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How to Make Jalapeno Summer Sausage

with Ann Bennett & Bearded Butchers
Few things fill you up when you’re snacky like a delicious summer sausage, that’s why the crew at MEAT! reached out to Ann Bennett of simply.unconventional for her outstanding Jalapeno Summer Sausage recipe.

If you’ve always been curious about how to make your own summer sausage, this is the perfect place to start. Simply grind your meat with one of our grinders, mix it up, season it and smoke it to perfection on a Grilla Pellet Grill.

With this recipe we’re using venison, but you can substitute beef, elk or other meat you’ve harvested throughout the year. You’ll need a meat Grinder, Mixer and a Sausage Stuffer if you plan to make this recipe, fortunately you can get all that gear at the links in this recipe!

This is all part of MEAT! Madness 2026, where we’re pitting 16 recipes against each other in a bracket voted on by you, to find out which one reigns supreme. Make sure to vote on your favorite recipes and check out more from Ann Bennnett @simply.unconventional on Instagram.



Prep Time: 1-2 Hours

Cook Time: 4-6 Hours

Estimated Servings: 25lbs. Summer Sausage

INGREDIENTS:

  • 15lbs. Lean Venison, Substitute as needed
  • 5lbs. Pork
  • 5lbs. Uncured Pork Belly
  • Jalapeno, to Taste
  • 3.5oz. Bearded Butchers Natural Cure
  • Jalapeno Powder, to Taste

EQUIPMENT

  1. 1.5 HP Dual Grind Grinder
  2. MEAT! 5lbs. Vertical Sausage Stuffer
  3. 20 lb Meat Mixer
  4. Silverbac Wood Pellet Grill

Homemade Jalapeño Summer Sausage Making Directions:

  1. Remove the sausage casings from their original packaging. Rinse thoroughly to remove excess salt and soak in cool water overnight, or for at least 1 hour in lukewarm water prior to stuffing.
    • Pro Tip: Freeze the grinder throat as well to keep it cool and improve grinding performance.
  2. Cube your meat and fat into roughly 2” pieces, then partially freeze both to make grinding easier.
  3. Pull the meat from the freezer and coat it in half of your seasonings.
    • If needed, return the meat to the freezer to chill again.
  4. With your meat and fat still partially frozen, run the chunks through your MEAT! Grinder.
    • We are roughly using a 25% ratio of fat to meat, but feel free to adjust to your preference.
  5. Grind all meat and fat together using the fine grind plate, distributing both as evenly as possible.
  6. Transfer your ground meat to the MEAT! 20lb Mixer and slowly add in the remaining seasonings while mixing.
  7. Stop mixing when the meat becomes slightly tacky and all ingredients are incorporated.
    • You do not want to overmix your sausage; it will take on a tough or rubbery texture.
  8. Your sausage filling is ready. Now it’s time to turn it into summer sausage using the casings you soaked earlier.
  9. Load your MEAT! 5-lb Stuffer by pressing the meat mixture firmly into the canister to eliminate air pockets.
    • Pro Tip: We suggest throwing the meat into the canister with a little force and lightly packing it down every so often.
  10. With the canister full, attach the casing to the stuffing tube. Leave an inch of casing hanging off and do not tie until you have pumped in some of the meat into the casing.
  11. Twist and tie off the size sausages you want as you pump. We recommend 6-10 inches per summer sausage.
  12. Using a sanitized sausage pricker or fine needle, prick sausage to pop air bubbles if necessary.
  13. Place your summer sausages on a pellet smoker at 200°F and smoke until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
    • This may take up to 6 hours depending on sausage thickness, smoker temperature, and outdoor conditions.
  14. Immediately plunge the sausages into an ice bath and cool them to at least 100°F.
  15. Refrigerate your sausages overnight, preferably hanging.
  16. Congratulations, you’ve made a massive batch of jalapeno summer sausage you can share with friends and family for weeks!
  17. Be sure to vote for your favorite MEAT! Madness 2026 recipes and share which ones you created with us on social media.