need some ideas

I have some ground beef thawing out so I can make another batch of my beef summer sausage. I posted the recipe I use on here a couple weeks ago. The ingredients consist of pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, tender quick, liquid smoke, and mustard seeds. Been making this off and on for several years, and it's always been "good enough", but now I am looking to give it a little more pizzazz. Maybe my taste buds are going to he!! in my old age or something, but I feel like spicing it up a little without making it firey hot. Some thoughts I've had are to add a few jalapenos, maybe some cheese, possible cut back on the tender quick and replace it with some lowery's seasoning salt. Maybe add some A1 sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire, or some soy sauce. Don't know about this, but maybe some cumin.....? What do y'all think about any of these ideas.....? Or do some of you sausage makers have a secret ingredient I am missing. TIA. Darrel

Darrel, we make a similar sausage and add jalapenos and sometimes chunks of cheddar cheese.
Ben

Maybe mix some Italian sausage in.

do you know what kind of mustard seed you used?  We grow dante mustard up here, and its hot. a few seeds and you will have a sweat going. 

Edited by jorstad brothers - 21 Feb 2019 at 10:29pm

fennel seed

I've never been a fan of the cheese in the sausage.  I know a lot of people are.....but not me.  Seems the cheese usually ends up with a poor texture.  If I want cheese with my sausage, I'll slice up some of a favorite.

Tbone95 wrote: I've never been a fan of the cheese in the sausage.  I know a lot of people are.....but not me.  Seems the cheese usually ends up with a poor texture.  If I want cheese with my sausage, I'll slice up some of a favorite.   Fennel is pretty common in sausage.  Sage.  Jalapenos or better yet chipotle.  Few sprinkles of Tobasco.

There is "high melting temperature" cheese just for sausage making. That kind of saves the texture of it. My son and his group of friends get together every year and make a bunch of country style sausage with the deer that they get. They make a lot of it with cheese, and they use the high temp cheese. I put some cheese into my sausage that I just finished mixxing up. Going to let it sit in the fidge over night and put some heat to it tomorrow. I'll ley y'all know how it turns out. Darrel

Just remembered (to late) up to .4 oz of powdered buttermilk to 5lbs meat mix gives it a tang like summer sausage, start with lower amt to your liking. Past .4 oz per 5lbs, the meat can start to get mushy.