Homemade Summer Sausage

My wife works part time at a small Mom & Pop lawn & garden power equipment place. Mom & pop are retired, in fact, my wife took over for the mom, keeping books, doing payroll, etc. The son's run the place now and Denise is like part of the family. One of the other part time guys, Norm, is a semi retired farmer that assembles/sets up equipment this time of year, getting ready for the busy season.

Norm and his brother raise steers and still butcher what they need for themselves. One of their specialties is real genuine, old world, can't find it anyplace else like this, summer sausage. They always make enough for their families and still have some leftover for friends & neighbors. Luckily, we are in the friends category.

(Beer can included for scale)


This stuff is hard and dry compared to what most people think of as summer sausage, and it's so smoky it almost makes your eyes water.

Being Catholic, and a Friday during lent is pretty hard to take, when you get that "campfire on your clothes" smell every time you open the fridge. I usually try to live to the spirit of the law, but today I lived to the letter. I didn't make it much past midnight before I cut off the first piece of old world goodness.

Norm has offered me the chance to come and help them, and learn how to make this incredible treat. This winter was so bad I couldn't get away when I needed to, to give them a hand. I hope they do it at least one more year, so I can learn from the masters. These guys, with the old family recipes, are getting fewer and fewer every year. I need to get there next winter, before it's too late.

I wish there was a way for all of you to try this, there is just no way to describe it. It's one of those things you could eat until you get sick, unless you force yourself to stop.

I just realized this is another sign of Spring after a long drawn out winter.

I sincerely hope you get the opportunity, as well... and that you document it for us!

Thank you for sharing, that looks so good!

mamagotcha wrote:I sincerely hope you get the opportunity, as well... and that you document it for us!

If I get the chance, I'll bring pictures and a story to LTH. If I get a secret recipe...... well, that'll stay with me.

Tim

Hi,

It appears these people smoked their summer sausage.

Once you learn the recipe, it is entirely possible you could identify an analog and link to that. That will be just as useful as the recipe itself.

Crossing my fingers for next year!

Regards,