This Summer Sausage Recipe is easy to make at home in the oven or on the smoker! It’s a million times better than store-bought too! Serve it with all different kinds of cheese and crackers for a quick and easy appetizer, or pack it in lunches for a fun alternative to sandwiches!
When I was growing up my mom would buy a Hickory Farms Summer Sausage to eat on Christmas Eve. After I started making this recipe she told me my grandma used to make this exact same recipe! Why didn’t I know about that?
After I got married my friend Jewel told me making summer sausage at home is easy! What? I’m always a fan of homemade vs. store-bought so I knew I wanted to try it. She was right it was easy and it’s the BEST summer sausage and there’s no way going to buy it in the store again!
This recipe has the perfect blend of spices I love knowing exactly what is going in my sausage too. It’s not filled with all those artificial preservatives. Plus it’s an awesome low carb, carb free, gluten free, sugar free, keto appetizer for when Justin’s trying to eat like that!
NOTE: This post was updated in December 2019 to include new images and text. The recipe remained exactly the same!
How to make summer sausage.
DIY summer sausage is easier than you think! You don’t need casings or any special equipment. If you have an oven you have shat you need!
You will need Quick Curing Salt. It’s kind of hard to find in stores so I suggest ordering Morten’s brand from Amazon. {Affiliate Link}
- Mix 4 pounds of ground beef with Quick Curing Salt.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Add garlic salt, cracked black pepper, and liquid smoke. I like this hickory liquid smoke {affiliate link}
- Mix together until combined.
- Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts.
- Shape meat into four sticks, or logs. Set on a roasting pan with a wire rack. If you don’t have one, set a cooling rack in a baking sheet.
- Bake at 225 degrees for 4 hours.
PRO TIP:LITTLE DAIRY ON THE PRAIRIE TIP:
How to make sausage without casings
I’ve never used casings to make homemade sausage.
- Cut a piece of plastic wrap about 18 inches long.
- Set meat on the plastic wrap.
- Shape meat into a fat stick.
- Wrap plastic wrap around the meat stick and twist the ends closed. Basically, you’ll twist it closed the same way a Tootsie Roll is wrapped up.
- Using your hand lightly press and roll the “meat roll” until it’s smooth.
- To make sure it’s the right diameter I make a circle with by touching my middle finger to my thumb and then run the “meat roll” through my fingers. That’s the perfect sized beef stick to fit on most crackers. Obviously, if your hands are bigger or smaller you may need to adjust.
- Remove plastic wrap and set it on the baking sheet.
How to cook summer sausage.
When Jewel shared this recipe with me it was written as an oven recipe. It works wonderfully! You’ll need to plan on baking it for 4 hours.
Since then I’ve experimented with cooking it on my Traeger. You guys, smoked summer sausage is divine! It adds that extra depth of flavor. Of course, you can use whatever flavor of wood you’d like. We’re in love with Hickory and Mesquite. I liked reducing the cooking time to 3 1/2 hours when I made it on my smoker.
How to store beef summer sausage.
When I make beef sticks I usually make lots of them because they last for quite a while.
How long does summer sausage last in the fridge?
Homemade summer sausage can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. It needs to be stored in an airtight container.
Can summer sausage be frozen?
YES! YES! YES! I love making it ahead of time and throwing it in the freezer! It lasts for up to three months stored in an airtight container.
Having a few sticks in the freezer is a great backup plan for those days when I don’t have anything in the house for making lunches. All I have to do is slice a few pieces of cheese, grab some crackers and their lunch is packed!
Ground beef summer sausage recipes.
Since we raise and harvest our own beef I have about three freezers chock full of ground beef. It’s probably no surprise that I make beef summer sausage and never experiment with other types of meat.
My boys do go hunting quite often though and have wanted to try and make this summer sausage recipe substituting elk, deer (venison), or some other wild game for the beef. Since I’m a tried and true beef lover I’ve never experimented with it before. I bet it would work perfectly if you’re into that sort of thing!
Other Easy Appetizers
Easy appetizers are super important whether you’re hosting a party, or just like to eat finger foods as much as I do! Be sure to check out my guide to eating cheese too.
Meat Appetizers
- Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket
- Crockpot Little Smokies
- Ham and Cheese Pinwheels
- Slow Cooker Mexican Dip
- BBQ Meatballs
- Pork Nachos
- Burrito Cups
- Slow Cooker BBQ Drumsticks
What else to serve summer sausage with?
We love beef stick with cheese and crackers. It’s also delicious with mustard sauce for dipping. {Affiliate Link}
It’s really good served with different kinds of fruit and fresh vegetables too!
Grab my Summer Sausage Recipe
I think you are going to love this recipe just as much as my readers have!
