I just made 10 lbs jalepeno/cheddar summer sausage. 65% deer, 35% pork with high temp cheeze. I added 2.4 oz Sure Gel and 1-2/3 cups water. Followed Walton’s smoking schedule. Sausage turned out very juicy and tasty, but the texture was “spongy” when chewing. Also, the juiciness of the meat caused the cheese to be slightly “gooey”. Should I back off on the Sure Gel or water or both? Should I not use Sure Gel if I have cheese? Looking for advice.

I just made 10 lbs jalepeno/cheddar summer sausage. 65% deer, 35% pork with high temp cheeze. I added 2.4 oz Sure Gel and 1-2/3 cups water. Followed Walton’s smoking schedule. Sausage turned out very juicy and tasty, but the texture was “spongy” when chewing. Also, the juiciness of the meat caused the cheese to be slightly “gooey”. Should I back off on the Sure Gel or water or both? Should I not use Sure Gel if I have cheese? Looking for advice.

Brianzipperdog123 Thanks for the info. What is the purpose of the potato flour? Does it counter act too much moisture?

TexLaw Thanks for the info! I am thinking my problem is too much moisture. I added 1-2/3 cup water and I kept my humidity very high in the smoker (Masterbuilt Electrict) by closing down the damper almost nearly completely to counter act the temperature “stall”. In my recipe I use Morton’s Tender Quick for cure at 1 Tblsp per LB as per directions on package. Do you know if that amount of Tender Quick could be adding to the “rubbery” or “spongy” texture? I think I will try your suggested smoke schedule and open up the damper a bit. Again, thanks for the info.