Adding Cheese To Summer Sausage: An A-Z Insights

A picnic bench is incomplete without summer sausage pairing with wine and cheese. However, have you ever thought of adding cheese to your sausage? Trust me; mixing cheese compliments your summer sausages’ flavor and taste.

But, adding cheese to summer sausage” – how can you do so?

It’s all about mixing the right cheese into your sausage recipe during prep time. However, you can add any type of cheese; your best buddy is firm but easily cut semisoft cheese like Cheddar, Provolone, etc. They don’t melt quickly, are low-fat, and enrich the flavor with their neutral bite.

If you are still skeptical about adding cheese to the sausage recipe, try it – because it’s worth it.

However, the best thing you can do now is – dive into the article to learn about the perfect play of sausage and cheese.

Adding Cheese to Summer Sausage: The Types

There are two types of cheese. One is regular, and another one is high-temperature. Let’s figure out which one to choose for the summer sausage recipe.

1. Regular Low-Temperature Cheese

Regular cheese is usually the most available one you find easily in the supermarket. They are also affordable.

The summer sausages usually cook faster. So, while adding cheese to sausage – your best option is a semi-hard cheese that doesn’t melt quickly. 

However, regular cheese, unfortunately, melts easily. So, you should avoid using the regular store-bought cheese to add to your summer sausage mixture, such as brie cheese, because of its softness. 

But you can use mozzarella and Cheshire cheese for this recipe. You can also use swiss cheese to make summer sausages. However, the semi-hard ones are preferable to these options.

So, if possible, you should choose the high-temp firm cheeses over these.

2. High-Temperature Cheese 

Don’t be skeptical about using hot cheese because it is the best kind to add to the summer sausage. These are available in stores marked as “high-temp” and are cut into small pieces. So, you can immediately use them to mix with the minced sausage. 

These kinds of cheese have the firmness to survive in high temperatures without melting or losing its form.

Let’s explore a variety of high-temp cheese. 

• Sharp Provolone

It is an Italian delicacy that you should try with the summer sausage. This high-quality cheese is semi-hard and matches the recipe requirement. It comes in different shapes and sizes. Sharp Provolone is one of the best kinds when choosing semi-hard cheese.

It has a pleasant taste with the salty taste of nuts. It goes great with summer sausage that is made of pork.

• Sharp Cheddar

The unique color and taste of sharp cheddar compliments summer sausages. This cheese is just one of those that comes in sharp, extra-sharp, and mild versions. 

Sharp cheddar may last up to 6 months in terms of shelf life. Its flavor will most likely vary over time.

• Pepper Jack Cheese

It is an American cheese – rich, soft, and spicy. Thus it enhances the taste of summer sausage also by making it spicier. Pepper jack cheese is one of the best spicy cheeses that pair fantastically with crackers.

It contains rosemary, sweet peppers, etc. It also has Mexican habanero chilies, which make it high-temperature cheese.

• Halloumi

It is a Cyprian delicacy that is made out of goat milk. It is a semi-hard and also a stirred-up cheese. It can survive very high temperatures without melting, making it the perfect match to include in summer sausages.

It’s a little bit expensive, though. Halloumi cheese looks quite similar to mozzarella, and it can be fried as well.

Adding Cheese to Summer Sausage: The Procedure

If you ever think, “Is there cheese in summer sausage?”.

The answer is yes. If you think of making homemade sausages and searching for “How do you add cheese to summer sausage?” the answer is simple. We have discovered the process and the appropriate way to prepare sausages with cheese.

Step 1: Mashing the Summer Sausage

Firstly, prepare your sausages by grinding them. You can cut them into little cubes as an alternative.

Step 2: Put the Cheese in the Fridge

Keep the cheese in the fridge to stay firm for a long time. Do it before adding it to the minced sausage. It will also get mixed very easily and nicely with your sausage afterward. However, you can skip this step.

Step 3: Summer Sausages Mixed with Cheese Pieces

If you have high-temp cheese on hand, combine the summer sausages with the cheese cubes. You are strongly advised to use your hands to mince them to get an appropriate proportion.

