Making homemade smoked venison sausage is easy with this recipe. (Shutterstock photo)
November 16, 2016
By Raschell Rule
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Whether you want to make logs, links or patties, follow this recipe for great-tasting smoked venison sausages at home.
Yield: 5 venison sausage logsPrep time: 15 minutes + refrigerationCook time: 8-12 hours
Ingredients: 4 ½ pounds ground venison 1 pound fatty pork sausage 2 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons hickory smoked salt 2 ½ teaspoons garlic powder 2 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds 2 ½ teaspoons black pepper
Directions: Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Remove in 24 hours and remix well. Return to refrigerator for 3 days. After 3 days, shape into 5 logs. (Scroll down for instructions on stuffing sausage into casings or making patties .) Bake in oven for 8 hours at 140 degrees or 12 hours in your outdoor smoker. Freezing the meat for 30 minutes to 1 hour before grinding will make it easier to put through your grinder. If stuffing venison sausage: Choose only high-quality hog casings that have been salted. Take the casings out and soak in warm water for several hours; it makes them more flexible, and they won't split as easily. Cut into 4-foot lengths. If you have the grinding equipment, coarse-grind the meat first, then add the rest of the ingredients and regrind. Put the ground meat in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes before you start. The meat stiffens up a little, and it's easier to put through the grinder. Stick one end of each casing on the faucet and run warm water through the inside of the casing before stuffing. Don't pack the casings too tight. After stuffing, place the coils in the refrigerator to "dry" overnight. The next day, twist into links and prepare for freezing and/or smoking. Make this Smoked Venison Sausage Recipe in the oven or in an outdoor smoker. If making venison sausage patties: Cut off a piece of wax paper to cover a baking sheet. Pat the sausage mixture to approximately 1/2 inch thick and use a biscuit cutter or the top of a drinking glass to cut out even patties. Place patties on baking sheet. Flash freeze the patties by freezing them on the cookie sheet first. Take out the frozen patties and place a piece of waxed paper between each one. At this point, you can vacuum seal them or wrap very well with Saran Wrap, aluminum foil, Ziplock bags (anything that will keep the smell in the package), and mark the bags with the date and stack in the freezer. You can cook the patties before you freeze them, if you wish (I don't). I have kept this in the deep-freeze for several months with no loss in quality. Use food thermometers to ensure cooked sausage products have reached proper internal temperature of 160 degrees F before consuming. Keep reading for helpful tips and techniques when making this Smoked Venison Sausage Recipe.
Venison Sausage Making 101: Tips and Techniques First you want to wash your hands with soap and water before working with meat, after changing tasks, and when finished. Make sure you start with clean equipment – sanitize surfaces a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water. If using frozen meat, first thaw in refrigerator. You will want to keep the temperature of the meat as cold as possible (below 40 degrees F) during grinding and mixing. You may also mix the dry ingredients (seasonings) in water to dissolve the curing ingredients and allow for even distribution throughout the product during regrinding. When you are done mixing the spices with the meat, form a little patty and fry it up before stuffing the casings or forming into patties. Taste to see if the spice combination is right for your taste; maybe there is not enough spice or it’s too spicy; everyone is different. Remember you can always add more spice. The sausage will be pale in color because it was not smoked. You can smoke the sausage before freezing. Over the years, pork has become much leaner and can be a problem. You want fatty pork because insufficient fat in your mixture makes for dry sausage. >> DIY Must-Have Wild Game Processing Tools
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For more venison recipes and tips from Raschell Rule, visit: misshomemade.com
