensure you knead the meat well to form tight logs without any cracks.

- If using venison, which is very lean, mix 3 lbs of venison with 2 lbs of hamburger to add some fat to the recipe.

Enjoy your delicious homemade summer sausage!