How Much High-temperature Cheese Do You Add to Summer Sausage?

For every 11 pounds of meat portions, 1 pound of cheese may be sufficient. The amount of cheese should be somewhat less than the weight of the summer sausage. It should not exceed 10%. 

You may ask how much cheese do you put in sausage. The more cheese you can add, the richer its flavor gets. But the taste won’t even change if you use less cheese.

Remember, the amount of cheese doesn’t have to be very accurate like the seasoning.

What Goes Well with Summer Sausage?

Summer sausages are a great option as go-to snacks, or you can add them to your picnic menu. It is also essential in cheese boards. It can be cut into small pieces and served with cheese and wine. 

Adding it to a casserole or spaghetti makes it more delicious. The summer sausages also can be eaten as it is. You can make a spicy sub sandwich or use it in salad toppings.

Jalapeno Cheese Summer Sausage Recipe

Fresh jalapeño peppers and high-temperature cheese give the Jalapeno-Cheese meat Summer Sausage an additional mouthwatering taste. Summer sausages are cured minced meats with seasonings and cheeses. 

You can store it for a long period without keeping it in the fridge or during the hot summer months. You’ll have a fresh way to use minced meat after trying this Jalapeno-Cheddar Summer Sausage recipe.

High-temperature cheese is used in this summer sausage, which can tolerate temperatures of up to 400° F. This delicacy, with a blast of taste from jalapeno peppers, is very irresistible.

The recipe is given below.

• You should grind all kinds of meat together. Then add curing salt and all other spices. Mash all these things with your hand very carefully. 
• You should remove the seeds and peel the jalapeno peppers before chopping them into tiny bits. The peppers and cheese in the log of summer sausage will add to the aesthetic attractiveness at the end. Mix the meat with the jalapeno peppers and high-temperature cheese nicely.
• Fill about two-inch mahogany collagen cases with the mix. Refrigerate for at least one night.
• Hang sausages on hanging racks to dry at ambient temperature the next

day, or use a smoker. Do it until the cases dry. Then set the smoker’s temperature to 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, add the smoke chips, and smoke for 3 to 4 hours. 

• Then you should raise the temperature to 170 degrees and continue to smoke until the interior temperature reaches 165 degrees. Prepare a bucket of cold water to dunk summer sausages while the sausages finish cooking.
• When the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 165°F, remove them from the smoker and soak them in cold water to chill them down. Keep the sausages for 1 to 3 hours at room temperature in the smoker.

Do I Have to Refrigerate Summer Sausage?

Even though it requires no refrigeration, you can still be aware of the food safety and keep the summer sausages in the fridge because not every variety works similarly. 

If it is store-bought, just check the label and instructions. If it requires refrigeration, then do as instructed in it.

FAQ‘s

• How do you keep summer sausage moist?

If you’re preparing sausages out of deer, elk, or other dry meat, you could discover that there isn’t enough fat. You should add some fatty pork flesh to the mix to guarantee a high-quality summer sausage.

• Best crackers for summer sausage and cheese

Choose a cracker with a light taste profile so that the sausage and cheese flavors may pop through. Saltines, water crackers, stone-ground wheat crackers, Triscuits crackers, ritz crackers, townhouse crackers, toasted crackers, which come in three variants, and assorted biscuits, etc. are considered the best kind.

• Can I eat summer sausage raw?

If you get a genuine summer sausage from the shop, you won’t have to cook it. You may chop it up and eat it on its own or use it as a prepared meat addition or replacement in other meals. Homemade summer sausage is cured and cooked the same way, so it won’t need to be cooked.

Final Words

The process of Adding cheese to summer sausage is very simple. You just need to choose the right kind.

Avoid cheeses that melt quickly and are very moist. Go with the variety that is firm and dry. Mostly consider the semi-hard ones. Whatever you choose, sharp cheddar, provolone, or halloumi will most definitely compliment the flavor of your summer sausage.