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.
Nutrition
Patti says
I just made this yesterday. We love it! I added whole peppercorns and mustard seed. Next time I will add more pepper but it’s still really good. I just shake a little pepper over the cut pieces.
Thank you for the recipe and the tip to line the drip pan with foil for a super easy clean up!
Amy Engberson says
I’m glad you liked it! I like extra pepper too, my kids like it pretty mild!
Lorraine says
I don’t use garlic salt but instead,I use the pdr. You have the cure salt and that is plenty. I also use a teas of Jared garlic.
Amy Engberson says
I love the idea of adding jarred garlic! This recipe is definitely a base recipe and you can experiment with adding other flavors!
Brian Case says
Made this today in the smoker. Very good! Just added a tbs mustard seed,. Only made half a batch. Only took 3 hour at 235 to reach 165 internal so I pulled them. Perfect!
Thanks.
Amy Engberson says
Making it in the smoker adds the best flavor!
Tammy Grimes says
I found a grocery store that adds cranberries or blueberries to their summer sausage. Unfortunately it takes 3 hours one way to get there. I love the fruit added so it’s a treat when I’m finally able to buy some. Now with your recipe I can add my own fruit and make it at home. Thank you for the recipe!
Amy Engberson says
I live really far from the grocery store too. I like living in the middle of nowhere but sometimes it’s a hard to find all the things I love. I hope you find the fruit you want and your sausage turns out perfect!
Larisa says
I made this recipe as Christmas gifts a couple years ago and plan to do it again this year. I mixed venison and beef and absolutely loved it!
I am wondering though, would it be shelf stable if I vacuum sealed it? Even if it needed to be frozen, how long would it be good vacuumed sealed?
Thanks!
Amy Engberson says
It’s the best Christmas gift! I haven’t ever tried storing it at room temperature so I can’t suggest it that. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
jan says
Don’t you just love how people DO NOT READ instructions??….
with all the good reviews I will be trying with both cures and both ways of cooking!
excited to try
Amy Engberson says
Yes! Sometimes people struggle to follow instructions and then wonder why they didn’t get great results! I’m planning on making this beef summer sausage tomorrow! You’re going to love it!
Inell says
Can you freeze this after it is cooked
Amy Engberson says
Yes! I’ve kept it in the freezer for up to a month before.
John says
I wrap mine is plastic wrap then either foil or freezer paper and I’ve kept in the freezer for 6 to 8 months and it is fine. Not very often I can leave it alone that long though!!
Love this recipe.
Amy Engberson says
Haha! We have a hard time leaving it alone long enough to freeze too!
Regina says
Made this the first time a couple of days ago. Based on the comments, was worried that it would be too salty, especially since I cured the meat for 24 hours instead of just overnight. I used garlic powder instead of garlic salt, and cracked whole mixed peppercorns. 225° for 4 hours cooked it to 170° and it turned out amazing -not too salty at all. I served it next day on a charcuterie tray at a party and it disappeared before everything else! Next time I will try the mustard seed and double the amount of peppercorns.
Note about the cure…I used Mortons, after looking at instructions for other cures and seeing the huge disparity in required amounts and the alerts about toxicity. I agree that the recipe should state that the amount used is for Mortons only -Mortons instructions match the amount in the recipe. I bought it on Amazon.
Aside from that the recipe is perfect! Can’t wait to try it smoked.
Amy Engberson says
Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you loved the sausage as much as we do! Thanks for the feedback on adding more information about what kind of curing salt to use. I’ll update the recipe soon!
Sue says
I’ve made this several times in the oven. Going into smoker this time. I made snack trays with it take it traveling. Super hood
Amy Engberson says
I love the idea of making this for a traveling snack!
Annie says
Going to make this as soon as my curing salt arrives today! We butchered two cows and have a ton of ground beef so this is awesome. (I’m giving it all the stars while I wait.)
I hope people realize you clearly put what curing salt you used in your recipe and it is NOT the #1 powder people are saying it is. Two total different products.
I am going to try with the mustard seed though!
Amy Engberson says
Yay for a freezer full of ground beef! I can’t wait for you to try it! It’s one of our favorite snacks!
Joshua Rubin says
Wayyyyy to salty. Wish I would have read reviews first.
Amy Engberson says
I’m sorry they were too salty for your liking. As you read the reviews you’ll notice that most people love this recipe. I hope you find exactly what you’re looking for.
Dave Casper says
Bad first
The recommended amount of cure is 12x more than what’s needed. 4 pounds of meat shouldn’t need more than 1 tsp of cure. That’s why it’s so salty.
Otherwise I added the appropriate cure rate and 5 tsp table salt and it turned out pretty good. I added 3 tsp mustard seed and 1 tsp mace. Let it cure overnight ING the fridge already in a non edible casing and smoked it next day with hickory. 135F for an hour and increased temp every hour until internal temp was 152F. Put it in the freezer for an hour to stop the cook and set the fat. Minor tweaks needed still but thanks for the starting point.
