Sweet Swine O’ Mine, established in 1996, is a two-time World Grand Champion BBQ team out of Memphis, Tennessee. One taste of these wonderfully seasoned sausages and you’ll understand why they’ve won numerous awards. This recipe is unique but certainly something an aspiring novice could do. The recipe makes a 25-pound (11-kg) batch and freezes well.
YIELD: ABOUT 100 (6” [15-CM]) SAUSAGES • COOK TIME: ABOUT 8 HOURS
12½ lb (6 kg) lean beef or venison
12½ lb (6 kg) semi-lean pork (you can go with more beef/venison if you prefer it leaner)
1 oz (30 g) Cure #1, also known as Prague Powder #1 (a mixture of sea salt and sodium nitrate, which must be accurately weighed, not measured)
12½ tbsp (189 g) salt
5 tbsp (35 g) onion powder
5 tbsp (42 g) garlic powder
5 tbsp (32 g) black pepper, coarsely ground
2½ tbsp (28 g) mustard seed
5 tbsp (60 g) sugar
5 tsp (11 g) ground nutmeg
5 tsp (3 g) dried basil
5 tsp (8 g) coriander seed, cracked
1½ cups (192 g) powdered milk OR
2 oz (60 ml) 414 Binder
2½ cups (600 ml) buttermilk
2 oz (57 g) buttermilk powder
3 lb (1.5 kg) high-temperature cheese, optional (see note in directions)
2½ lb (1 kg) chopped jalapeños, optional
About 70’ (21.5 m) sausage casings
Grind all the meats through a ⅜-inch (1-cm) plate on your meat grinder. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and jalapeños, and mix well. Rest the mixture for an hour and regrind through the 3/16-inch (0.5-cm) die.
If you want to add cheese and jalapeños, now is the time to do so. For a 25-pound (11-kg) batch, use 2½ to 3 pounds (1 to 1½ kg) of high-temperature cheese. Note: High-temperature cheese is specially made so that it will not melt under normal cooking temperatures up to 400°F (204°C). If adding jalapeños, you can use either raw or roasted. Refrigerate overnight for the cure and spices to meld into the meat mixture.
The next day, stuff the meat into the casings to your desired length. Place the stuffed casings in your smoker at 130°F (54°C) for 2 hours with no smoke, to dry the casing so the casing and sausage can take on smoke later in the cooking process.
Turn your smoker up to 150°F (66°C) and smoke them for 4 hours with a light, moderate or heavy smoke (depending on your preference). You want a slow rise in heat. If you smoke too hot, you will not get the right results. Bump the heat to 170°F (77°C) and cook for another hour. At this point, it’s optional if you continue to use smoke during the cooking process.
To finish cooking, increase the smoker temperature to 190°F (88°C) and continue to cook until the internal meat temperature is at least 150°F (66°C).
Once you reach your internal temperature, it is time for an ice water bath to rapidly bring down the meat temperature. This also helps to prevent wrinkly casings forming on the summer sausage. After the ice water bath, hang them at room temperature for a couple of hours and then refrigerate overnight.
Pack the sausages in the freezer … but only after some taste testing.