This recipe is delicious! I’ve made it several times already, and I was so impressed with how much it tastes like the summer sausage I used to buy at the store, but much cheaper and healthier. Thanks for this awesome recipe! You have saved me a lot of money!
Lady E
Homemade Beef Summer Sausage Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup Morten's Tender Quick Home Meat Cure
- 2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
- 2 tsp Black Pepper course
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
Instructions
- Mix 4 pounds of ground beef with Morten's Tender Quick Home Meat Cure. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If you don’t have one, set a cooling rack in a baking sheet.
- Add garlic salt, cracked black pepper, and liquid smoke. Mix together until combined.
- Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts. Shape meat into four sticks, or logs.
- Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Set sausages on a roasting pan with a wire rack.
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Bake sausage for 4 hours.
- Remove from the oven and cool. Refrigerate summer sausage for up to three weeks, or freeze for up to three months.
- Slice and serve with sliced cheese and crackers.
Notes
- I like to use heaping amounts of garlic salt and pepper. You may also add mustard seeds, paprika, or taco seasoning instead if you’d like.
- Summer Sausage may be cooked on a smoker. It needs to cook at 225 degrees for 3 1/2 hours.
- Table salt was used instead of Morten’s Tender Quick Meat Cure to calculate Nutritional Facts, but I did use the tender quick meat cure NOT table salt.
Sean says
I made this today but I added smoked paprika.
Also I sliced raw pork belly into 1/4×1/4 inch and about 6 inches long. I made a flat sheet of meat and arranging the pork that was dispersed evenly then rolled it in the wrap and let it chill. Then followed the rest. It is wonderful and when sliced it has little pork squares .
Amy Engberson says
Yum! I loved smoked paprika! I bet it’s perfect in this sausage! Thanks for the suggestion!
David says
Hi Amy 🙂 I tried making this summer sausage very similar , to your recipe but it didn’t come out all that good . No. 1 …. I hate those mustard SEED’S” , I used in that batch , and will just use the mustard powder instead from now on ! And No. 2 ….. I didn’t have any descent curing salt , ( used kosher canning salt) , color after I got through cooking it , looked like I fried it instead looking like a piece of salami . Since then I bought some regular meat curing salt from Walton.com , called (Sure Cure) Kind of expensive stuff , but hopefully this next batch I make up , will look like summer sausage . I THINK” , that is the secret to making it look right anyhow . Wish me luck 🙂
David
Amy Engberson says
Good luck David! I hope your sausage turned out perfect! I don’t use mustard in my sausage and I really like it that way! Maybe you could omit mustard altogether. I haven’t ever tried making this sausage with other types of salt, but I know the Quick Cure salt works great!
Jon binley says
This is awesome and I love the way your love for your family resonates in your description of the recipe. We cook for the ones we love and that’s important. Thank you
Amy Engberson says
Hi Jon! YES! Sharing food is an expression of love! Maybe partially because my favorite people gather around delicious food and spend time together! That’s my favorite part! Thanks for stopping by!
Dena E ANDERSON says
Love, love, love this sausage! I just put my 3rd batch in the oven. I use 3 tbsp mustard seeds. And 1 tbsp each of onion and garlic powder. I dont use any extra salt. Liquid smoke is salty as the curing salt already is. So easy to make. I had to order Mortens curing salt on Amazon.
Amy Engberson says
Yay! I’m so glad you love these sausages as much as we do! Adding mustard sounds like a fantastic addition!
Mike L Patterson says
can you make the logs in a casing.
Amy Engberson says
I’ve never tried making the beef sausage in a casing, but I’m sure it would be fine. In fact, I’ve never made anything in a casing, so I’m not exactly sure how that works. Let me know how it goes!
Mary says
Just wanted to say that I’ve made this recipe several times using 1 part ground pork to 3 parts ground venison, and my grandchildren absolutely love it! It freezes beautifully, as well. Thanks for sharing!
Amy Engberson says
I’m so happy you found a way to substitute meat you already have on hand and make this work for you! Sound like it’s a huge winner in your family! Enjoy!
jkim says
I have made this using a package of taco seasoning mix. Yummy. Okay, not a regular summer sausage but we love it.
Amy Engberson says
That is a fantastic idea! I love Mexican food and can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
Marshall Reagan says
sorry to be the one to tell you that you have sodium nitrate & sodium nitrite in the Morton tender quick salt. I looked to see what is in Morton tender quick salt & the ingredients are salt, sugar sodium nitrate & sodium nitrite. . both are chemical preservatives. I wish we could find something to use in place of them that is safe.
Amy Engberson says
Yes! I’ve heard that it has some sorts of preservatives in it. It still feel better about knowing what kind of beef is going in my summer sausage and it tastes a million times better! I wish we could find something that’s better for us. If you happen to stumble across an alternative let me know!
Ben Zoppa says
Come again? You realize that A) nitrates are perfectly safe, and B) nitrates (AKA Salt peter) have been used for thousands of years. How do you think the Chinese made black powder? It’s just sulfur, charcoal, and a nitrate salt. Salt peter has been mined since before written history.
Amy Engberson says
I’m not one of those people that’s overly freaked out by what I’m eating. I use food dyes, we drink soda pop, and I spray chemical week spray in my yard. Don’t get me wrong, I still try and avoid things like artificial sugars and other chemicals I know are bad for me. I made a batch of this summer sausage just the other day and it’s as delicious as ever! Thanks for letting me know about what is actually in the salt I’m using. We’re taking a stick to munch on while we float the river today! Mmmmmm!
Ben says
Good to hear! I just can’t stand all the ignorance around “chemicals”. Literally everything is a chemical, save a perfect vacuum. The fact that people can think that sea salt is healthier than table salt or large crystal sugar is healthier than baking sugar is insane! The salt part reminds me- Pink Himalayan salt is touted as a super food these days. It gets its color from nitrates…
Robert says
My father had a sausage company for many years. When it comes to nitrites I feel like I am battling people who say vaccines cause autism (thoroughly debunked by science). Nitrites have been used for thousands of years to preserve meats. They prevent things like botulism from growing and harming us. Unfortunately the FDA some years back published a report that nitrites and nitrates can cause cancer (stomach cancer). The problem was the media ran with this and like vaccines, people got the idea you must go to zero to limit their risk. People were never told that in order to put yourself at real risk you would have to make dried cured meats (meats kept without refrigeration) your main diet and eat them every day like they did a hundred years ago, which is not how the vast majority of people eat today. Some studies also found a much lower risk than others. Still some studies said that the results could have been affected by lifestyles (People who eat a lot of processed meat were more likely to drink to excess, eat too much sugar, have a sedentary lifestyle and smoke). None of this was explained to the public. The public just heard nitrite and the word cancer. So what happened?? Since this isnt about vaccines that people really need, the meat industry gave what the public wanted to buy. They came up with “uncured” meats like hot dogs and sausages. But if you read the label on these products you will most often see celery powder. Why?? Celery is high source of nitrites. Since it isnt the actual chemical the USDA requires the term “uncured”. The consumer thinks “Oh I am eating something nitrite free (kind of like fat free) and then eat a whole lot more than they normally would. They are now actually getting more nitrites than the ate before. I have seen this with the millennial children of my friends. They eat more hot dogs today because they think they are “safer”. So like many things in our society today, the intention was good, but the policy results is the exact opposite of what was intended. The next time you take a bite of that “uncured” sausage or meat product, read the label and know that there are indeed nitrites in it and when you eat those stalks of celery just know you are getting nitrites as well but you were never told they were bad for you LOL> For myself I am just about common sense. My family was in the meat business for all my childhood. People thought we ate steaks and chops every day when in reality meat was most often a weekend thing (like the pork roast my mother made on Sunday). My parents are immigrants and we ate like they ate. Mostly vegetables, fresh baked breads, noodles and potatoes. In other words a balanced diet. You are not killing you child if you serve him or her a hot dog once a week at one meal no more than you are protecting your child from autism by not having them vaccinated. In fact you might be putting your family at more risk because many of the studies conclude that if nitrites and nitrate were outlawed the incidence of food poisoning and botulism would increase. Just use some good old common sense like my parents did. That appears to be going out of fashion in our society.
Amy Engberson says
Hi Robert! Well said! I haven’t studied all the effects of nitrates and nitrites, etc. I think moderation and common sense are the keys! Thanks for sharing!
Marshall Reagan says
t tender quick salt a preservative? what did people use 100-150 years ago before all of the chemical preservatives were invented?
Jennifer says
My mom makes this and it is super yummy. She adds dried mustard seeds to it and I love the extra little crunch.
Amy Engberson says
I’m going to try that in my next batch! Sounds like it would kick the flavor up a notch!
Joe Miller says
Thank you for sharing this information .
cole24corneliosaavedra.com says
Ive made it for the last 50 years and it was old when I got it. I thought it would be a good addition, so that young cooks can see how easy it is to make a basic sausage.
Amy Engberson says
It’s a classic then isn’t it! Hopefully it’s making a come back because it’s so yummy!
gloria says
Just a question I was wondering if you have ever made this with ground chicken? I am not a big fan of ground beef . We prefer ground chicken .. But we did love the taste of this sausage when a friend made it.. But would like to make it with ground chicken.
