Jalapeño-Cheese Venison Summer Sausage Recipe

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This Jalapeno-Cheese Venison Summer Sausage has a kick and some extra flavor, thanks to fresh jalapeno peppers and high-temperature cheese. Caleb D. Regan

Summer sausages — sometimes called dry or hard sausages — are cured meats that are fermented and dried. They will keep for a long time — summer sausage even gets its name from staying preserved during summer months or with little or no refrigeration. Give this Jalapeño-Cheddar Venison Summer Sausage recipe a go, and you'll have a new way to use ground venison.

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This venison summer sausage makes use of high-temperature cheese, which is cheese that can withstant temperatures up to 400 degrees F. With a kick of flavor from some jalapeño peppers, this recipe is one you'll want to try right away.

Jalapeño-Cheese Venison Summer Sausage Recipe

3 pounds venison
2 pounds pork
5 tablespoons Morton Tender Quick Curing Salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder (or 5 minced fresh garlic cloves, if you have them)
4 fresh jalapeño peppers
½ pound high-temperature cheddar cheese

Grind together venison and pork. Add curing salt, pepper, mustard seed, marjoram, sugar and garlic powder. Mix together thoroughly with your hands, making sure curing salt and seasonings get evenly dispersed through meat.

Hull jalapeño peppers and remove seeds, then chop into small but not fine chunks. Part of the visual appeal at the end will be in seeing the peppers and cheese in the log of summer sausage. Combine jalapeño peppers and high-temperature cheese (you might have to go to a big-box supplier for the high-temp cheese, unfortunately) with the meat. Mix thoroughly.