OLD SCHOOL WILD GAME Smoked venison sausage recipes

For most of my venison recipes, I prefer to separate each muscle and cut slices or chunks across the grain of the muscle.

 

The muscles from the tenderloins, back straps and hindquarters are the best choices for frying, grilling and roasting (these muscles are ranked in order of decreasing tenderness, but all are good quality). These muscles, as well as the neck, shoulder and flank muscles, can be used in other recipes such as stews, fajitas, chilies, smoked meats, sausages and hamburgers. Some recipes that work well with beef or pork may not work well with white-tailed or mule deer because these deer meats tend to be “dry,” lacking intramuscular marbling. Avoid undercooking and overcooking venison when frying, grilling, roasting, smoking or microwaving, because undercooked venison might provide a health risk, and overcooked venison becomes tough and dry. Soon after evisceration, the carcass or quartered meat should be cooled and stored at 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit. The carcass is easiest to skin soon postmortem, but skinning can be postponed for a few days as long as the carcass is quickly and thoroughly cooled. Tenderness is generally improved when the carcass or quartered meat is aged at least a week at 34 to 38 F with good air circulation around any exposed meat. Air circulation around exposed meat causes its surface to dry—the dry layer should be trimmed off during butchering. Tenderness continues to improve during the cold storage aging process until about 16 to 21 days. The meat that will be ground and the tenderloins do not need to be aged. Freezing should be avoided during the aging process because it inhibits aging and speeds spoilage after thawing. However, meat does not go bad when it freezes during the aging process. The meat should be kept clean and dry throughout field dressing, cold storage and aging processes. Soiling and excessive moisture increase the likelihood of spoilage.

Summer Sausage Safely From Game Meat

 

1. Wash your hands with soap and water before working with meat, after changing tasks, and when finished.
2. Start with clean equipment – sanitize surfaces with a solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water or follow directions on container.
3. Select only fresh, high quality meat and other ingredients (spice, cure, etc.)
4. If using frozen meat, first thaw in refrigerator..
5. Follow the recipe exactly for the proper lean-to-fat ratio to ensure good texture and binding properties.
6. Keep the temperature of the meat as cold as possible (below 40 degrees F) during grinding and mixing.
7. Mix the dry ingredients in water to dissolve the curing ingredients and allow for even distribution throughout the product during regrind.
8. If you have the grinding equipment, coarse-grind the meat, then add the rest of the ingredients and regrind.
9. If stuffing sausage, choose only high-quality hog casings that have been salted.
10. Soak casings in clean water 30 minutes before use, and rinse them in cold water to remove excess salt.
11. Wash grinding and stuffing equipment with hot soapy water. Then sanitize with solution of 1 tablespoon chlorine bleach per gallon of water when done or 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water.
12. Use food thermometers to ensure cooked sausage products have reached proper internal temperature of 160 degrees F.

 

IMPORTANT TIP

Keep the temperature of the meat as low as possible during grinding and mixing.

 

To make great tasting venison sausage at home, you will need a few pieces of equipment.

1.) A meat grinder. This can be electric or a manually operated, hand-crank meat grinder. If you do not have access to a meat grinder, you can still make great tasting sausage from home. You can use a sharp knife to cut your meat into pieces as coarse or fine as you desire.

2.) 2-Large mixing bowls. One bowl for mixing your seasonings. The other bowl for catching the venison as it is ground.

3.) Sharp knife

4.) Measuring spoons

5.) Measuring cup

6.) Rubber gloves

Venison Summer Sausage Recipe

Note: Sausage is quite spicy. If you like less spice, cut down proportions of spices.

Ingredients:

• 15 pounds venison
• 10 pounds pork trimmings (5 pounds lean trimmings, 5 pounds fat trimmings)
• 7 ounces (2/3 cup) salt
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) commercial cure
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) mustard seed
• 3 ounces (1/2 cup) pepper
• 3 ounces (1/2 cup) sugar
• 1/2 ounce (3 tablespoons) marjoram

Directions:

1. Mix salt and cure with coarsely ground venison and pork trimmings. (Cure is optional. It is used to develop the characteristic pink color, improve flavor and inhibit the growth of clostridium botulinum.)
2. Pack in shallow pan and place in refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
3. Then add rest of ingredients and mix well.
4. Smoke sausage until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F as measured by a food thermometer.

Homemade Venison Smoked Sausage Directions

1. Stuff prepared sausage into 3-inch diameter fibrous casings.
2. Smoke at 140 degrees F for 1 hour, then at 180 degrees F until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the sausage).
3. Remove from smokehouse and spray with hot water for 15 to 30 seconds. Follow with cold spray or place in ice water to cool down rapidly.
4. Refrigerate at 40°F or freeze.

 

Making Bulk Sausage

Bulk sausage is one of the most versatile types of sausage you can make. You use bulk sausage much like you use ground venison or ground beef. Bulk sausage is sausage not stuffed into casings.

Cooking with bulk venison sausages offer near endless possibilities. Bulk sausages can be used as burgers, as meatloaves, in meat sauces and in casseroles or hot dishes. Any place you use ground meat, you can substitute bulk venison sausage.

Bulk Breakfast Sausage

This recipe will make ten pounds of venison sausage. You will be using 6 pounds of venison and 4 pounds of beef or pork. The beef or pork you add to your venison sausage should be no more that 70 percent lean.

1.) Place meat into the freezer while you mix your seasonings and set up your grinder. Placing the meat into the freezer before you grind will make it easier to grind.

2.) Mix spices:

• 5 Tablespoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon ground white pepper
• 2 Tablespoons rubbed sage (if you do not like the taste of sage replace with garlic powder or minced garlic)
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 1 Tablespoon ground thyme
• 1 Tablespoon crushed red pepper (optional)

Mix spices and 1 pint ice water in large bowl. Make sure all the salt has dissolved.

3) Set up grinder. Use a grinder plate with 3/16 inch holes.

4) Remove meat from freezer. Put on rubber gloves.

5) Grind meat through the 3/16 inch grinder plate into the empty mixing bowl. During grinding, alternate venison and beef or pork. To every three or four pieces of venison, grind one to two pieces of beef or pork. This will help distribute the beef or pork more evenly. If you like sausage with a finer texture, grind the meat a second time.

6) Pour the seasoning mixture over the ground meat. With your glove covered hands, mix the seasonings into the meat. Make sure all meat and seasons are thoroughly and evenly mixed.

7) When you think you have mixed the meat enough, mix the meat again. Mixing a ten to fifteen pound batch of meat by hand will take at least 5 to 7 minutes. Thorough and even mixing is important. If the meat and seasonings are not thoroughly and evenly mixed, your venison sausage will have bites that taste great and bites with no flavor.

8) When you are sure meat and seasonings are mixed well, wrap the venison sausage in butcher paper and place in freezer. You can also vacuum seal your venison sausage.

Bulk Italian Sausage

This recipe will make 10 pounds of venison Italian sausage. You will be using 6 pounds of venison and 4 pounds of beef or pork. The beef or pork you add to your venison sausage should be no more than 70 percent lean.

1) Place meat into the freezer while you mix your seasonings and set up your grinder. Placing the meat into the freezer before you grind will make it easier to grind.

2) Mix spices:

• 5 Tablespoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon cracked or ground fennel seed
• 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 3 teaspoons crushed hot pepper
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander

Mix spices and 1 pint ice water in large bowl. Make sure all the salt has dissolved.

3) Set up grinder. Use a grinder plate with 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch holes.

4) Remove meat from freezer. Put on rubber gloves.

5) Grind meat through 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch grinder plate and into the empty mixing bowl. When grinding, alternate venison and beef or pork. To every three or four pieces of venison, grind one or two pieces of beef or pork. This will help distribute the beef or pork more evenly. If you like a finer textured sausage, grind the meat a second time.

6) Pour the seasoning mixture over the ground meat. With your glove covered hands, mix the seasonings into the meat. Make sure all meat and seasons are thoroughly and evenly mixed.

7) When you think you have mixed the meat enough, mix the meat again. Mixing a ten to fifteen pound batch of meat by hand will take at least 5 to 7 minutes. Thorough and even mixing is important. If the meat and seasonings are not thoroughly and evenly mixed, your venison sausage will have bites that taste great and bites with no flavor.

8) When you are sure meat and seasonings are mixed well, wrap the venison sausage in butcher paper and place in freezer. You can also vacuum seal your venison sausage.

Final Word

We are straying away from our roots on a dangerous road from which there will be no turning back. And the good and bad news is that we are the last generation that can truly do something about it.

We no longer know how to live without refrigerators, without cars, without phones or without supermarkets.

What will you do tomorrow if you simply are unable to buy things?

Find all the answers  in this great book  ‘Meat for Life‘ . Learn the lost ways of our ancestors!

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