[USA] Cervelatpolse (Swiss Cervelat Summer Sausage)

[Chuckwagon]

"Cervelatpolse"
Thuringer Cervelat Summer Sausage

I stol... uh... ripped... uh... FOUND... this recipe and developed it from a 100-pound commercial formula that was once very popular in Europe. Don`t ask me how I got it. I told you my family members were horse thieves and renegades! Please note that one "modern" adaptation of this commercial formula contained ascorbic acid and phosphate. The amount for this 10 pound sausage recipe works out to be 7 grams ascorbic acid and 20 grams phosphate. I choose to omit these two additives in my own sausage, although you certainly may prefer to add them. Unquestionably, the use of phosphate will force the meat to hold more water and the ascorbic acid will give the meat a deeper red color although the staphylococcus xylosus will ensure the color and flavor. Do you know that the term "summer sausage" originated? In the old countries, peasants and field workers made summer sausage during the winter to be consumed during the summer months while working. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

This is one of the strangest recipes I`ve ever come across. I have no idea how a two-centuries-old Danish packing house recipe would wind up in Bern, Switzerland in the grubby mitts of my raucous and infamous family. Of course, the Swiss called it "thuringer" and originally, the cure was listed as having 30 grams of saltpeter. I`ve calculated the proper amount of Cure #1 (sodium nitrite) and included it as a substitute as saltpeter is no longer used for this type of sausage in the United States and many other countries. The "strange" part? The instructions tell us to "boil the sausages until they are "as elastic as an indiarubber ball and will bounce if dropped on `the` table. This is proof that the sausage is thoroughly cooked".

2.27 kilograms (4 lbs.) beef
2.27 kilograms (5 lbs.) pork
454 grams (1 lb.) pork backfat - cut in small dice
113 grams salt
11 grams Cure #1
13grams ground white pepper
9 grams cracked black pepper
18 grams mustard seeds
45 grams powdered sugar
5 grams ground ginger
5 grams nutmeg
1.1 grams F-LC Bactoferm™ Culture (*not in original recipe)
76 mm. fibrous casings (*not in original recipe)

Original Instructions:
Remove all sinews, then chop the beef and pork together quite fine, adding the seasonings towards the finish, then add the diced fat and thoroughly mix. When mixed place in the filler and fill TIGHTLY into beef casings, tying into 18 inch lengths; hang in the air for 24 hours, then smoke in very warm smoke till the skins are brown; then boil them until the sausage is as elastic as an indiarubber ball and will bounce if dropped on the table. This is proof that the sausage is thoroughly cooked. When done, dry them and glaze the skins.

Modern Instructions:
Partially freeze the beef and pork. Freeze the diced fatback separately. Prepare the F-LC culture with distilled water according to the directions on the package. Allow a "lag phase" for the bacteria to wake up while you trim any excess fat from the beef and discard it. Cube the beef and pork into 1" dice in preparation for grinding. Grind the meat through a 3/8" plate, place it into the freezer twenty minutes, and then grind it again using a 3/16"plate. Mix the cure and salt together with a cup of icewater and mix it with the meat until it starts to develop a sticky meat paste. Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue mixing for 30 seconds more. Fold in the frozen fat and distribute it throughout the sausage equally. Finally, add the F-LC culture and mix 30 seconds more. Stuff the sausage into 76 mm. synthetic fibrous casings and hang them to dry half an hour.

Ferment the sausage at 86° F. 24 hours in 90% humidity dropping to 85% in one day. Preheat the smoker to 110°F. and then introduce hickory smoke at least four hours in 70% humidity. Gradually, only a few degrees every twenty minutes, raise the temperature of the smoker until the internal meat temperature reaches 150°F. It is most important that this temperature is not surpassed. Remove the sausages and immediately rinse them in cold water until the meat temperature drops below 90°F. Dry the sausage three days at 60°F. in 70% humidity. Store them at 50-55°F in 75% humidity.

Bactoferm™ F-LC was not part of the original recipe. It wouldn`t be available for another two centuries. So, why use it? Because it is foolproof. It`s recommended for the production of all types of fermented sausages, including this semi-dry cured product. It contains Lactobacillus curvatus and Pediococcus acidilactici for complete acidification as well as developing pediocin and bavaricin - both known for keeping listeria monocytogenes bacteria at safe levels. Staphylococcus xylosus in the culture, is responsible for strong color and flavor development. Depending on fermentation temperature, acidification may be traditional, fast, or extra fast. A 25-gram packet of Bactoferm™ F-LC will treat 220 pounds (100 kilo) of meat.

Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon