We have all heard that old saying; you do not desire to see how the sausage is prepared. I disagree with that. I think we have to all know how the wild game venison sausage is prepared, and we have to all try making it on our own at least once.
Making sausages with wild game can be an excellent way to enjoy the meat you take home. It’s also a great way to share wild game with associates and relatives who might be unfamiliar with it, or hesitant to try it.
Making fresh sausage at home may appear overwhelming, but actually: once you have the tools and a little knowledge, it goes extremely swiftly. Best of all, it can be completed with any variety of wild game you have.
The primary thing you will need is a meat grinder. This may vary from an inexpensive hand-crank grinder to a fancy multi-horse-powered grinder. You can get a very good quality grinder that will meet your needs for just about $80. If you have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, you can purchase a grinder add-on for it that functions pretty well.
If you would like to create cased sausages, you will require a sausage stuffer. You can have these at most hardware stores or online for at least 75 dollars. You don’t have to make links however if you just want to create bulk sausage you can do that too, and then chill your them in one-pound bags for later use.
One thing to consider when making sausage: keep it cold. The cooler the meat is, the better the final product. Throughout any down time in your sausage-making procedure, keep the meat in the cooler. If the meat warms up too much (over 40°F), it will end up with a grainy texture in your meat and the sausage will not combine together well. Therefore, keep your meat as cold as possible without really freezing it.
Venison Sausage with Maple and Cranberry
- 4 lbs. Venison
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 40 grams kosher salt
- 1/2 cup powdered milk
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1.5 lbs. pork fat
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp fresh sage
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
Instructions in Making Venison Sausage
- Weigh out four pounds of meat (in this case, venison) and cut it into 2-inch cubes for the grinder.
- Most wild game is extremely lean and will require fat added to it. Cut the fat into smaller pieces, about 1-inch cubes.
- Measure out the seasoning ingredients for your sausage.
- Add the seasoning to the meat.
- Mix it all together. Let it sit around 30 minutes in the freezer.
- About 15 minutes before you begin grinding, put the metal grinder plates (or at the grinder, if you’re using a hand crank) in the freezer. Once more, this will help out with the quality.
- For some sausages, you will require grinding the meat two times using a course grind and followed by a fine grind.
- After the sausage is ground, you will have to give it a mix. However, if you are just making small 5-pound batches, you can do this with your hands just as effortlessly.
- You are now all set to taste the sausage. You have to put together a small patty and prepare it as a sample. If you feel like you have to adjust the seasoning, now is the time to do it. Once you put it in the casings, it may be too late.
- If you are going to put together links, now is the time to prepare the stuffer. You can make use of hog casings for bigger sausages like polish and bratwurst sausage, or use sheep casings for smaller-diameter sausage like breakfast links.
- You can purchase casings at your butcher shop or online. A number of outdoor retailers have a variety as well. Most of the casings you may find are filled in salt and have to be soaked and rinsed prior to using.
- Once you already filled your casings you will need to link them. Depending on the size of the links, you just pinch the sausage and then roll the link in the opposite direction as the final one. You will end up with fine, tight links.
- After the sausages are linked, you can slice the links and set them where it’s cold. You would like the casings to dry out slightly and tighten up around the meat.
- The last thing you need to do is pack the venison sausage. For this breakfast sausage. At this time they are prepared for the freezer or ready to cook. If packaged properly, they will last in the freezer for a year or more.