Freezing Summer Sausage: How to Extend Shelf Life

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Summer Sausage is a meat product and meat products are the food most consumed by the world’s population. However, meat is the main source of protein needed by humans. There are quite a variety of ways to consume meat and one of them is in the form of Summer Sausage.

Summer Sausage is cured meat or a way to make meat last longer. This is meat that is preserved to extend the shelf life of the meat. Also, it is the best way to ensure the meat will not go to waste.

Making Summer Sausage is the best way to preserve meat until cooling systems such as freezers are invented. In the past, people used traditional methods like this to extend the shelf life of meat. Even now, preserving meat by making sausages is still valid and continues to be practiced.

Freezing Summer Sausage to Extend Its Shelf Life

Summer Sausage is a perfect example of a preserved product without using a refrigeration machine like most modern people do today.

Maybe you are asking yourself “Can I freeze Summer Sausage”? Yes, Summer Sausage can be frozen and it lasts for 10 months in the refrigerator.

But if you don’t want to store it for too long, up to 3 months or 6 months, then you don’t need to store Summer Sausage in the freezer, you can just store it in the refrigerator.

Does this sound interesting? Come on, read on until the end, we will share how to freeze Summer Sausage and other related things.

What is Summer Sausage?

Maybe for you, the term “Summer Sausage” feels strange, this is the same for us too.

Why is it called “summer sausages”? Ok, to answer this, it seems we have to look at its history related to its use at that time.

Remember, summer sausages are a food product made from meat that was discovered before the refrigerator was invented. Game and meat were highly prized. Europeans needed a way to keep their food fresh during the summer.

So meat that is preserved during the summer is called “summer sausages”. Preservation is done in various ways. Maybe you have seen this preserved meat in various forms, there are many types of sausages sold on the market that are preserved in various ways.

Some sausages that are very commonly found on the market are Spanish chorizo, pepperoni, and salami. In America, the most famous summer sausage is German-style sausage.

Historically, German immigrants initially imported summer sausages to America, they tasted soft and were not too dry. Traditional preservation recipes are made by families using their methods.

Recipes for preserving meat or summer sausages have been passed down from generation to generation from grandmothers until now. So, what exactly is the original recipe? This is difficult to answer because there are different recipes.

The main ingredients in making summer sausages are the same among everyone who preserves them. The main ingredients are pork, beef, salt, and pepper.

Now, summer sausages are a meat product that is loved by various levels of society. Apart from being delicious, this sausage also lasts a long time in the pantry because it has been preserved naturally.

How to Store Summer Sausage?

The best way to store summer sausages is in a cool place like the refrigerator. This is if you will not use it within 3-4 months. But if you are going to use it within 4 months, then summer sausages don’t need to be put in the refrigerator, they can last at room temperature for up to 4 months.

If you want to extend the shelf life of summer sausages to 10 months, then storing them in the freezer could be the solution.

But it is also possible to freeze summer sausages in the freezer. But the taste and texture may change slightly. What if you want to freeze it, see how below!

How to Freeze Summer Sausage?

To maximize the shelf life of various foods, including summer sausages, it is enough to just use the refrigerator.

However, even though the refrigerator is good for storing food, if you want to extend the shelf life of food as long as possible, then the freezer is the choice.

Storing sausages properly in the freezer can make them last up to 10 months.

To freeze summer sausages, you need freezer paper and tape. Before placing it in the freezer, wrap it in freezer paper.

Remember, freezing meat can separate the fat and meat. Freezing sausages will ensure that your sausages last a long time, don’t rot, and don’t get moldy.

Follow these steps for the best results.

1. Make sure all parts of the sausage meat are covered or wrapped in freezer paper.
2. Place the paper on a smooth surface, making sure the shiny side of the paper is facing up.
3. Your summer sausage should be placed in the middle of the freezer.
4. Wrap the sausage like you would wrap a gift. Fold the edges of the paper around the sausage.
5. Use freezer tape to cover the edges of your package.
6. Label your package properly, and don’t forget to date it.
7. Let the summer sausage cool, and freeze for several months or even up to 10 months.
8. You can follow these freezing steps even if you haven’t removed your summer sausages from the packaging.

How to Thaw Summer Sausages?

Summer Sausages that have been frozen are best thawed before use. The best way to thaw it is to give it enough time for it to thaw itself slowly until it reaches room temperature. But thawing at room temperature for too long will only make it change, so you should try one of the two Summer Sausages thawing methods.

These two methods are by leaving it in the refrigerator overnight, and the other is by using the microwave.

Defrosting Summer Sausage in Microwave

• Thawing Summer Sausages in the microwave sometimes causes them to not heat evenly.
• Before defrosting the sausage, you must heat the microwave first, and then place the pan on the microwave rack.
• Make sure the container you use to thaw the sausage is closed properly. Covering the pan will help it warm quickly.
• Let your Summer Sausages thaw for 15 minutes.

Defrosting Summer Sausage in the Fridge

For those of you who don’t have a microwave, of course, you have to use another method, namely leaving frozen Summer Sausages in the refrigerator overnight.

• To thaw frozen sausages in the refrigerator, make sure your refrigerator temperature is below 41°F (5°C).
• This is important to pay attention to, because a higher refrigerator temperature will encourage the growth of bacteria.
• Place the frozen Summer Sausages on a plate, so they won’t get soaked when they thaw.
• If you see that the sausage has thawed and feels soft, then take it out of the refrigerator and it is ready for you to use.
• Using this method, the sausage will thaw slowly, but this is the best method because it does not cause damage or changes to the sausage. Using this method means you may have to be patient.

How to Tell if Summer Sausages Are Bad?

You can find out if your summer sausage is bad in many ways, this is important so that you can stay away from bad foods and not cause side effects.

So, many indications can tell you about how bad Summer Sausages are. When it comes to food storage, always assume the worst or err on the side of caution.

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There are several indications that Summer Sausages are bad. If you find one, throw it away immediately.

1. Damaged summer sausage will smell sour
2. Maybe you will also identify a sour smell on the packaging if you do not store it properly in the refrigerator.
3. Rancid taste. Sometimes you feel a rancid smell like the faint smell of soy sauce on sausages. If you find a taste like that, this indicates that bacteria or fungi are starting to grow.
4. Dry and hard surface. Broken summer sausage will have a hard surface. The texture sometimes changes from sticky to brittle and dry.
5. The appearance of small lumps. These lumps indicate that mold is starting to grow on the sausage.

If you have found signs of decay like this, then assume it is dangerous (don’t assume it is safe), there may be bacteria and fungus that could harm your health.