Amy Engberson says
I haven’t researched all the different kinds of curing salt. I always use Morten Tender Quick Meat Cure and it’s great. It’s never too salty when I use this product.
Gator says
Been making this summer sausage for 30 years!! Best ever!! I do use mustard seed and try new things often!! Use fresh jalapeños diced fine and there juice! Make 10 lbs at least 1 time a month!! I make it on the smoker!!!
Amy Engberson says
Oh, I love the idea of adding jalapenos! My oldest son loves spicy food and would go crazy for it! Thanks for the suggestion!
John says
I make one similar to this and can’t wait to try this recipe. Could a person use the fibrous sausage casings instead of foil?
Amy Engberson says
Great question! I’ve never tried using fibrous casings so I’m not sure how it would work. I actually don’t wrap this summer sausage in foil when I cook it. I shape the sausage, bake, cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container. If you try it let me know how it goes!
John Richman says
I made this recipe for this week-end and it turned out great. I made 4 rolls in the fibrous casings and the rest like your rolls. Tried to send you a picture but couldn’t out how to that.
Great recipe, thank you for sharing.
John says
Made this sausage over the week-end and it was great. Stuffed some in fibrous casings and some just in logs like yours, stuffing the casings is a little extra work but still turned out great.
Thanks for the recipe.
Amy Engberson says
It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend! I’ve never tried using casings but it would be fun to experiment with. I’m glad you enjoyed the Beef Sausage!
Pat says
I didn’t care for this it’s too salty I didn’t have mustard seed would have been better also garlic powder instead of garlic salt also whole peppercorns I’m so dissatisfied it’s going in the garbage oh well live and learn I found a lot of recipes when you google don’t turn out
Amy Engberson says
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. This recipe is definitely saltier than store-bought summer sausage, which I happen to like! Hopefully, you find a recipe that’s better suited to your taste.
Jake Kahle says
Great recipe. I used venison and cooked on my HBT smoker. I cooked it until the internal temp was between 155-165 so it didn’t dry out. All the family has destroyed it for Christmas. Even the non deer eaters. I also substituted garlic powder instead of salt to cut back on sodium. Smashed whole peppercorns into fourths to give it that old time look and flavor. This recipe now has a permanent place in my BBQ book. Thank you so much.
Amy Engberson says
I love the idea of using peppercorns! I’m going to have to try that!
Donna Northrup says
My wife made this using your recommended 1/4 cup of curing salt. Upon doing further research on sodium nitrate, she read that it is TOXIC at that amount. Even the packaging on this salt recommends using only 1 tsp for 5 lbs of meat. Now we have to throw all of it away and start over. We’re glad we found this out before giving it to friends and family
Donna Northrup says
How to Cook With Prague Powder
Prague powder #1 is only meant to be used in very small quantities. Accidentally adding Prague powder # 1 (curing salt) to food as you would normally salt would make you ill. For a five-pound piece of meat, use one teaspoon of Prague powder #1.
My source- The Spruce Eats
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-prague-powder-no-1-996131
Amy Engberson says
I’m not using Prague Powder, I’m using Tender Quick Curing Salt. They must be two completely different products.
Andrew says
You should state what salt you used in the recipe. I’m a novice on salt cures, however, I know enough that there are multiple salt cures. I assumed you couldn’t have been talking about a #1 or #2, but I wasn’t sure because I’ve never used a #1. These cures are toxic if used at a higher level than directed. Glad to hear there’s a quick cure salt though, but I had to search a bunch to verify that’s what I should use when you could have putting in the recipe. Food for thought.
Amy Engberson says
Good point. I use Morton Curing Salt, Tender Quick Home Meat Cure. Hopefully, that helps clear it up!
Scott says
Prague powder and quick curing salt such as Morten’s Tender Quick are two completely different things. Prague powder is a commercial preservative where Morten’s Tender Quick is a consumer product you can find at most grocery stores. The difference is in the type of sodium used. Morten’s Tender Quick is the salt referenced in this recipe. The general rule for this type of cure is to add cure at 3% of the raw weight of your meat. I have been doing this for many years with lots of different applications and have had excellent results. I highly recommend you try this recipe with Tender Quick. It is easy and very rewarding. I have now done batches with all beef, goose-pork mix, and most recently with venison-pork mix.
Amy Engberson says
Thanks for the clarification! This information is so helpful!
Vera says
Working on this now! These are some really long logs Sure hope I’m doing it right!
Amy Engberson says
I bet you’re doing a great job! Mine are usually pretty long too, probably about 10 inches each. I used to make ones that were shorter and bigger in diameter, but they were bigger than crackers so I started making hem a little smaller around.
Scott says
Try using a bread pan to shape your sausage. I have used this method with much success several times. I only fill the bread pan 1.5 to 2 inches (roughly the same thikness as my logs). This makes great slices for sandwiches. I recently did about 2.5 lbs per bread pan and it turned out great. Another awsome tip is to roll the outside in cracked black pepper corn prior to cooking.
