Yesterday was the day we made our venison sausage for the year. I put up 60 pounds total using 70 /30 Venison to Pork ration. I find this ratio gives a great flavor and helps in the mixing and cooking and the flavor is wonderful.
I have a great recipe for this blend and I usually make a mild batch and a batch with more heat in it.
I was a little disappointed when I went to buy several pork butts this year, I usualy can catch them for around $1/lb but this year I had to pay over $1.5o
I start my cubing up the pork butt and running them through the grinder into a large pan. The venison is already ground and ready. I take a scale and weigh out the mix. take all spices and mix with a measured amount of ice water. This is key to getting uniform spices in the meat and also to get the meat ready for stuffing.
We then hand mix the meat and spices in a large cooler. This is best for me as when we are done the meat stays cool while we shut the lid as we get what we need out to put into the stuffer.
Casings are important. I always use natural hog casings. Any other synthetic or collagen casings while maybe easier to use, are just too thick and taste like a tire tube. The natural hog casing draws into the meat and seems to just blend in during smoking. When you eat the sausage, you don't even realize there is a casing.
Next they went into my newly built smoker at 160-180 degress with Mesquite wood smoke for 4 hours.
The new smoker preformed perfectly and produced a great looking link.
I told my family we should be proud. We made sausage from deer we hunted, on our own land, on a smoker we built using wood we cut. By the grace of God we have these blessings.
We started yesterday at 1 and I pulled the last of it off at 12:30 am this morning. It is hard work and I'm pretty beat this morning, but its a good tired.
I have a great recipe for this blend and I usually make a mild batch and a batch with more heat in it.
I was a little disappointed when I went to buy several pork butts this year, I usualy can catch them for around $1/lb but this year I had to pay over $1.5o
I start my cubing up the pork butt and running them through the grinder into a large pan. The venison is already ground and ready. I take a scale and weigh out the mix. take all spices and mix with a measured amount of ice water. This is key to getting uniform spices in the meat and also to get the meat ready for stuffing.
We then hand mix the meat and spices in a large cooler. This is best for me as when we are done the meat stays cool while we shut the lid as we get what we need out to put into the stuffer.
Casings are important. I always use natural hog casings. Any other synthetic or collagen casings while maybe easier to use, are just too thick and taste like a tire tube. The natural hog casing draws into the meat and seems to just blend in during smoking. When you eat the sausage, you don't even realize there is a casing.
Next they went into my newly built smoker at 160-180 degress with Mesquite wood smoke for 4 hours.
The new smoker preformed perfectly and produced a great looking link.
I told my family we should be proud. We made sausage from deer we hunted, on our own land, on a smoker we built using wood we cut. By the grace of God we have these blessings.
We started yesterday at 1 and I pulled the last of it off at 12:30 am this morning. It is hard work and I'm pretty beat this morning, but its a good tired.