Amy Engberson says
Hi Gloria! My family raises beef and we always have a few freezers full of it so I’ve always used beef. Chicken has a lower fat content than beef so I’m guessing it would cause the sausage to be dry. I wouldn’t recommend trying it. The beef one is delicious though and I’d stick with that!
gloria says
Thanks that is what I thought.. It would need more fat… Ok I will stick with the beef.. I have tasted it when my friend made it and it was great,
Neil says
We have used ground turkey instead of beef, and it turns out great in our opinion. We had no issues with dryness. We usually add 1 tsp of poultry seasoning per pound of ground turkey to enhance the flavor when using it as a substitute for beef. I can’t remember if I added poultry seasoning to the summer sausage though.
Amy Engberson says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Jerry joseph Turner says
how lpngs it good refg. or left out
Amy Engberson says
I always store them in the fridge. I’ve had them in my fridge for up to a couple weeks. If I’m not planning to eat them before that I usually freeze it!
George Phillips says
Hi Amy…. I am brand new to sausage making, but have looked at dozens of recipes… In all that reading no one has ever said how they taste their mix for flavoring before final cooking??
Do they just grab a small bit and roll into a meat ball and throw it in the micro, or in the oven or, or ???
Second question is about pepper…. We don’t have a black pepper grinder so will regular black pepper work and how much is equal flavor wise to 2 tsp, of ground black pepper??
Thanks for this recipe as it is one of the easiest I have read and want to give it a try… Does more pepper and liquid smoke really make it spicier??
Amy Engberson says
Hi George! I’m excited for you to try making your own summer sausage! First of all, I haven’t ever tasted my meat mixture before cooking it. I just trust that it will turn out and have made this recipe about a thousand times so I know it will! Second, you could easily use ground pepper instead of cracked black pepper. I usually buy cracked black pepper right next to the other peppers in the grocery store. I would use just a tiny bit less pepper if I was using ground. Third, I do think adding more pepper and garlic salt makes the flavor a little stronger! Good luck!
Barbara says
Thanks so much for sharing your summer sausage recipe. A favorite of my daughter, but we are limited in how much we can buy. We already make our breakfast sausage so this will be a great next step!
Amy Engberson says
You are so talented! I’m impressed! This will be a fun recipe to add to your collection of homemade sausages!
Rick Fish says
Thank you for such an easy recipe. We also love to make our own,taste better also.
Amy Engberson says
It does taste so much better! There’s nothing like homemade right? I just made another batch the other day for my kids school lunchboxes so they aren’t stuck with PB&J everyday!
Sharon Sosa says
Why curing salt? Can another salt be used?
Amy Engberson says
I’m not exactly sure what the science is behind the different kinds of salt and why they behave differently. All I know is that the sweet lady who gave his recipe to me used curing salt and so I do to. I’m not sure if you can use another kind or not. Let me know if you try it!
Joseph says
Curing salt contains some sodium nitrate and/or sodium nitrite and it’s necessary for avoiding botulism in cured meats. However, this is NOT a cured meat, it is cooked. As such, you could probably substitute the curing salt with regular salt as long as you insure the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, refrigerate it until consumed, and consume it within a week or two.
Amy Engberson says
Good to know! Thanks for sharing that info with us! It would be nice to use regular salt in this recipe.
Neil says
I’ve used this recipe twice now, so yes we love Amy’s recipe. The first time I followed it exactly and it turned out great. The second time, i substituted sea salt for the tender quick. Unfortunately, it came out too salty. Afterwards I figured out that 1/4 cup of Morten’s Tender Quick weighs 2 oz. and 1/4 cup of the sea salt weighs 2.6 oz. So, if you use another form of salt, I recommend weighing out 2 oz. so you don’t run into the same problem.
Amy Engberson says
Right now is the perfect time to cook with whatever ingredients we have on hand! I’m so glad you let us know about the different kinds of salts! I’m thrilled you love the recipe as much as we do!
Tammy Bell says
I tried this summer sausage recipe and it was very very salty, are you sure you have the correct salt measurement? Thx
Amy Engberson says
Hmmm! I’ve made this several times and it turns out great everytime. There are lots of different types of salt. Are you sure you used the right kind of salt and that you measured correctly? Or maybe it’s just a difference in taste…I love salt!
Meg says
I am planning on smoking these but I question whether I need to put something (foil) under the sausage to keep it from falling through the grate of my smoker. Also do you fill the water pan? Thanks!
Amy Engberson says
I don’t use a piece of foil under the sausage. I don’t move them after placing them on the smoker grates so they stay in their origional shape really well. I haven’t filled a water pan but I think it would probably be a good idea. I’m going to try it next time!
Meg says
Thank you! I am smoking a batch today!!
Judy Harvey says
I made this last week and it was good and easy. I wanted to know if you would care if I give you credit for the recipe when I write about it on my blog Country Fixin’s: Favorite Family Recipes. I will not post it until I hear from you. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amy Engberson says
I’m glad you liked it! My family goes through these like crazy! Yes, you can share my recipe as long as you give full credit and share a link to my site! Thanks for asking!