I came into 7lbs of 95% lean ground venison and want to make sausage this weekend. I don't have a smoker so this is going to be grilled.
I've made sausages before but never venison so let's hear some recipes! I'm open to pretty much anything
And if you can, include temperature and time
I'm spitballing this so please bear with me......
If you don't have a smoker, then, all you can do is decide if you want to add any and what kind and how much fatty meat / cheese / spices / etc. to mix into your sausage grind, then case them up and cook them... There's no magic time/temp recipe for cooking them on the grill... it will depend on what you put in there with the venison and how hot you run the grill...
If I had 5 pounds of lean venison..... I would look for some pork chorizo at the meat counter.... and mix in 50:50 chorizo:venison. YMMV. Ground pork or beef would work. I'd pick a fatty grind to offset the lean venison.... 75/25... No leaner than 80/20. If you pick something not yet spiced, you would just spice it differently vs using chorizo... It's hatch chili season, so, some roasted Hatch would be nice to add if you are so inclined... I would mix ground venison and whatever else by hand and re-grind before casing.. Plenty of spice suggestions to be had on a search...
If I'm not smoking the cased sausage, I boil them for 5 minutes then grill for color/texture and to crisp up the casings... grill 2 minutes, turn, 2 minutes... should be done, maybe 1 more spin. Even if smoking, I would still finish on the grill to crisp up the cases... Gnawing through sausage casings ruins good sausage for me...
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
What about adding pure fat like duck/pork/beef. Or would that just make it seem like eating fat? No binders?Originally Posted by RoyGBiv
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I'm already out of my lane here.... so... FWIW, YMMV....
I would not go the route of adding rendered fat.... although Duck fat is delish.... If I'm adding another meat flavor to my venison, I'd add the meat itself. Especially so if I'm planning to make sausage and not smoking it.... I want something in the mix besides just fat as a buffer against overcooking the venison... seems meat would be better at that than just fat, which could render out quickly during cooking or become a danger to bite into after grilling the sausage.
Wife makes a lot of ground Bison.... If I wanted to keep the flavor of the venison in my finished meal, I'd be inclined to treat it like ground Bison and pan fry, then incorporate into a finished dish.... She makes a lot different-spiced Bison toppers for salads... also a lean chili... taco meat... etc.
I'm curious to see what other suggestions you get here....
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
I am lazy. Burgers or sausages I just grind pork belly or bacon ends into the venison. For burgers I usually go 4:1. Sausages can go as high as 1:1, depending on the recipe. I do have my Grandfather's meat curing and sausage making book, I can pull up a couple of recipes if you like.
If I were to use rendered fat it would likely be suet. I usually have it on hand, (cheaper) and it stays firmer longer while grinding
My local butcher usually has beef suet for less than $2/pound, already ground, and I render it myself in the oven, straining out the beef cracklins.
With luck by the end of next month I will have a couple hundred pounds of elk and another 70 or so of mule deer to play with...
I also don't mind the flavor of straight venison...
pat
We haven't made sausages but do grind a fair amount of venison burger and I'll 3rd the recommendation for adding pork for the fat. In our case Pork shoulder. Cuts any gamminess out (is that a word) and a great binder. As good or better than a beef patty. We also use it in everything while it lasts: Chili, nacho's, spaghetti, meatballs, burgers, etc.
Sausages should be awesome.
Pork fat has worked the best for me. You really need to play with the amount until you fine the texture and flavor you like best. what type of sausage do you want to make, breakfast, Italian, Polish, sweet, hot....?
Sorry but it has been several years since Ive hunted, so I do not have any recipes handy.
The smoker has made some of the BEST deer Summer sausage I have ever made/eaten.
I like rare - med rare meat, period. Don't have a favorite so any one of those will be exactly as the others.
I actually decided to postpone this for a week or two. This has me thinking maybe I should get a smoker and I'm thinking maybe something inexpensive. Maybe something that does cold smoke as well. Gotta see what's available.
Anything basic in the under $500 (not necessarily cold smoke) that can sit a 2nd floor wooden deck?
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I really like my Pit Boss and the newer bigger version is available at Walmart for under $400. It won't do cold smoking however. There are some cool contraptions that you can fill with pellets, light one end, and cold smoke for several hours... They can work inside a regular grill. I'm on a tablet currently but will try to locate a link later.
As for the wood deck, there are fireproof grill mats available on Amazon and elsewhere. Definitely a good idea.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
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