—Summer sausage when thoroughly dried should be stored in a cooler at a temperature of 35° F. It can be so handled if boxed, but it is preferable that it hang from racks, closely, since it will require an inspection upon shipping.
Preparation of Casings.
—In preparing casings for summer sausage of all kinds it is necessary, in order to insure good results, that casings be prepared, certainly hog bungs, at least thirty days or even several months before they are used. There are always many fat bungs in hog casings and in preparing them and putting them down in salt brine for thirty days or longer, the fat on the casings becomes dry and there is less danger of the sausage becoming sour. Summer sausage will become sour as quickly from using fat hog bungs as from any other cause, therefore these must be thoroughly fatted before they leave the preparing rooms. They are generally in good condition in this respect when received, and therefore do not require as much time in the curing or preparing as do hog bungs. Fat beef middles or beef rounds spoil the appearance of the goods.
Trimming Meats.
—The selection and the trimming of meats for summer sausage is a matter of great consequence. Sinews, muscle cover and tough binding elements should be removed so as to avoid the sausage being tough in the eating. All knives and cutting tools should be sharp.
Formulas.
—Under the formulas given below are descriptions of the methods of manufacture in detail rather than generalizing. Where the term “rocking” is used it describes cutting with a rocker cutter. The description for making Cervelat should be carefully noted, as the methods are utilized with slight changes in making other kinds.
Cervelat Style Sausage.
—A very satisfactory formula for this sausage is as follows:
FORMULA A.