Amy Engberson says
Great idea!
Gigi says
Just found your recipe and it sounds amazing! My only concern is that one of my sons cannot eat beef. Could I make it with ground pork or a combo of ground pork and ground turkey?
Amy Engberson says
Darn it! Not being able to eat beef would be tricky! I’ve never made this recipe with any other kinds of meat besides beef. Ground turkey alone might be too dry, and ground sausage alone might be too greasy. A combination of the two might be just right! I’m interested to know how it turns out. Let me know if you try it!
Dave says
Might try ground pastrami with either ground sausage and/or turkey, course pastrami is made with turkey but will be moist.
Amy Engberson says
Let me know how it turns out!
Scott says
I love this recipe. I have been using it or one very similar for several years now. I just completed a batch last night that was 50% pork and 50% goose and it turned out amazing. My kids said the only difference from the beef was a slight change to the overall texture. Whenever I make this, it disappears very quickly. I usually adjust the temperature to 215 rather than 225 and I cure in the fridge for 5 to 7 days. The cook time is a little longer. Goose is an extremely lean red meat and you handle it the same as beef. The pork is needed to boost the fat content and bind the meat together.
Amy Engberson says
How interesting! I love that you’re experimenting with different kinds of meat! These are all great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
Anne says
What kind of smoke do you use? Anxious to try.
Amy Engberson says
You can use any kind of smoke. I typically use mesquite or hickory because they are two of my favorites. Cherry, alder, and apple are also great! Let me know what you decide to use!
Amy says
Used garlic powder instead of garlic salt. Added 1T mustard seed. Everything else as written. Was super easy to slap together. Mine didn’t deform with cooking.
After cooking for 4 hrs, mine were about 170 degrees with an instant thermometer. They did “look done” but I was curious.
Was amazing beef summer sausage thank you for sharing.
Amy Engberson says
I love those substitution ideas! The mustard seed would give it a fantastic flavor! I’m glad you loved it!
Jody says
Amy, do you still use the liquid smoke when you are smoking the sausage? Seems like smoke overkill…..
Amy Engberson says
Yes. I do use liquid smoke even when I’m smoking it and never thought it was overly smoky. I’m sure it would be tasty if you left it out though. Let me know how it goes!
Dave says
Using Prague Powder #1. Do your research, respect it, weigh it out in grams, to much can kill you.
4 lbs of hamburger meat weighs 1814.37 g, multiply that by 0.0025 equals 4.53 g of PP #1. The results in a 156ppm nitrate concentration, which is ideal.
Jus my two cents worth.
PS. Hamburger os thawing out am going to smoke this in my Big Chief smoker and using a bbq meat thermometer (ThermoPro) eBay or Amazon. An internal temp would be 165 degrees..
Amy Engberson says
Thanks for the tips.
Dave says
For those who like to weigh out the cure. MTC states for 1 lb of meat the amount of cure is 1.5 tsp / 0.23 oz / 6.52g. Multiply that by the weight of your meat. ie,. 0.23oz X 4 lb = 0.92oz / 6.52g X 4 lb = 26.08g. This is the amount of cure you should use.
I have not, as of yet, weighed out the cure to see how close it comes to a 1/4 cup.
I made an error of the internal temp, it should not exceed 155 deg. ideally 152 deg is the temp where your meat is done. Any internal temp over 160 deg the meat starts to fall apart.
This will be my third try at making this sausage. I chopped up some pickled jalapeños, my sausage ended up too salty, forgot the amount of salt in the jalapeños.
Amy Engberson says
Adding jalapenos sounds amazing…once you get the salt adjustments just right! Thanks for sharing!
Donna Northrup says
The Prague Powder we bought states to use 1tsp for 5lbs of meat. 1/4 cup is entirely too much.
Amy Engberson says
I’ve never used Prague Powder. This recipe was written to use Quick Curing Salt, so I’m not sure how to substitute with Prague Powder instead.
Doug says
Great recipe! I tend to like the casings approach but that is a personal preference. How long is good for refrigerated / frozen?
As an aside, any recommendations/tried and true recipe’s for all beef honey/garlic? Hickory Farms had a great version years ago, but “improved” it to the point it is now terrible.
Closest I’ve seen is Carmichael’s Honey Garlic all beef Summer Sausage. Bit hard to get though…. Excellent product!
Thanks
Doug
Amy Engberson says
Thank you! I’ve never experimented with casings because it’s so easy to make the sausages this way. I’m sure it’s great with them too.
I really wish I would have been about to try the Hickory Farms honey garlic flavored sausage. Now you’ve got my wheels spinning and I can’t wait to experiment with it!
I keep this in the fridge for around seven days. We usually eat it pretty quickly. I’ve frozen it for up to three months before. It’s so handy to pull out of the freezer and just have it ready to go!