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.

TexLaw Thanks much! I’ll let you know how it turns out.

TexLaw well, I finaly got around to making another batch of summer sausage. This time I used your smoking schedule, reduced water to 0.6 oz/lb and Sure Gel at 0.24 oz/lb. Turned out MUCH better and flavor was great. Texture was still a little rubbery/spongy and moist, but quite a bit less than before. I am going to experiment with the water and Sure Gel amounts to see if I can zero in on that “perfect” semi-dry texture. Next batch I am thinking of reducing water and Sure Gel in half ( Water at 0.3 oz/lb and Sure Gel at 0.12 oz/lb) and keep the same smoking schedule. I’ll keep you posted.

Hog casings are the only way to go! I used to use the collagen casings and had the same problems. Once I get the links cut apart after twisting, I throw them in the freezer long enough just to firm them up for vacuum sealing. That way the vacuum sealing doesn’t smash them and they keep their shape. I also think hog casings work much better when grilling.