Wild Turkey Honey-Garlic Summer Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 pound turkey, cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon milk powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 ounce Fermento
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pink curing salt
• 1 pound mahogany casing

Directions

When people think of summer sausage, they typically think of pork and beef, but summer sausage can be made from most any meat. We decided to use some of our spring turkey meat for a sweeter version of summer sausage... and we're glad we did!

Makes 1 lb

1. Dissolve the Fermento in a teaspoon or two of water (just enough to make a paste). Grind the turkey through the fine plate of your meat grinder. Combine the ground turkey with all remaining ingredients, including the Fermento.
2. Fill your jerky gun (or sausage stuffer) with the ground meat, cover the nozzle with the Mahogany casing, then press the trigger and hold the casing against the nozzle to fill it. Use Hog Ring Pliers to close the open end of the casing. Refrigerate the Summer Sausage overnight.
3. Preheat your smoker to 155°F, fill the water bowl, and soak your wood chips for 30 min.
4. Hang the summer sausage from Sausage Hangers in the Smoker. Smoke the sausage for 3 hours at 155°-170°F*, until the internal temperature reaches 155. Be sure to change the wood chips every hour. Once the summer sausage reaches the proper temperature, remove from smoker and hang for a few hours.
5. Enjoy immediately, vacuum seal and refrigerate for up to 6 months, or store in a cool, dry place for up to a month.

*Typically, holding the smoker at 155 will require that you open all dampers wide. Keep them ¼ way open to start, then gradually open them if the temperature rises too high.