@megajunk I wouldn’t let the stories about ECA stop you from trying Encapsulated Citric Acid. Lowering the pH is what I think makes a summer sausage a summer sausage, and that is most often done with ECA. When used properly, it is extremely effective and reliable at achieving a predictable pH drop. The lower pH also inhibits microbial growth as well. I’d argue that a true summer sausage cannot be made without using something like ECA to drop the pH.